Nakibembe Xylophone Group
Nakibembe village group playing giant embairé xylophone
Nakibembe is a village some 6km from the main road east of the town Iganga in Busoga. The village is home to a group who perform stunning music and dance with a giant log xylophone. The instrument stretches over 2.5 meters, with the keys resting on felled banana trunks. A pit is dug underneath to help resonate the bass keys, which double as drums.
The group was formed in 1976 and travels throughout Busoga to perform at parties and funerals. Several releases of their music on cassette have helped popularise the group.
For more information and transcriptions, read African Music Vol 7, No. 4 (1999) -- available from International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa http://ilam.ru.ac.za