Artemisia Books

In the river villages of Upper Guinea, a three-hole flute carries centuries of history on its breath.

The tambinfulé — the three-hole flute of the Maninka and Fulani peoples — remains little documented despite its rich repertoire rooted in song, history, and oral tradition. Drawing on more than twenty years of apprenticeship with master flutist Lanciné Condé, Dave Kobrenski offers a comprehensive guide to the instrument and its musical world: a nearly 300-page exploration of the tambin, Mande history, playing technique, and traditional music, featuring over twenty songs, more than 100 pages of sheet music, and companion audio recordings.

Written by Famoudou Konaté, with Thomas Ott
translated by Dave Kobrenski

The master djembéfola—in his own words. Discover the magic and intrigue of West Africa in the long-awaited English version of Famoudou Konaté’s book.

The grand master shares his musical journey from West Africa to the world stage and back again, to where it all began. Along the way, he unveils the mysteries of the djembé and its accompanying instruments, revealing rare insights into rhythms, techniques, and the cultural meanings behind the music.

Somewhere in Africa, the blacksmith’s widow is rumored to still be alive. And her dark magic is Dave’s last hope of ending a twenty-year curse. If only he can find her.

A touching and profound real-life adventure story that spans continents—and worlds.

“Compelling reading…a work that often has a captivating sense of immediacy.”
— Kirkus Reviews

In Drawing on Culture, artist and ethnomusicologist Dave Kobrenski takes the reader on an artistic voyage into the heart of West Africa. More than 30 artworks, done on location while traveling through villages along the Niger River in Guinea, are compiled here alongside his own field notes and essays. Together, they provide a glimpse into the lives and culture of a people maintaining their ancient traditions, even as the modern world encroaches. Drawing on Culture is more than a travelogue: it makes an impassioned case for turning our attention to the cultural diversity of the world, and to our oldest cultures, which may be our best chance of understanding how to regain ecological balance on a planet spinning out of control with human activity.

When artist and musician Dave Kobrenski first set out for Guinea, West Africa, it was simply to learn the djembé music of the Malinké people. What he found was a land of ancient traditions where spirits mingle with the living—and where extreme poverty and rampant political corruption are an explosive mixture. When bloody clashes erupt, no traveler is safe. For Kobrenski, the result was a two decade musical adventure that would test his resolve and draw him into a quest of cultural understanding.