As luck would have it, my daughter’s school project to make an African instrument coincided with a half-term family trip to Fez.
Drums are an integral part of life in Morocco. They are a common sight at festivals and social gatherings and a popular souvenir for tourists in the medinas of Marrakech and Fez. Just buying a drum would be cheating, of course. But a quick Internet search revealed a local company offering drum-making courses in the heart of Fès el-Bali.
On our first night in Fez, we ate our evening meal on the terrace of our riad, before an unseasonal shower sent us scampering indoors. A pair of drummers serenaded us with a mournful tale over a rhythmic beat. I noted with alarm that the drums were quite big. I hoped the one my daughter was making wasn’t so large. I hadn’t booked check-in luggage on our flight home.
The next morning we were met by Noureddine, our guide for the day. Noureddine had recently translated for some American researchers who had come to Fez to study drumming at the university, so he was quite the expert. We drove to the top of the medina, near Bab Bou Jeloud, the Blue Gate, and plunged into the medieval souk.
The course was held in a drum workshop, just past the butcher who hung a camel’s head outside his stall to indicated that he sold camel meat. It was set in a former caravanserai, in the old stables, amongst small stalls selling foot cushions and ceramic tiles. Three men were hard at work making drums – in pretty much the same manner they have been for centuries.
