On a trip to West Africa almost 15 years ago I bought my first drum: a djembe. I bought it from a group of guys who were living under the skies not far from the beach near our hotel. We'd been seeing them around selling stuff to the few tourists who dared to venture out of the sanctuary of the hotel environment without the usual guide to keep them out of 'trouble'. On one night we hired them to make us dinner and they asked us what we wanted to eat. We obviously had no idea of the local delicacies and they suggested baracuda. Great baracuda it was and they sent a fisherman out to catch it for us. That night we had a delicious meal in an abandoned hut along the beach, lit by candles and filled with the smoke of drift wood used for the bbq. I got talking to the 'chef' and before the night was over I had agreed to buy a djembe off them. He had asked me if it was alright to charge me more money than usual so he and his brothers would have some resources in the slow season to survive. I told him that was fine and so a couple of days later I was having my first drumming lessons under the scorching African sun. I can't tell you how delighted I was and at the same time frustrated because every single person who came along could play the damn drum! And not just play it, to my ears it sounded like they were born playing it, which is probably not far from the truth.

Anyway, over time I learned to play it reasonably well and picked up a lot from playing with others.

When I was getting more involved with firewalking and leading my own groups I started playing the djembe to move the energy and it sort of became my voice when I wasn't speaking: leading and guiding the groups to the heart beat of the fire that spoke through my hands slapping the weathered skin. I love to play at firewalks and other ceremonies, when it's not a performance but it is a way to keep the heart beat of love alive. When it's a way to move the energy in service of the greater good, in service of the tribe.Nowadays, because of my experience with firewalking, I'm asked to drum at many fiery events.

With the assistance of some local drummers I can now also offer drumming for larger firewalking events when there's a need for more than one drum. So let me know what you need for your event and I can guarantee you a good price for over a decade of experience and expertise in drumming for firewalking! 

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With a smile,

Maarten Elout