Saikou Saho

 

Our Story

African Drums and Art Crafts started as a little store in Kensington Market in 1998, where there was and still is a mosaic of cultures. The idea was to present African arts and culture in its original form. We wanted to import the authentic African drums, arts, clothing, and jewelry to present it in a village-like atmosphere. We left a space in the middle of the store where people could drum and be together, a kind of Bantaba. In African culture a Bantaba is a tree in the middle of the village where the council of elders meet to discuss the local affairs during the day. At night young people meet to play music, dance, and sing at the Bantaba. We put that idea to use in African Drums and Art Crafts and we've always had at the center of the store a circle of King and Queen Asante stools. In this open area we play music, drum, converse and eat - we share life! This is a new concept where people come to inside to play and eat even while business is being conducted. People from all walks of life and all cultural backgrounds come to participate.

We first opened on St. Andrew Street in the heart of Kensington Market and spent 5 years there. We are now located at 618 Dundas Street west, just south of the Market. African Drums and Art Crafts is a welcoming place that we try to keep as a stress free zone. We have art and music from many African countries. We have a wide range of products available, from Senegalese Tama ("talking drum") to Congolese masks, and of course the largest selection of the best Djembe drums in North America direct from Guinea and Mali! Our dream is that one day the store will carry arts from every single African country.

We function as a local information center were we can answer questions regarding many aspects of African arts and culture. We provide drum repair and re-skinning on djembes, dun duns an other drums. Also, you can shop for many of our products right here at our E-Shop.

We welcome everyone to our little drum store with the big heart!