OUR STORY
At African Musical Instruments we offer Fair Trade, handcrafted instruments made by talented musicians and skilled artisans in Ghana. Every purchase directly supports the makers and helps preserve rich musical traditions passed down for generations.
Founder
In 2001, I set out to create a business importing beautiful arts, crafts and instruments from around the world.
I first went to Ghana, exploring the busy markets in Accra, placing small orders of six to ten drums with different makers. Joseph heard I was placing orders and came to me and said, “Look, I’ve got no shop, I’m a new guy on the block, but if you give me a test order I’ll show you what I can do.” I did exactly that, and his craftsmanship stood out above the rest.
Since then, Joseph and I have worked together to bring beautiful, handmade, ethically and sustainably traded drums to the UK and beyond, and it has grown steadily over these past twenty years.
HEAD OF OPERATIONS IN GHANA
After finishing Basic School, I met Hugh while working around the Arts Centre in Accra. I was already making drums, so I showed him some of my samples. He was impressed, and from there a business relationship grew, slowly but steadily.
Through this partnership I have been able to sustain my craft, support my family and refine our skills, connecting with a larger audience that values the authenticity of each instrument. Turning my passion into a livelihood has been truly fulfilling.
A new chapter
In 2026, as Hugh began a well-earned retirement, African Musical Instruments became part of the Siesta Crafts family. Siesta Crafts is a family-run Fair Trade business established in 1983, based in Canterbury and a member of BAFTS, the British Association for Fair Trade Shops and Suppliers. For over forty years Siesta has imported handmade crafts and instruments directly from artisans across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Nothing about what makes African Musical Instruments special is changing. The same instruments are made by the same skilled hands in Ghana, the direct relationships Hugh built with Joseph and his team continue, and so do the Fair Trade principles the business was founded on.
We are proud to carry this work forward, and grateful to Hugh for more than twenty years of building something genuinely worth continuing.
Explore the handmade djembes and instruments at the heart of the story.
