Classification String instrument | Developed South Africa | |
 | ||
Hornbostel–Sachs classification (Composite chordophone) | ||
The Ramkie (also called an Afri-can) is a type of guitar usually made in South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Malawi. It is made using a discarded oil can (or similar) for the soundbox. It has three or four strings (rarely six like a guitar), made of fishing wire or bicycle brake wire, and may be fretted or fretless. The instrument has apparently always been used for repetitive chord-playing, not melodic patterns.
History
The instrument is recorded as early as 1730 among the Khoi people in the Cape, although its earlier history is unclear. Such early ramkies had a gourd for its body. The name probably comes from Portuguese "rabequinha" ("little violin"). It was later adapted by the san and Bantu speakers, and the gourd body replaced by wood or a tin can.