The Gankoqui is popularly referred to as gakpevi (ga - forged iron + kpe - carrying + vi - child) and is a popular West African musical instrument

Music of Africa

Africa is a vast continent and its regions and nations have distinct musical traditions. The music of North Africa for the most part has a different history from sub-Saharan African music traditions....

, usually made of iron

Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...

. It is a type of double bell, one bell pitched higher than the other, and is played with a stick.

The instrument is made by traditional Ewe

Ewe people

The Ewe are a people located in the southeast corner of Ghana, east of the Volta River, in an area now described as the Volta Region, in southern Togo and western Benin...

 blacksmiths and plays a huge part in West African music, especially Ewe drumming

Ewe drumming

Ewe drumming refers to the drumming ensembles of the Ewe people of Ghana, Togo, and Benin. The Ewe are known for their experience in drumming throughout West Africa. The sophisticated cross rhythms and polyrhythms in Ewe drumming are similar to those in Afro-Caribbean music and late...

. Each bell can provide several different pitches depending upon how the player strikes the bell.