"hey! I saw some *really nice* djembes in Ghana for the cedi-equivalent of $20; I think the key words there were "light" and "cheap". That equals "tourist junk" in my book. Find a real quality drummaker and you can get a good djembe, no matter what country you are in."

Yes. Ghana is famous for producing these cheap badly carved djembes for the tourist trade that show up in places like Marshalls and TJ Maxx. Some of the Ghana djembes are getting better, but the djembe is not the drum of Ghana, so they are only learning to produce these drums. Some of the djembes that are produced in the Pacific and in Indonesia are pretty good, but they are not professional level.
I am sorry that so may people equate the price paid for items especially from West Africa with quality. It is not always the case. If you are in Senegal or Guinea or Ivory Coast and look around, you can find exceptional djembes for the $20 range. That price seems like a lot to the people in that area. The "very expensive" djembes that you purchase in American stores for $250-$500 are more often than not the very same drums that you can buy from a vendor in Africa for well under $50. I own three truly "master djembes" (and a whole lot more that are good) and I purchased them after examination from West African Importers here in NY and the most expensive one I paid $75 for. The very same drum I have been offered over $600 for from another djembe player. I own a beautiful carved djembe of Khari wood (what the keys of the balafons are made from) that was carved in Guinea. The shell is smoothe and even inside, thick where it needs to be and thin where it needs to be. Nice trumpet at the bottom, deep goblet and about 13" in diameter at the head and about 25" tall. It's flawless and I've rehead it a few times since I've owned it. I purchased the drum here in New York from Bamba Troare who travelled with Mamady Keita during Mamdy's 2002 tour here before he moved to California. I paid $75 for this djembe and it is superior to any that I've seen available here for over $500 in music retailers. Pay more if you wish, or just use your ears and your eyes and buy a drum that you like.