Myth of the talking drum

yinka ogunlami

September 14, 2016 9:48 AM

This is a blog post by Borokinni Joshua Boffin...this so-called reformed hour-glass shaped instrument has taken the black arts to the horizon.

The myth of the talking drum.

Have you ever wondered why Yoruba parties are the most adored?? Have you anytime asked yourself why you will pass by a celestial church on a Sunday and not move some or all part of your body to a rhythm?? You are not far from the answers.

Personally, I have been in Benin city for close to three years now, and of all the parties I have attended I have not felt that vibe I feel when I party in Lagos. ‘ki lo n se le’ I will always ask myself, I can not express myself the way I always love to, displaying my expertise in traditional dances with all humour of enthusiasm and acrobatic displays.

I also noticed I fell in love with Lil kesh’s track `’ and constantly put it on repeat, though there is a similarity with Pepenazi’s track illegal in which he featured Olamide. Why?? I will always ask myself. I got to find out when I heard the instrumental of the track with an earphone. The inexplicable joy that filled my heart on hearing the sonorous sound of the talking drum was immeasurable.

Talking drum popularly called ‘gan gan’ in the western part of Nigeria has its root there, with Ghana and the Hausa tribe having references as well. Tama, as called by the Ghanaians, make up the fourth musical emblem in their tradition, using it to connote rites such as circumcision.

The talking drum can best be described as an hourglass shaped object with two drum heads whose pitch can be regulated to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. How I love juju and highlife music, the grandeur expression of the talking drum can get a lame man on his feet dancing.

Funnily, the whites have not extricated this fact, rather king crimson, a Brob Dignan rock band used it on its album `lark's tongue in aspic’, on the track `the talking drum’. In addition to its successes, the great Tom Waits implored its herculean ability on his song `trouble braids’, How indispensable.

A legend I would always respect on this note is sir. Sikiru Adepoju who by the legend of this special hourglass-shaped instrument has gone to the Pluto and mercury of the earth. The myth of this grotesque tool of music has been of leviathan importance in promoting the black culture to skyrocketing heights never imagined.

yinka ogunlami