FOLA MUSIC SCHOOLS

Traditionally speaking, African drums are the heart and soul of most continental African communities. Drums have been an indelible part of African life for thousands of years, and are a central part of the social and historical fabric on the continent. While in the West, drumming is often considered to be a small aspect of music, especially when one attempts to analyze popular culture, in many African countries drums possess a more profound, communicative, and historical significance. They announce births and deaths, celebrations and birthdays, new presidents, and marriages. They call up the spirits of the ancestors and provide the soundtrack to courtships. Drums can signal a warning or stir up a revolution. They can call someone home or warn of impending danger. On the other side, drums are about communication and making music, two essential characteristics of community life. For centuries the "talking drums" were a primary source of communication between tribes used to transmit messages sometimes across great distances.