The Drum: Voice of the Village
Born in Nigeria, Onye Onyemaechi is recognized around the world
as a virtuoso of African music, drumming, and dance. He brings the soul of Africa to create and teach a blend of the best of traditional culture and modern life. In The Drum: Voice of the Village, Onye
tells the story of his own village where the drum was the heart of the people beating out the message of new birth, mourning the passing of an ancestor, and dancing the joy of new love. The drum was always
vibrating, speaking the emotions that connected the people of the village with each other.
Onye is recognized as a pioneer in using music, rhythms, and dance to bring diverse communities together and as a tool for personal and societal healing. In The Drum, Voice of the Village, Onye shows how music has a capacity for bringing profound transformation. He teaches how to use the drum for healing as well as for creating community.
6 x 9, 160 pages
Trade paperback
ISBN 978-1-937462-07-9
Onye Onyemaechi, MBA, is the founding director of Village Rhythms. He is a celebrated recording artist, performer, producer and composer. Onye lives in Santa Rosa, California. His website is Village Rhythms
MBIRA (THUMB PIANO)
The thumb piano of the Shona tribe in Zimbabwe. It
is played by locking metal strips on a wooden slab,
often clamped inside a gourd resonator. Used for
social, spiritual, ceremonial, and festive occasions.
BREKETA/GONGON – (BASS SNARE DRUM)
Great bass snare from Ghana, similar to Nigerian Djun Djun barrel bass drum. They are lightweight and made from a single piece of hardwood carved thin and a double headed bass drum with goat skin on both sides. Snare string is stretched across the skin. It is traditionally played in the same position as a talking drum, in the armpit, and comes with a traditional curve stick. Typically the drum is covered with colorful African cloth.