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The
Drum Beats On -
Roxborough Village.
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Honouring
the late Floyd Wolfe, a
fine craftsman and an
icon in the performing
arts
• Roxborough’s
presentation - The Drum
Beats On - focuses on the
struggle of a young man,
Bongo, who, being
ignorant of his heritage
struggled to bring the
art form of the drum to
life.
• He was jeered at
because he’s unable
to make his drum talk -
unlike the other
villagers.
• Bongo ultimately
finds a mentor who guides
him along the traditional
paths of drum making and
playing by first
honouring the ancient
traditions used in
Africa.
• Every time a
drum is made the
ancestors and Africa must
be saluted. In this
tradition that Bongo
learns that even from the
selecting of the tree,
you need to to asking its
permission to cut it for
drum making.
• If these
traditions are not
followed then the drum
will be mute.
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Tell
your friends
about this site
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• The drum in African
culture holds a specific and
significant place. It is used as
an instrument of praise and
worship, and for communication
and celebration.
• The drum was the voice
of the people and had stories to
tell both of magical and of
ritual significance.
• As part of the
evening’s presentation there
is a percussive competition in
three forms – tambrin,
tamboo bamboo and drums. The
contestants were judged for
melody, presentation,
arrangement, harmony and
originality.
Tambrin
• The tambrin drum is a
percussive instrument that is
indigenous to our islands having
been born when the plantation
owners forbid the slaves from
making and playing drums.
• Resourceful slaves soon
found another way to keep their
voices alive by creating the
tambrin, a drum based on the
circular boxes used by Christian
missionaries at the time. The
drum is lightweight and small
enough to be easily concealed.
• The tambrin, much like
other drums does have several
voices such as the bass drum but
is distinguished by its size.
• Tambrin bands of today
is comprised of several tambrin
drums, a violin, or fiddle as
some would call it, and a
triangle.
The Tamboo Bamboo
• The precursor to the
modern steelband took the place
of the drums in festivity and
held its place for fifty years
before the steelband captured the
streets and hearts of the people.
The word “tamboo” is
derived from the word
“tambour” or drum.
• Thus tamboo bamboo would
be bamboo drums, bamboo being
something that could be easily
gotten a hold of.
• Music is produced by
beating on different different
lengths of bamboo and it is
commonly used at bongo, wakes,
stick-fighting and many types of
revelries.
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