Her talking drum

Nigerian performer Ara. Photo © Jura Nanuk, ontheglobe.com.

Nigerian performer Ara brings new vibes to traditional Yoruba instrument

(Abuja) Her hair flows very long, is carefully braded, and an integral part of her meticulously crafted image. As she speaks each word is enunciated carefully with her answers toned to perfection.

And just as we begin our interview, three bare chested drummers are placed directly behind her for the benefit of our camera – standing tall in the background like statues. The tone was set to remind you that you are in the privileged presence of Ara.

Living a somewhat of a secluded life, Ara – who sometimes talks of herself in the third person – is being carefully honed and raised for stardom by her calculating manager Wanle Akinboboye of her management, Atuna Entertainment, a label that favors putting African talent in the spotlight.

« Ara, like my name, means mystery, » says Ara, « It is about African culture and this has much to do with our mission. It is about selling African culture in a highly cosmopolitan manner, and without loosing its innate nature.”

Aralola Olamuyiwa, known as Ara, means mystery in her native Yoruba language plays the ‘talking drum’, a traditional instrument that was once reserved for men. On stage, she is outgoing, ever-present, singing and playing her special drum as dancers and acrobats contribute to the impressive show that is as much a celebration of Africa, as it is an ‘Ara’ performance.

Today a ‘master drummer’, her work has not gone unnoticed. When actor Wesley Snipes was in Nigeria, it didn’t take long before he graced the stage with her and together danced the night away. And the legendary Stevie Wonder, who saw her perform at a concert in Ghana, immediately took her under his wing as a musical collaborator by recruiting her to record the mysterious sounds of her drum on his latest album.

« With Stevie, I realized that there are no limitations on who you want to be, » says Ara earnestly, « No matter how much you think that you are at the top, you are not. Stevie, who is a living legend, still works hard today and I look at him as one of my mentors. »

« If I ever look at myself and for one reason or another feel as if I am giving too much, I think of Stevie. I soon realize that I am really not giving enough, » she ads.

Ara spoke with Andrew Princz in Abuja late last year following her performance at the Abuja Carnival 2005, a celebration of Nigerian culture.

ontheglobe.com: I have heard it, I have seen it… but exactly what is this mysterious ‘talking drum’ that you play?

Ara: I think that the name explains it all: it is a drum that talks. I was told that in the days of old my forefathers used it as a means of communication. It was the sole preserve of men. I happen to be the first woman to break the jinx of the talking drum, being the first female talking drummer of repute. Women might have played it in the corner of their rooms, but they were not allowed to perform it in the public. The talking drum only became a musical instrument in recent times, as originally it was an instrument of communication. The instrument itself is made of plants and animal skin.

ontheglobe.com: What motivated you to become among the first woman artists to perform on this instrument?

Ara: As a child I used to play the small traditional drums. When I was taken on by Atuna Entertainment, my label, the founder wanted to do something different. Because Atuna in Yoruba means re-creation, re-birth. He asked me if I had ever played the talking drum. Of course I said that I hadn’t, and that I wouldn’t touch it. He replies that, ‘you are going to touch it, because it is going to be your instrument’. I wanted to leave at that point because I knew about the taboos of the talking drum, with my being a woman. I told him that I had to consult with my family, and we argued back and forth.

Soon enough, I tried to have some men teach me, but they wouldn’t. Especially the ‘Talking Drummers’, the musical group. Then I decided that if they were being dodgy and did not want to teach me, then there must be something special about this drum.

I picked it up and took it home with me. I slept with it. I woke up with it. I did everything with it. I asked how many tones this instrument has? They said three, and I said fine. That is how I started learning on my own. And with all humility, even though I am speaking as a master drummer today: I still believe that I am learning. I still would like to do things that the men have not been able to do with the drum.

ontheglobe.com: Recently you performed with your drum in Paris with symphony… another unusual event!

Ara: Yes, that was at the anniversary celebrations of UNESCO. My segment was referred to as the heartbeat of the concert. I went with four of my drummers and we played about four different drums. Many people did not believe that we could infuse the African drum into classical music. That is what happened at the 60th anniversary of UNESCO. I played the bata, iya-ilu, which are traditional Yoruba instruments. Many people were really stunned that it could really work.

ontheglobe.com: You recently collaborated with Stevie Wonder, even participating on his latest CD.

Ara: That was one of the high points in my career. As a child I loved Stevie Wonder so much, and I still do. Meeting him was like a dream come true. He heard my music, my drumming, and he invited me to Las Angeles. I didn’t do voice but I played four of my instruments, and the CD is out now. Working with Stevie humbled me because I was given the opportunity to work with a living legend of our time. It made me a better person, a better musician. With Stevie, I realized that there are no limitations on who you want to be. No matter how much you think that you are at the top, you are not. Stevie, who is a living legend, still works hard today, and I look at him as one of my mentors. If I ever look at myself and for one reason or another feel as if I am giving too much, I think of Stevie. I soon realize that I am really not giving enough.

ontheglobe.com: Your show is more than simply you and your music. There are many components to the show: the back-up singers, the performers, acrobats and dancers. Do you put the whole thing together?

Ara: Ara, like my name, means mystery. It is about African culture, and this has much to do with our mission. It is about selling African culture in a highly cosmopolitan manner, and without loosing its innate nature. That is what Atunda Entertainment, my label; set up to do with Ara.

Each time that you see Ara, you see something different because there is so much that we need to show the world about what we have. Each time that Ara performs, you will see something interesting, exciting and African. It is also something that everyone in the world can relate to.

If you look at my choreography, you see a mix of western and African moves. My music is a mixture of African and western music. Like western music is universal, we too want everyone, everywhere in the world to be able to listen to African music. I also try very hard to write in English, Yoruba, and sometimes even a little bit of French. Even if you don’t understand the language, you feel the beat, the rhythm. If you don’t feel the rhythm, you can feel the beauty of the displays of the acrobats, the choreography and drums. Everybody has something to say. It is a total package.

ontheglobe.com: How much of a challenge is it for young Nigerian artists like yourself to break out into the international scene.

Ara: We are looking to take our music all over the world, and breaking more barriers. Most of the artists are trying to be European, or to be American: both of which have wonderful artists. I, however, strongly support the slogan that we must be proud to be African. When you show the world who you are they will accept you for that. When you try to be somebody else, the public just senses that, and they get the impression that you have a personality problem.

ontheglobe.com: The Abuja Carnival is a celebration of the traditional cultures of Nigeria. Here we have seen a plethora of cultures, religions, peoples… This, while many cultures in Africa are following the opposite course. Many peoples are forgetting the indigenous cultures in Africa.

Ara: This is an interesting phenomenon that is happening in Nigeria, and I am happy that the president has come up with this idea. As you said, a lot of our culture is really going down the drain, and this carnival is really awakening all of us. We have to be proud of who we are because it is our culture that differentiates ourselves from the other cultures in the world. It is something that has been passed down to us by out ancestors. Something that we need to make sure that doesn’t ever die, and something that we need to pass on to our own children, and generations yet unborn. It is one of the best things that the president has done for Nigeria.

* Text by Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com [31 December, 2005]
* Photos Jura Nanuk, ontheglobe.com
* Copyright 2005, All Rights Reserved

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