

Journal of Language and Literature 

ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online)                                                                                                                                Aladesanmi Omobola Agnes 
   

148 

 
Colonization and Cultural Values of Yorùbá People:  

A Case of Traditional Drums in Yorùbá Land 

 
Aladesami Ọmo ̣́ bo ̣́ lá Agnes 
bolaaladesanmi@gmail.com 
Department of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages, Ekiti State University 
 
 
Abstract 

Culture is one of the marks by which a community of people of a nation is normally identified. Culture 
is a phenomenon that distinguishes one ethnic tribe from the other. Various cultures can be identified 
among the people that are found in a particular community setting. Some cultures can be similar among 
different people but cultures that differ one from the other are peculiar to people of various tribes. Culture 
and tradition are sometimes used interchangeably. However, these two concepts have some differences. 
Tradition is rooted in religious beliefs of a people while culture is embedded in the social activities and 
social values of a people. Culture is multi-dimensional. Among the Yorùbá ethnic group of South Western 
Nigeria, there are different cultures that can be identified. Some of these cultures include but not limited to: 
tribal marks, mode of greetings, dressing/hairstyle and music in which drums are embedded. The focus of 
this paper is on the use of traditional drums among the Yorùbá. The paper shall examine the origin of drum 
beating, types of drums and the type of drum beating that is peculiar to each activity and the phenomenon 
of drum beating in the past and now. The paper discusses the influence the modern technological 
development has brought into the issue of traditional drums both in positive and negative ways.  The paper 
concludes that this culture is gradually fading away among the Yorùbá people and observed that this is due 
to the fact that not much value is placed on Yorùbá culture anymore and this is very inimical to the socio-
cultural belief of the people. 
 

Keywords: culture, traditional Drums, technology, socio-cultural belief 
 

Introduction 
 

Yorùbá people are highly noted for their 
reference for their gods. Religion is a major part 
of Yorùbá culture; it is through this culture that 
they showcase their respect for their religious 
beliefs. They give the best instruments and 
materials in the worship of their gods. One of 
the most important instruments used in the 
worship of their god is the drum. Drums are 
vital parts of the cultural heritage of the Yorùbá 
especially the attendant impact on the  

 
generational transfer of this heritage 
territorially. 

 
According to Merriam Webster (1995), 

drum can be defined as a musical object made 
up of a hollow-shell or cylinder with a 
drumhead which can be made up of hard skin 
stretched over on or both ends and it can be 
beaten with hands or stick or wire brush. 
Corroborating the above, Wikipedia also 
maintains that in Hornbostel Sachs classification 
system, drum is categorized as one of the 
percussion group of musical instruments. Most 


                                                                                                                                                                                     Journal of Language and Literature 

Vol. 19 No. 02 – October 2019                                                                                                                            ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online) 

 
149 

 
drums are made of animal skins and wood. 
Drums are the basic instruments for most 
Yorùbá music. The act of playing this musical 
instrument to produce melodious rhythms and 
tone is called drumming. Traditionally, in 
Yorùbá culture, drumming acts as a musical 
bridge between humans and different deities. 

 
Deity is called “òrìṣà” in Yorùbáland. It 

provides guidance and intervention in their 
daily lives. Drumming provides a link between 
the supernatural world and the physical world 
by acting as a communicative agent that calls 
down the deity in order to provide assistance 
and guidance to the worshippers. Each deity has 
a drum attached to him or her. The type of drum 
used for communication and entertainment 
varies from one community to another. The 
Yorùbá do not only use their drums for 
entertainment alone, they use it as a means of 
communication, praise-sing, announcing 
declaration of hostility, war, mourning and 
sober reflections. When the Yorùbá hear a 
certain sound of drum beat, even without 
getting to the place or places where the sound is 
emanating from, the sound of the drum would 
have communicated to the hearers, the message 
the drum beat is conveying. 

 
In Yorùbáland, drumming styles differ from 

one period to the other. For examples, drums 
are used to announce the emergence of Egúngún 
(masquerades), for social events, for hunters 
going on hunting expeditions and also drums 
are used for sober reflection during mourning 
and also during war. The drumbeat during war 
sounds hard. For example, “olo ̣́ mọ kìlo   f’o ̣́mọ re  , 
òní a ro”. The meaning of this song is 
summarized in this phrase: “warn your wards, 
today would be tough”. And for death (dirge) 
songs; a good example is the one that goes thus: 

 
“yépa   motirodo lọ pọnmi, 
yépà motiro  sà lọ fọṣọ, 
ìgbì modélé mi ò be ̣́nìkan 
ojú mi ń ṣomigbéré”. 
 
Alas, I went to the sea to fetch water, 
And to the river to wash clothes 
On getting home, my loved ones are no more, 

Tears roll down my cheeks uncontrollably. 
 

Drums are inseparable from Yorùbá culture. 
It is a vital part of Yorùbá culture that helps 
define and give rich values to the culture. On 
special occasions like carnivals, ceremonies, and 
festivals, drums are being used. The occasion 
dictates in Yorùbáland the kind of drum to be 
beaten. They add special effects and styles to 
culture. Drum beats are beauty to the ears. 
When a praise singer sings and a gifted hand 
handles the sticks to a drum, the ears of the 
listener ticks and his or her head swells: wounds 
are healed and spirits are lifted. 

 
In the history of Africans, particularly 

among Yorùbá people of South Western Nigeria, 
traditional drums maintain a special place. The 
concept of drumming is practically associated 
with entertainment in a bit to add to the musical 
quality of a song in the Western Culture. A 
deeper symbolic and historical meaning is being 
attached to drums in Africa, especially in 
Yorùbáland for any manner of ceremony. In 
other traditional festivals, drums are always 
included and play major roles. The aggressive 
sounds of many drums are being used to inspire 
excitement and passion, also to stirrup emotions 
in a battle or war. Some particular drums 
emblematize and guard royalty and are often 
kept in holy abode. A good example of this 
among the Yorùbá is the one called “Gbedu” 
(Arowolo, 2010). Arowolo (2010) sees culture 
as an entirety of a set of values and norms, belief 
system; bequeathed idea which makes up the 
common bases of generally agreed social action. 

 
For a viable and healthy society, culture is 

very germane. Culture can be seen as a custom, 
tradition practices and behaviour of a specific 
nation and its people. The history of 
colonization can be traced back to the 19th 
century, when Africa as a continent and Nigeria 
as a country could not exercise their sovereignty 
back then. For Nigeria, the experience of 
colonization was a sweet and bitter taste in a 
man’s mouth just like a Yorùbá adage that says 
“o busósíni lẹ́ nu; ó túnbuyo   si; iyo   ò ṣe é tudànù, 
bẹ́ e  niisó ò ṣe é po ̣́ nlá”. Even after Independence 
in 1960, Nigeria only gained independence 


Journal of Language and Literature 

ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online)                                                                                                                                Aladesanmi Omobola Agnes 
   

150 

 
physically, but still mentally enslaved to the 
Europeans. The colonialist and explorers who 
exploited Africa and Nigeria in particular robbed 
us of our beautiful culture. 

 
According to Concise Oxford Dictionary of 

Politics, colonialism is the policy and practice of 
a strong power extending its control territorially 
over a weaker nation or people. It came from a 
Latin word “Colonia” which simply means a 
Country Estate. As a thought, Colonialism more 
often as an attribute of the nineteenth century 
imperialist who obtained huge tracts of the 
Universe to find derogatory to denote an 
unwanted sense of attitudes, beliefs, practices, 
and racial superiority that sprang from this 
sense. Colonization brought about 
modernization, globalization, and technology. 
With the raise of in streaming modernization, 
technology and globalization, our hallowed and 
most cherished culture is losing its strength, 
value awesomeness and dignity. 

 
 Hofstede (1997), claims that culture 

delegate a cumulative deposit of belief, values, 
knowledge, experience, attitudes, religion, 
meanings, hierarchies, notion of time, spatial 
relations, roles, concept of the universe through 
individual and group striving acquires from the 
universe, material objects and possessions. 
Adépéjú Oti and Oyèbọ́lá Ayẹni (2013) mention 
that civilization has brought about an 
undesirable effect on Yorùbá  cultural values 
and the language, making it an endangering 
specie, a culture that is fast losing space among 
elitist homes, public, and private institutions. 

 
Ọládoṣù Olúṣégun (2015) posits that it is 

from trees that behave in humans ways that 
drums are made of, the trees are recognized to 
have abhorred different supernatural beings 
which Yorùbá people reverence with “ìpèsè” or 
“ẹbọ” (offering). He explains further that it is the 
belief of Yorùbá about drums that harbours 
spiritual habits that they are formed from and 
these make their use important in the Yorùbá 
community within the religious practise in 
which they connote. Japhet Alakam in his article 
“Excellence in Style: The Uniqueness of Yorùbá 
drums” in Vanguard of February (2017) states 

that before modern civilization infiltrated the 
culture of many tribes and ethnic communities, 
the Yorùbá people of south western Nigeria 
have fashioned out the way to entertain 
themselves during traditional festival, 
chieftaincy coronation, naming ceremonies and 
all sort of events.” Bádé Àjàyí (1992) examines 
the place of the Yorùbá talking drum in social 
mobilization. He presents the Yorùbá talking 
drum as a powerful means of exciting and 
motivating listeners to achieve specific goals. He 
also demonstrates how the drummer in his 
capacity as a mass communicator uses his 
instrument to mobilize members of the 
community either positively or negatively. 

 
Charles A. Ellwood, an American Sociologist 

(Cited in Amponsah, 2010, p. 597) reveals the 
multifaceted nature of culture when he 
encapsulated to convey; a collective name for all 
behaviour patterns socially gained and socially 
transmitted by means of symbols; hence a name 
that distinguishes achievement of human sets, 
not only including such items as language, tool 
making, art industry, religion, morals, science, 
law, government and morals, also the material 
instruments or artefacts in which cultural 
achievements are included and by which 
intellectual cultural attributes are given 
practical result, such as art objects, machines, 
tools, communication devices, buildings, etc. The 
crucial part of culture could be found in the 
cycles embodied in the social traditional groups; 
that is, in knowledge, value, ideas, beliefs, 
standards and sentiments and rife. The open 
part of culture is to be found in the real 
behaviour of the group, mainly in its usage, 
customs and institution. The crucial part of 
culture seems to be values with reference to life 
conditions been appreciated. The purely 
behavioural meaning of culture is, therefore 
inadequate. The accomplished definition must 
involve the subjective and objective appearance 
of culture. Practically, traditions and customs 
are summed up in the culture of a human group; 
but tradition, is essential as a subjective side of 
culture. (Cited in Amponsah, 2010,p. 597) 

 
Bankole (et. al.) noted that among Yorùbá 

people, Ìrókò tree is not really peculiar to the 


                                                                                                                                                                                     Journal of Language and Literature 

Vol. 19 No. 02 – October 2019                                                                                                                            ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online) 

 
151 

 
making of drums. Trees like “igi o  mo  ” and “o  pá” 
owing to their good tone value are the most 
enumerated when it comes to drum making. 
However, the spiritual beings in tress are seen 
as itinerant forces that have their liberty and 
without a special sacrifice or libations can be cut 
down. He went further to say that the 
understanding in the belief linked with the 
drums posed some effects on their maintenance 
and treatment. 

 
Relationship between Colonization and 
Culture 

 
Kasongo (2010) was of the opinion that one 

could assume that when Westernisation was 
brought into African countries, the secret side of 
modernisation was materialist concerned. 
Another concept of domination is civilisation: 
infliction of incoming culture over traditional 
ethic. Similarly Igboin (2011) is of the opinion 
that the traditional machinery of moral 
homogeneity and practice was disrupted by the 
colonial rule. The process of moral inculcation 
was damaged, which resulted in the 
nonchalance of traditional norms and values 
through a systematic depersonalisation of the 
African and paganisation of its quality. Instead 
of the treasured communalism which defined 
the life of the African, an expending societal 
construct was made known, which isolate and 
destroys the organic fabric of the spirit of we-
feeling. Moreso, Falana (2018) said that it is a 
known fact that cultural change in Africa is 
majorly informed by colonialism. 

 
The Place of Drums in Culture 
 

Drums are found in nearly every culture of 
the world and have existed since before 
6000BC. They have ceremonial, sacred and 
symbolic association. Drums are intrinsic part 
of African culture; it is an important 
component of culture which cannot be 
separated from. According to Bankole, in 
traditional way, drums are meant to be hung, 
set in the sun when it is not in use, or placed in 
a reserved place. This gives a relatively arid 
and an agitated storing place. He also notes 

that the drum must not be handled carelessly 
in such a way that can be dropped, thrown, 
stepped over, sat on or used to curse someone. 
If this happens intentionally or not, it becomes 
a serious matter or a sage sin that must be 
expiated. It is a serious sin as a social custom to 
Àyàn, the god of the drum. In case the drum is 
broken, it is being buried like a human being in 
a special ceremony wrapped in a white cloth. 
This is an indication to the fact that the weight 
of the outcome is great and the spirit of the 
gods needed to be appeased, if the spirit of the 
drum is not appeased, a proper scarifies 
restitution  must be made for the person who 
broke the drum, else the person will have no 
rest.  

 
History of Drums 
 

Tọ́lá Adénlé (2014), in one of his articles, 
mentions some drummers in recent times who 
play or carry out their acts of drumming with 
high dexterity. These include drummers, of late 
Àtáọjà, Adénlé I, late Shittu Ọ̀kánjúà. Others are 
Babátúndé Ọlátúnjí (1927-2003) and one of the 
drummers a royal father, Late Ọba Láoyè, the 
Timì of Ẹdẹ land. Ọba Láoyè through his 
dexterity in drumming with the dùǹdún 
produced signature tune for the Western 
Nigeria Broadcasting Station. However, this is 
the first Nigeria Broadcasting Service”. Some 
who may not know the meaning of the tones 
misinterpreted Tìmì to mean “kò sónígbèsè nibi, 
ẹ lọ sílé kejì” (There is no debtor here, go to the 
next house) or “BÓlúbàdàn ba’ kú, tani yó joyè (If 
Olúbàdàn dies, who will replace him). 

 
With various works done on the Yorùbá sub-

culture of drums, drumming, and the characters 
involved in its transmission from generation to 
generation from the days of Àyángalú, it is 
worthy to note the Àyàn family line. Àyàn family 
line is the family that majors in the production 
of assorted kinds of Yorùbá drums. They kill 
animals, tend their skins, tanned it well and 
prepare the drum faces and tone variation 
leather strings. 

 
History shows that the practices in this 

family are to prepare them for future drumming 


Journal of Language and Literature 

ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online)                                                                                                                                Aladesanmi Omobola Agnes 
   

152 

 
activities and make them bold before audience. 
They are to go and beg for water from next 
neighbour to feed their newly born child. By 
doing this, they belief doing it will make the 
young sharp as he grows to engage in drumming 
and collect money from people as he plays to 
eulogize them. Though, this act of Drums is an 
important aspect of the cultural heritage of the 
Yorùbá, especially the attendant impact on the 
generational transfer of this heritage 
territorially. Culture has not been proven 
scientifically today whether there is a 
correlation between begging for first water to 
give to their new baby and being shy or afraid to 
address audience of and size. 

 
The Àyàn are known anywhere in Yorùbá 

land as drummers. Anyone that bears that name 
without introduction will be known to be from a 
drum family. By practice, as this young one 
grows up including the female ones, the parents 
prepare small drums for them with which they 
play along with them when they go for outings 
or ceremonies. This family, like media today, 
goes to war with fighters and is protected as 
they eulogise the fighters with tunes from their 
super drums. They also pass comments about 
the situation on the warfront using their drums. 
When the Àyàn daughters are given out in 
marriage, a specialized drum Dùǹdún with 
Ṣaworoidẹ (small bells) is given as a parting gift. 
Drums ranges in size. It can be as tall as eleven 
(11) feet and it can be as small as putting it 
under one’s armpit. The size of a drum doesn’t 
determine the dignity attached to it. The size of 
a drum determines the sound it produces. Thus, 
every drum has its peculiarity in terms of the 
sounds(s) they produce. 
 

Types of Traditional Drums 
 

Traditional Drums of Yorùbáland are 
numerous. Examples include: gángan, dùǹdún, 
omele, àsíkò, shákárà, gúdúgúdú, bàtá, bẹ̀mb̀ẹ́, 
gbẹ̀du, àgbá, etc. Some are combined to form an 
ensemble. Thus, you have dùndún ensemble, 
bàtá ensemble, gbẹ̀du ensemble to mention few. 
 
 
Gángan 
 

Gánganis, a two face drum also known as 
“talking drum”. Ológúnjọbí (2016) asserts that 
in the tradition of Yorùbá people, Gángan holds 
a special place. In Yorùbá, folklore cannot be set 
aside. Its origin can be traced back to The Old 
Ọ̀yọ́ Empire in South-Western, Nigeria. During 
the coronation of the Aláàfin of Ọỳọ́, it was 
introduced as a means of communication. In the 
Yorùbá language, talking drums are used to 
imitate chant patterns and different tones. It is 
made of adjustable cords and also made in an 
hourglass shape, which makes it possible for it 
to be held under the arm. These cords are used 
by the drummers to determine the pitch of the 
drumbeat. The cords and springs has its 
functions, if they are pulled hard, the sound or 
tone from the drum would increase and if the 
cords are softly tighten, the sound will be low. 
They are used in festivals, wedding ceremonies, 
modern churches, and carnivals. 

 
Source (Olú Ògúnjọbí, 2016) 
 

Ìgbìn Drum 
 

Ìgbìn drum is a traditional drum affixed to 
the worship of Ọbàtálá. It is made with the 
dermis of Ìgalà (deer). According to Ọládoṣù 
(2015), any deity that has a link with snail 
(called Ìgbín) is always worshipped using the 
Ìgbìn drum. Èjìgbò people of Ọ̀yọ́ state in 
Nigeria, use this Ìgbìn drum during the New 
Yam Festival to commemorate the celebration. 

 
Source (pininterest.com) 


                                                                                                                                                                                     Journal of Language and Literature 

Vol. 19 No. 02 – October 2019                                                                                                                            ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online) 

 
153 

 
Bàtá 
 

Bàtạ́ is also an important drum used in 
Yorùbáland. It is a double-headed cone-liked 
shaped drum with one of the cones larger than 
the other. It is mainly associated with Ṣàngó. It is 
used to pass or carry messages of hope, 
divination, praise and war.  A set of bàtạ́ consists 
of three drums of distinct sizes. The bàtạ́ are 
played sitting down with the drum laid 
horizontally on the knees, which makes the 
drummer play with both hands. The Ìyá Ìlù 
(“Mother”) has a detailed cycle with many 
technique and initiates conversations with the 
other two drums and it is the largest drum and 
leads the group playing. 

 
Ìyá Ìlù has garland of bells and bronze caps 

which often beautifies the edges of the drum 
called "Ṣaworo". It endows the vibrations and 
sounds made from the drum when the drummer 
plays the instrument detailed cycles with some 
techniques as well as a response and 
occasionally initiating conversations. The Ìtótèle 
is the middle-sized drum, playing long, but less. 
The smallest of the three playing short is the 
Òkóńkóló, which has simple cycles with 
occasional conversations and techniques. The 
bàtạ́ drum has distinct parts which include; 
“IgiÌlù” (wooden frame work), leather, “Egiìlù” 
(thick brooms for support), “Ọsán” (wire work), 
“Iro” (black substance placed on the drum 
surface), “Búlálà” (drumstick made from 
leather), and cowries. 

 
Dùndún 
 

Dùndún is a cylindrical rope tuned drum 
with a raw hide skin at ends, most usually cow 
or goat. A plain straight stick, curved stick with 
flat head attached at right angles near one end 
can be played with the drum; depending on the 

angle which the stick touches and may be used 
to hit the skin i.e. the drum. 
 
 
Source (yorupedia.com) 
 

Be ̣̀m bẹ̣̀́. 
 

Bẹ̀mbẹ́ is played with hands rather than 
with sticks. It is common to be accompanied 
with two bells. It is the most recognized sacred 
drum used during Ọ̀ṣun and Ọya Festivals. 
 
 
Àshíkò 
 

Among the Yorùbá people, Àshíkò is 
another important musical instrument. Àshíkò is 
a cylindrical tapered formed drum with a wide 
head end and its down end narrowly opened. It’s 
mainly created with hardwood and goatskin/ 
hide, tuned by ropes and being played with the 
hands. They are mostly used in festivals. 
 
 
Source (Olú Ògúnjọbí 2016) 

 
Journal of Language and Literature 

ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online)                                                                                                                                Aladesanmi Omobola Agnes 
   

154 

 
Importance of Traditional Drums 
 

Traditional drums play important roles in 
every appearance of human life and this range 
from spiritual to physical to emotional and to 
social. Traditional drums help to define the rich 
culture of Yorùbá. They are great custodians of 
the rich and beautiful Yorùbá heritage. They a 
used as means of communication; I used for 
sending messages from one town to another. 
Drums are used as healing therapy. Drums have 
spiritual powers that make it beyond natural; 
when beaten it moves into the nooks and 
crannies of a man which touches the body and 
awakens the soul. It holds a great symbolic and 
historical meaning. They are good 
accompaniment for any kind of ceremony such 
as birth, death, marriages, coronation set, and it 
goes along with a beautiful dance ritual. It 
graces and beautifies a ceremony. The vicious 
sound of these traditional drums stirs up 
feelings in a battle or war to behest the warriors 
at the war front to fight and be victorious. 
 

The Effect of Colonization on Traditional 
Drums 
 

As mentioned earlier, colonization plays an 
ambivalent role in the life of Africans. 
Colonization brought formal education into 
Africa. Formal education made people 
enlightened and these enlightenment was like 
an eye-opener for African especially Nigerians. 
Education brought new innovations and 
creativity. For example, in the traditional African 
setting drums were made from trees with 
animal hides and skin but today polythene 
materials made from in-organic petro-chemical 
product have now been adopted to make the 
strings and cover instead of animal skins. Metals 
and sewers are now used in tightening the face 
of the drum. The materials used in the 
production of these drums have made it possible 
to produce these drums in large quantity and 
has increased the accessibility of people to these 
drums, unlike in the pre-colonial days, when 
these drums were made only by a specific family 
especially the Àyán Agalú family; who are 
custodians of the drums. 

The bitter part of colonization supersedes 
the positive part in that colonization has robbed 
us of the dignity of our culture. Nowadays, the 
awesomeness and sacredness attached to our 
culture has been replaced with modernization 
which has blindfolded our youth to the beauty of 
our culture. In the pre-colonial days, drums 
cannot be made by just anyone interested in the 
making of a drum. There is always a rite 
undertaken before a drum can be made. Every 
drum in the olden days has a deity that is 
attached to it. It is the same respect accorded 
the deity that is accorded the drum which is 
used in worshipping it. 

 
There are always seasons attached to each 

drum, one cannot just beat a drum without a 
reason and it should also be noted that not 
anyone can beat these drums. There are 
designated people who beat these drums; but 
civilization and modernization has exposed 
these drums such that they are now beaten 
anywhere, at any time and by anyone. For 
example, the Gángan drum is beaten in palaces; 
it has to do with the enthronement and 
coronation of kings. In the olden days, some 
powerful kings are woken from sleep using the 
gángan drums and the Ṣaworoidẹ is often used 
for the enthronement of kings. There is a 
particular movie titled “Ṣaworoidẹ” by 
Mainframe Productions; the movie gave a clear 
explanation of the significance of the Ṣaworoidẹ 
drum. Furthermore, the rite involved in the 
burial of a drum is no longer observed. 
Nowadays, broken drums are discarded without 
observing the rites attached to it. Even 
sometimes broken piece of drums can be seen 
burnt in fire. This rite has been earlier 
mentioned in this paper. 

 
In the pre-colonial days, Kings were lords 

and the custodian of our culture. Colonization 
submerged and dismantled the ever vibrant 
indigenous institutions and replaced it with the 
foreign rule and culture. The kings used to have 
chiefs who serve in different capacities to 
uphold the sanctity of our culture. For instance, 
these traditional drums are kept sometimes in 
sacred dwellings which are under the auspices 
of a particular chief but these days the chiefs are 


                                                                                                                                                                                     Journal of Language and Literature 

Vol. 19 No. 02 – October 2019                                                                                                                            ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online) 

 
155 

 
more of ceremonial titles and many of them do 
not even know or respect the rich culture of the 
land they represent. 

 
Positively, colonization has really also 

helped in making drums a source of income 
because the drums that were used to be housed 
in sacred dwellings are now found in various 
places ranging from churches to social 
gatherings and even for entertainment. A 
particular musician in Nigeria called “Lágbájá” is 
so fond of entertaining his listeners with 
beautiful tunes using different kinds of 
traditional drums like the talking drums, 
dùndún, omele, bàtá, etc. It can be concluded 
that colonization has helped in commercializing 
our traditional drums. 
 

Conclusion 
 

Drums are mystic in nature. It has 
supernatural power backing it. No matter how 
hardened a person’s heart might be when he 
hears drumbeats, his heart softens. When at 
warfront or in the heat of a fierce battle, if a 
drummer begins to eulogize the warriors, the 
head of the warrior will swell and this makes the 
warrior want to win the battle. As mentioned 
earlier, the drummers follow warriors to 
warfront. 

 
Colonization introduced the “tàka n súfèé” 

(It is a type of dance common among the youths) 
in Yorùbá music. The musical instruments are 
replaced by western instruments, A Typical 
example is the keyboard. Colonization brought 
westernization. It is now being plagiarized or 
mimicked on organs. Most drums have now 
been synthetized electronically thereby 
reducing the physical importance and 
presentation of the original Yorùbá musical 
instruments like gángan, ìyáìlù, omele, and other 
accompaniments. The voices of these drum are 
on organ. Gángan has its own dress code, 
presentation, the cultural display, and dancing 
steps which cannot be seen on organs. Women 
dancing, spraying of money, flowing of agbáda, 
hairstyle has been adulterated. The cultural 
values attached to the drum shave been 
jeopardized. 

In conclusion, permit me to say that drums 
can be stolen, it can be duplicated; but it can 
never be killed. Colonization can only change the 
presentation of drums and resell it back to 
Yorùbáland, our drums are our heritage; we 
must fight with all that we have to keep our 
heritage. 
 
 
References 
 
Adépọ̀jù, Oti & Oyèbọ́lá Ayẹni. (2013). “Yorùba 

Culture of Nigeria: Creating space for 
endangered specie”. Cross cultural 
communication, 9(4), 23 – 29. 

 
Adénlé, Tọ́la. (2014). “The Diaspora, the 
Drummer, and the Drum”. Emotan’s blog. 

 
Adénlé, Tọ́lá. (2014). “Yorùbá Drums and 
Drummer”. Emotan’s blog. 

 
Arówólò, Dáre. (2010). “The Effects of Western 
Civilisation and Culture on Africa”. Afro-
Asian Journal of Social Sciencepp. 1. 

 
Àjàyí, Bádé. (1985). “Aspects of the Yorùbá 
Talking Drums”. Proceedings from the 
Fourth Annual Congress of the Nigerian 
Folklore Society held at the University, 494 
– 515. 

 
Àjàyí, Bádé. (1992). The Cultural Semantic of 

Yorùbá Drums. “Chinese Semantic Studies”, 
10( 3). 451 -463. 

 
Àjàyí, Bádé. (1992). “The role of Yorùbá Talking 
Drum in a Social Mobilization”. Research in 
Yorùbá Language and Literature, 3, 1 - 9. 

 
Japhet, Alakam. (2017). “Excellence in Style: The 
Uniqueness of Yorùbá Drums”. Vanguard, 
February 12. 

 
Amponsah, S. (2010). “Beyond the Boundaries: 
Tóyìn Fálọla: The Man, The Mark, The 


Journal of Language and Literature 

ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online)                                                                                                                                Aladesanmi Omobola Agnes 
   

156 

 
Muse”. North Carolina: Carolina Academic 
Press.  

 
Bankole, A, et. al. (1975). “The Yorùbá Master 
Drummer”. African Arts. UCLA, 53.  

 
Falana T.C. (2018). “Philosophy as a Tool for 
Decolonization”. World Scientific News: 
WSN 98, 23 - 33. 

 
Hofstede, G. (1997). Cultures and organizations: 
software of the mind. 

 
Igboin, O. Benson. (2011). “Colonialism and 
African Cultural Values”. Africa Journal of 
History and Culture, 3(6), 96 – 103. 

 
James, J.A. (2015). “Talking drums: Delineating 
between the boundary of uses and Border 
of Abuses in South-Western Nigeria”. New 
Media and Mass Communication, 44 – 49.  

 
Kasongo, K. (n.d.). Impact of Globalisation on 
Traditional African Religion and Cultural 
Conflict, 309 – 322. 

 
Ọládoṣù, Olúṣégun. (2015). “Yorùbá Indigenous 
Drums: An Aesthetic Symbol in Ecological 
Ritual of the Yorùbá People”. European 
Scientific Journal, 11(5), 214 – 230 

 
Olú, Ògúnjọbí. (2016). “Nigeria: 6 Important 
drums of the Yorùbá People”. Nigerian 
Bulletin. 1– 8. 

 
Ushe, M.U. (2013). The Talking Drum “An 
Inquiry into the Reach of a Traditional 
Mode of Communication”. Journal of 
Cultures Society and Development. 1, 94(1), 
94 – 96 

 
Webster’s Dictionary of English Language. 
(1995). New York: Lexican Publications