‘BADE AJAYI
Yoruba Drum Language: A Problem of Interpretation
YORUBA DRUM LANGUAGE:
A PROBLEM OF INTERPRETATION
By
BADE AJAYI
drum that can know what the drum is
saying.
The interpretations of what
Onibode Lalupon’s drummer says
with his drum are a clear proof of this
claim. What the drummer a claim to
have said with his drum is:
INTRODUCTION
The Yoruba drum is an example of
non
verbal
channel
of
1
communication . It is a highly
specialized form of expression.
Besides the drum, a Yoruba can
communicate through the royal
trumpet (Kakaki), the metal gong
(Agogo), the hunters' flute (Ekutu)
the cymbals (Aro), the beaded gourd
(Sekere) land some other musical
instruments. When a Yoruba
drummer 'talks' with his musical
instrument, not every member of the
society can understand what he
communicates,
talkless
of
interpreting it. This problem of'
interpretation forms the main theme
of. "Onibode Lalupon", one of
Adebayo Faleti poems (see Olatunji,
1982b: 2—5). The summary of
Faleti's claim is that nobody can be
definite about the meaning intended
by the drummer.
Sugbon ko seni to mede ayan,
Bi eni to mopaa e lowo.
Eni to gbomole 1owo 1o le
mohun tomole n so.
(OIatunji l982a: 5)
(a) Mo jeun Ejigbo,
Mo jeun Iwo,
Mo jeun Onibode Lalupon.
I ate Ejigbo's food,
I ate Iwo's food,
I ate the food of the gatekeeper
at Lalupon.
which the listeners interpret as:
(b) E wenu Imado,
E wenu Isin,
E wenu Onibode Olupo
Look at the mouth of the wart-hog,
Look at the mouth of the minnows,
Look at the mouth of the gate
keeper at Lalupon
(Olatunji 1982a:26—28)
The drummer's intended meaning
is a praise acknowledging the
generosity of Onibode Lalupon. But
the drummer's detractors inform the
gate-keeper that he has been abused
by the drummer. The gatekeeper
grows annoyed and he decides to
But there is no one who knows the
language of the drum,
Like the man holding the drum stick
in
his
hand
It is the man who hold the omole
29
‘BADE AJAYI
Yoruba Drum Language: A Problem of Interpretation
punish the drummer. Thus a different
inter-of the drum language may cause
confusion, quarrel and some other
problems between the drummer and
the listener (S).
If we accept the fact that it is only
the drummer that can tell what he
says with his drum, our question now
is "why is it that people find it
difficult, if not impossible to interpret
the message of a drum to conform
with the communicative intention of
the drummer?" It is this question this
paper attempts to answer. To start
with, let us compare briefly the drum
language with that of human
language.
lower level of structure distinctiveness than the human language
per se. A drum is manipulated by
man to produce sounds imitating
speech tones3. Thus, the message
given by the drum is always ambiguous because it is based on tones
and rhythm. While a man can speak
to express his thought and feeling, to
the unmistakable understanding of
the listener, a talking drum is
manipulated to give what the
drummer has in mind but which may
not be shared by his listener. A
talking drum only "talks" when we
beat what to say and how to say it
and so is only imitating human
speech on a prosodic level
The Language of the Drum and the
Language of Man
The language of the drum is
fundamentally different from human
speech. Human speech is articulate
and the organs involved in the
production of sounds include the lips,
the teeth, the tongue and the glottis.
These speech organs produce the
vocal sounds which provide the
material for a particular language2. It
is important to remember that
basically a language is something
which is spoken (its codification in
writing being secondary) and because
it is verbal, human language is less
ambiguous than the drum language.
Apart from speaking, we can play
some other tricks with our vocal
cords: we can whisper, or laugh, or
use the techniques of calling dogs,
fowls, goats all of which cannot be
done meaningfully on the drum.
On the other hand, the drum
beats are not articulate. This means
basically that drum sounds have a
30
‘BADE AJAYI
Yoruba Drum Language: A Problem of Interpretation
The Musical Role of the Drum
Like some other African drums,
the Yoruba drum performs both
rhythmic
and
communicative
functions. However, the basic role of
drums is music performance. The
Yoruba drum may create motorresponse from the individual or a
group of people finding outlets in
dancing, working or fighting. It may
also serve as therapy for the troubled
minds or the bereaved people and
sustaining courage, especially when
the hope is lost.
Another important musical role of
the Yoruba drum is that it may signal
danger, give warnings or mobilize
people to do some kind of work. In
addition, the Yoruba drum such has
the dundun and bata are useful tools
for commercial advertisements as
well, as social and political
campaigns. Unlike the other nonverbal modes of human commuication such as gesture, facial
expression, eye movements and head
nods, the Yoruba drums are socially
employed to entertain, inform and
instruct members of the commnunity.
Aro (cymbals) players4 have, to enable them interpret simultaneously
what the drummers beat on their
drums. These players have close
contact with the drummers.
The Problem of Intended Meaning
The interpret the drum language,
certain things have to be done.
(i) One who interprets must have a
common semantic dialogue with the
drummer over a conventional
meaning attributed to the drummer.
In other word, both the drummer and
he who is to decipher the drummer's
message must have the same semantic universe which thrives on conventional usage. It is this advantage
that the Sekere (beaded gourd) and
Akekoo:
(ii) It is possible that the
communication pact is clear as it is
the case when singers are the
initiators while the drummer is
simply an amplifier. At the 1988
Yoruba Week Celebration' at the
University of Ilorin for instance,
students sang in honour of Professor
Awobuluyi and Professor Olajubu
and the drummer participated in the
scheme as follows:
Akekoo:
Talo p'awa o ni baba?
Kai a ni baba.
Awobuluyi baba wa.
Kai a ni baba.
Ohun llu:
Dan dan dandan dan
dan dandan?
Dandan dan dan
dandan.
Dandandandandan
dandan dan
Dandan dan dan
dandan.
Ta 1o p’awa o ni baba?
Kai a ni baba
Olajubu. baba wa.
Kai a ni baba.
Ohun Ilu: Dan dan dandan dandan
dandan?
Dandan dan dan
dandan,
Dan dandandandandan dan,
Dandan dan dan
31
‘BADE AJAYI
Yoruba Drum Language: A Problem of Interpretation
Students:
Who says we do not
have a father?
Surely we have a father,
Awobuloyi (is) our father.
Surely we have a father.
Drum
Language:
(Re-echoed
Students' song)
Students:
Who says we do not
have a father?
Surely we have a father,
Olajubu (is) our father,
Surely we have a father.
perhaps the trumpet or horn blowers
with their musical instruments. Also
the warleaders do not have problems
in undemanding and acting to the
praises and words of encouragement,
drummed at the battle fields. lt is the
preexisting semantic pact that
prevents ambiguity in the above
examples.
the
Drum
(Re-echoed the
Language: Students' song)
With the above technique, the
listeners or the audience would have
no problem of understanding what
the
drum
says.
Thus,
the
communication pact is clear when
people are the initiators of a
particular song. When Ayanyemi
Atokowagbowonle,
a
popular
drummer in Ibadan discussed
elsewhere
(Ajayi
1988}
communicates with his drum, the
Sekere players who are used to what
the drum says effortlessly interpret
the message for the listeners to
understand and appreciate.
In Yorubaland every public figure
like the Oba, the Baale and some
traditional chiefs have their own
special drummers.5 These are expert
drummers who possess the mastery
of, the accepted vocabulary of the
drum language and the Oriki of
particular rulers. The drummers
perform from day to day such chat
the rulers and their people get
familiar with what the drummers and
Basically, it is possible for a
conventional coming to be attributed
to a stretch of sounds by the drummer
for communicating purposes i.e. if
only there is a pre-existing optic pact
Without the pact, it is highly useful
that everybody except the drummer
self will give the intended meaning,
is worthy of note that in any
complicated
them
such
as
communication by means of drum,
breakdowns are possible. When there
is a broken wire in an electrical
32
‘BADE AJAYI
Yoruba Drum Language: A Problem of Interpretation
5 O kawe ni la’san, ko mo doo doo
6 Bi ko ba le wa mo, dide soro
soro
7 O kankuta mole afi gbongbon
8 O si gba mi leti, afi gbosa
gbosa
9 O fo jade nile, afi foro foro
10 Magaji olowo iwo lagba lgba
11 Won si de mi lade, ofi pira pira
12 O si mo mi loju afi moin moin 7
circuit power failure may result,
Likewise, if there to pact in musical
communication it can result in failure
to accomplish the purpose of
drummer's message.
Ambiguity and Narrowness of
Means
A human language, syrnbols and
combinations of sounds are used for
effective communication. But a
drummer uses only tones and rhythm,
a narrow means to communicate his
thought. This makes it difficult for
many people to-interpret the rescure
message of a drum. Of course, in any
medium of communication where a
limited number of people can
understand, there is surely to be
ambiguity or multiplicity of clings.
Even in human language where a
limited number cannot be understood
properly by /listeners, communication
cannot be said be taking place, how
much less of a irrogate language like
that of the Yoruba drum.
In one of its Yoruba programmes
“ARIYA", the Radio Kwara of
Nigeria
read
the
various
interpretations people gave to is of
the drumming patterns;
This problem of ambiguity in1 the
interpretation of drum language is
also stressed by Opadotun (1986)
when he gives seven possible
interpretations to the signature tune
"This is the Nigerian Broadcasting
Service" on the Western -Nigeria
Radio Corporation; Ibadan.
The question of ambiguity is
further demonstrated when I beat on
my drum twelve different thoughts
including;
Dan dan dan dan dan dan dandan,
Dan dan dan dan dan dan dan dan
Meaning: "Sagari wole ekeji, awa o
se ti baba mo"
(Sagari wins the second
time, we are no more in
support
of
the
father
(Awolowo))"
Dan dan dan dan dan dan
Dan dan dan dan dan dan
for a class of 40 B.Ed students on
part-time
programme
at
the
University of Bonn to interpret Thirty
of these students (from Qyo, Kwara,
Ondo and Ogun States) give eight
That accompanied the song of
Ayinde Barrister (a popular Nigerian
musician). Here are a few of the
interpretations given (in Yoruba):
(a) 1 Fadeyi Olori, afi suke suke6
2 Won rin bi olola, afi teki teki
3 Ki Ia 'n ronu fun,awa agbe
4 O dun mo mi, afi yunga
yunga
33
‘BADE AJAYI
Yoruba Drum Language: A Problem of Interpretation
interpretations is wrong. Each
interpreter gives the meaning us the
drum beat sounds to him. To oar
mind, all the interpretations are valid
and constitute part of the total
meaning of the utterances. (See
Appendix 'B' for, an outcome of the
test conducted).
Although the wording might be
different, each of the interpretations
(in a and b) is based on the tonal
patterns of the words that are
transmitted and the Yoruba talking
dram (especially the Dundun) are
constructed in such a way that they
can produce the three level tones of
high, mid and low. Besides the three
level tones, the Yoruba talking drums
are capable of producing a number of
quick glides, falling or rising among
the three tones.
When a man pronounces a word
like Adewale, every Yoruba listener
has no problem in understanding that
the speaker refers to the name of a
person. He has, used the combination
of vowels, consonants and tones to
produce the intended meaning. But if
a drummer attempts to call the same
name with his drum8, using only the
different
meanings
while the
remaining ten students could not
interpret the code. The various
interpretations given for the above
drum language are:
(b) 1 Sagari wole ekeji,emi a se
t'Awo mo,
2 Sagari wole ekeji, awa o se
ti baba mo,
3 Sagari wole ekeji, awa o
jampata mo,
4 Sagari wole ekeji, oun
Et’Omololu,
5 Sagari wole ekeji, awa o
somo Awo mo,
6.Sagari ekeji, awa o seDemo
mo,
7 Sagari wole ekeji, awa a
gba ti baba mo,
8 Sagari wole ekeji, ko
lee fara're se.
Out of these interpretations only
one (No.
2) coincidentally agrees with what I
have in mind. However, we are not
saying that any of the above
34
‘BADE AJAYI
Yoruba Drum Language: A Problem of Interpretation
tones and; rhythm, there is bound to
be a number of interpretive
possibilities to what he beats on his
drum. For instance, Adewale could
sound like, some other Yoruba names
such as Akintunde, Adebisi, Akintola
Onifade, Mojiso1a, Ademo1a all of
which have the same number of
syllables and bear the same tones.
With the drum we encode but we
decode with human language and that
is why we have problem in
interpreting drum language. The
listeners may not have any difficulty
in understanding human languages
but only a few can group the message
a drum communicates. The diagram
below illustrates what we are trying
to say.
Conclusion
In the foregoing, we Have tried to
see how the meaning ascribable to the
drum beat could trigger off two
possible interpretation one of
intended meaning and the other of
unintended meaning. The question of
intended meaning is crucial to the
ability to .decipher the message of the
drummer. We have only seen that
everybody who is proficient in
Yoruba language could give the drum
tones some kind of meaning which
may or may not cohere with the
intended meaning of the drummer.
The test conducted for the study
justifies this. To interpret the
language of the drum to conform with
the communicative intention of the
drummer, a pre-existing familiarity
with a conventional pattern of
meaning is indispensible. Where it
does not it is possible that the preexisting conventional pattern of
meaning is not shown by the decoder
and the drummer.
:
Notes
1 Some aspects of the non-verbal
modes of human communication
include gestures and other kinetic
behaviours such as facial
expression, eye movements, head
nods and body posture.
Unless the interpreter or decoder
has a pre-knowledge of what the
drummer is going to say with his
drum, there is bound to be ambiguity
in the message of the drummer9. This
is so because the drummer has only
imitated the speech tones (pitches).
No doubt, the question of Faleti's
claim hinges squarely upon the
intended meaning. Before his claim
can be true it must be predicated on
the fact that the means of conveying
meaning is severely narrow which
further inhibits the question of
meaning because the narrowness of
the channel of communication gives
room for multiplicity of meanings.
2
For detail on the production of
speech, see Barber (1975: 2- 4).
3
See Ajayi's 'The Training of
Yoruba Talking Drummers"
forthcoming in ALORE Vol. 2
techniques of playing drums.
Sekere and Aro are the two
popular accompaniments in
4
35
‘BADE AJAYI
Yoruba Drum Language: A Problem of Interpretation
Dundun music in most parts of
Yorubaland.
Ayanlowo, P.A. Language of the
Drum among the Yoruba
People, Long Essay, Depanment
of Linguistics and Nigerian
Languages, University of' 1978.
5
Prof. Oludarc Olajubu, personal
communication.
6 This is a slang used to describe
the wicked character Fadeyi, in
Jimoh Aliu's popular film
"Arelu" feature in 1987.
7 These interpretations were recorded
from Radio ARIYA Kwara
programme on Saturday , 22 October, 1988 and Saturday, 29
October, 1998, These interpretive
possibilities exclude the
nonsensical and funny
interpretations some people gave.
Barber, C.L. The Story of Language
5th Edition, Pan Books, London
and Sydney, 1975.
Euba, Akin. Dundun Music of the
Yoruba Unpublished Ph.D
Thesis, Legon, 1974.
Finnegan, Ruth. Oral Literature In
Africa, O.U.R N robi, 1970.
Nketia, J.H. "The Role of Drummers
in Akari Social Africa Vol. 1,
No. 1, 1954.
8 Calling names is one of the most
common forms of drum
expression.
Ogunsina, Bisi "A Study of Yoruba
Political Songs 1955-1983"
Paper presented at 1984/1985
Faculty Seminars Series,
University of Ilorin, 11th June,
1985,
9 Dr. Tunde Ajiboye, personal
communication.
References
Ajayi, Hade 'The Yoruba Drum
Poetry:
Ayanyemi
Akokowagbowonle as a Case
Siudy" Forthcoming in the LASU
Book
on
AwUirtteS
and
Utilitarianism in Languages and
Literature called by Dr. A.E.
Eruvbetine.
Olaniyan, O. The Composition and
Techniques of Dundun Sekere
Music of South Western
Nigeria. Unpublished Ph.D.
Thesis Belfont, 1984.
Olateju, Adesola "Surrogate
Language; A form of Non,
verbal Communicative
Systems iimong die Yoruba
paper presented al LASU
Conference of Language
Linguistics and Literatures,
August 29 — September 1,
1988
Olatunji, O.O. Adebayo Taleti: A
Study of his poems, 1954—1964
__"The Role of Yoruba Talking
Drum in Social Mobilisation".
ForLhcoming in Research in
Yoruba Languages and Literature
No. 3.
___"The Training of Yoruba Talking
Drummers (1987- 88) ALORE: The
Ilorin Journal of Humanities Vols. 3
&4
36
‘BADE AJAYI
Yoruba Drum Language: A Problem of Interpretation
Heinemann, Ibadan, 1982 (a).
4. Milee redio ni’lorin
A nfaani pupo lo wa
Nilee redio ni’lorin
___ Ewi Adebayo Faleti Apa Kiini
Heinemann Educational Books
Ltd., Ibadan, 1982 (b).
5. Aye lohunbo je ku
Omojola, O. Kiribofo Music In Oyo
Town. Unpublished M.A. Thesis.
6. Ayanyemi omo Kikelomo
Wiseman, Gordon and Larry Barker.
Speech- Interpersonal
Communication, Chandler
Publishing Company, U.S.A.
1967.
7. Omola’ngidi
Eni to bimo ti ko gbon,
Omola’ngidi.
APPENDIX A
Test
Interpretation
of
Drum
Languages Conducted on 18/2/89
Tcsroh'rn'tcrprwfalion
uf
Drum
Liinguagu Conducted on
Words b&'itcn on the drum (Inlcndcd
meaning).
9. Olorun Oba ni mo gbojule
Olorun Oba ni mo feyin ti
8.
Fadeyi oloro, afi suke suke
10. Beware le ku o ku,
Beware le ku o ku
Emi o le komi eeyan
Ki n ko’mi eran
Beware le ku o ku
1. E wenu imado, e wenu isin
2.
Ade wale
3.
Moji
12 .Sagari wole ekeji
Awa o se ti baba mo..
37
Yoruba Drum Language: A Problem of Interpretation
30
‘BADE AJAYI