THE TALKING DRUM

Name: Femi-Gbenoba Ethel

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Date: 16th November, 2021

Course code: GST 111 - Use of English

Group B

The talking drum is a tragic drama written by Stephen Ojiabor. It is the story of a controversial
community where her king rules with iron hand and brutal force. However, it is sorrowful to know
that the elders who try to correct the ills of their community later became the architect of their
own misfortune due to a tragic flaw of the new king

It was a cool evening and Monk was sitting under a tree soliloquizing to himself, thinking about
the death of his father which took place around this time last year. He has tried to engage
himself in countless occupations but despite the fact that he was hardworking, each one ended
up fruitless. All of a sudden, Dovee approached Monk. They both started talking about how they
are ruled by corrupt leaders and how they never listen to the opinion of others.

Monk arranged a meeting with other chiefs including Dovee where they discussed all the terrible
things that happened under his rule and how they could put an end to it. Phant, one of the
chiefs, decided that they should all meet on Orie market day with weapons in order to fight King
lion. But this suggestion ended in an argument as Dovee was afraid to face lion.

Lion, the king summoned his counsellors and told them to interpret his dream. It was a dream of
someone stealing his and his wife's jewelry. The counsellors said that this was a bad omen and
that they needed to consult a powerful chief priest from the neighbouring village. The king
refused because he has a dispute with the neighbouring village. So they decided to consult one
in their village secretly as the king didn't want anyone to know of his dream. The counselors
were then dismissed.

The King's counsellors visited the chief priest. The priest, thinking they were coming to arrest
him, covered his face with a mask and asked why they were here. When the counsellors
explained the King's predicament. He invited them inside and started chanting words in order to
interpret the dream. He told them that peace, unity and oneness, which the jewel represents,
has left the kingdom and that they'll have to conduct a sacrifice. He asked the chiefs to bring ten
pieces of white materials. five moulded blocks, three cups of ashes, two white leaves, two
hundred and seven kola nuts, eight blades of elephant grass and a human kidney and that if
there is any delay in bringing these materials there will be dire consequences.

The king ordered Nwandu and Ndukwe to bring the chief to the Palace for the sacrifice.
The chief priest is brought to the Palace. The king has provided every item needed for the
sacrifice except the human kidney. The chief priest tells him not to worry that he already has it
but that the king has to pay a sum of 12 shillings. The king, shocked by the price, later agrees
and gives the priest the money. The priest accepts the money, tells the King to close his eyes
and drops a gizzard. He then tells the King to face the wall in order for the gods to either accept
or decline the money. While his back is turned. He takes the money and puts it in his bag. The
king, thinking the gods have accepted the sacrifice, rejoices and tells his two counselors,
Nwandu and Udensu to carry some things for the chief priest and help him with whatever he
needs. The Chief priest leads them to an oak tree and tells them to put dung on their faces while
holding what they are carrying. He tells them that the dung is a strong protection and that they
should keep walking and wash their face in the last river.

The elders gather to have another meeting where they discuss the rumor of the King's dream.
Tort confirms that the rumor is true and that he was the one that the Kings counsellors came to
consult. They then proceed on how to dethrone Lion, the king. Tort brings up the story of the
talking drum which was used in the time of his forefathers. The drum is so powerful it is said to
bring death to evil. They all agree to the idea of using the talking drum and decided that
whosoever should find it would take the place of the King when he is dethroned.

And so the chiefs set out to find the talking drum. Searching from trees to oceans.

The search continues

The search continues

Dovee calls his wife and explains to her how the chiefs are looking for the talking drum. He told
her that he can not go in search for it because he fears for his life so he asked her to keep his
secret and told her that if anyone comes asking for him, she should tell them that he has gone
to the forbidden forest to look for the drum

Tort calls his wife and tells her that he is going to the land of the dead to find the talking drum.
The journey will take 7 days and 7 nights. She disagrees with this idea and tries to convince him
to stay but her attempts were to no avail.

Torr visits the land of the dead by crossing the delta River and laying kola nuts to pass. He is
then confronted by ghosts which ask him what his mission was. He says that he wants to visit
Idemiri. The ghosts mock his determination and decide to kill him but before they do, he tells
them he has something for them. He gives them each a kola to eat then brings out a mysterious
whit powder and blows it in the air which makes the ghost fall asleep. Tort then continues his
journey.

Tort meets an old woman who tells him to go away but later has compassion for him when he
finds out he's not one of the people that killed her. She asks him to state his mission and he
explains to her how he is looking for the talking drum. 'Listen to me, it is suicidal' she says. 'You
have to be careful or you will become the architect of your own doom'. She explains to him how
to safely get to Idemiri. That he should spit on his feet 3 times before he gets to the ocheche
tree and that he should keep moving until he sees seven trees with one branch each. She tells
him to take the leaves  wave his hands seven times and throw the leaves into the stream.
Idemiri will appear. She says 'when he appears, present your gift. Do not be afraid, just make
your request known to him and he will surely grant your wish'. She also tells him to take the
leaves so that should he encounter any danger, he should chew a leaf and breathe in three
times. Then the evil will disappear. Tort thanks the old lady and goes on his way

Tort meets Idemiri and presents himself. Idemire asked what his business is and he explains
that  he wants the talking drum. Idemire says in order to give him this, he will have to pass a
trial. The trial being that he would have to guard a mad ghost, the Queeneth and that should he
do this his request would be granted. Tort asks where to find the ghost and idemira says that the
ghost will appear to him

As tort was on his way, Queeneth, the mad ghost appeared to him. She starts telling him to
stand at attention and at ease like a soldier which Tort does fearfully. She then tells him she
wants him to be his husband and invites him into her home. He sees skulls and bones hung on
the wall which belong to people in his village reported missing. This makes him even more
scared but he decides not to show it and pretends he didn't see anything. She soon falls asleep
and Tort is visited by the old lady Nacha who helped him to meet Idemiri. She warned him to
never sleep before she did or else he would be a dead man. After seven days and seven nights,
tort goes back to Idemiri.

Tort meets Idemiri and requests once again for the talking drum. Idemiri gives him the drum but
says that innocent souls buried alive by his forefathers are wandering the land. Tort asks what
he can do to help them rest in peace. Idemiri  tells him to gather all the village people on any
Nkwo market day, draw a circle in the central village square and place a tuber of yam in the
center. All the villagers should dance around the circle and a voice will be heard. The elders
should answer the call and strike their palm one after another and chant 'merci, merci, grave
merci'. A sound of music will be heard from the grave. The elders should dance to it and return
to the village square. After that, a mighty rain will fall and wash the curse into a great river. Only
then will the supremacy of the law rule in the land and the King rule fairly.

All the elders gathered together and discussed their fruitless search for the talking drum. That is
when Tort appeared and fretted the rest of the elders. He told them about how his 7 days
journey lasted for 14 days and about all the dangers he had to face. The elders were excited to
know that he had gotten the talking drum.

And so the plan commenced. Tort dug a hole to the King's compound and started to beat the
drum. The sound was so terrifying that everyone in the Palace was scared. Hours later, Lion
sought out to seek his counsellors.

Lion meets with Udensu and Nwandu. He tells them about the terrifying sound he heard and
asks what they can do about it. The counselors didn't believe the king so they decided to wait
for the drum to sound again.

The King and his counselors engage in riddles and jokes in order to pass the time and wait for
the drum beat. Once it was 4:30, the drum struck and they were all terrified. After it had passed,
they had decided to tell the town crier to call all villagers to the town square.

At the village square, the villagers are gathered waiting for the arrival of the king. The king
arrives and explains to the villagers the situation at hand. He asks the villagers for a solution to
his problem but is responded to by the villagers' angry faces. They refuse to help the King as he
has done nothing to help them in their troubling times. The king and his counselors angrily storm
out and the villagers go to their separate homes.

Tort continues his beating of the drum everyday for the whole day which lead to the king and his
counselors going into secret meetings without the consent of the elders or villagers.

The king and his counselors discuss what to do to end the nightmare of the drum. Ndukwe, one
of the counselors, suggests that it's the doing of the ancestors and that they should hand over
power to the villagers since that is what they want. The king, left with no other option, decides to
hand power to the villagers as he fears for his life. All but one counsellor, Udeni, agrees on this
decision.

After hearing the news of the King giving up power. The villagers gather in the Freedom Hall to
celebrate. They all dance and celebrate. A while later, the King and his counselors enter the
hall. The king addresses the villager and asks who they choose to be their new king. After some
thought, they all decide that they want tort to be their new king. Lion asks Tort to come up on
stage and crowns him as the new king. The villagers all dance in jubilation and wine and dine to
merriment. Tort then gives his acceptance speech before they all depart to their various homes.

The next day, the elders come to visit tort to congratulate him on his accession to the throne.
They bring him gift of fowl, and palm oil. They then proceed to discuss what to do with the
talking drum. One suggests they burn it, one suggests they Bury it and another suggests they
throw it away. Tort refused all this suggestion as he knew the struggle he went through to get it.
So he decided to keep the talking drum.

Some time later, there was a dispute between villagers over a boundary issue. Tort, in the
process of hiding, forgot the warning given to him by Idemiri and spilled oil on the drum. The
drum reverberated 3 times and in under two minutes, tort became cripple.

Tort's weakened state soon reached the ears of the elders who gathered in a Bush to discuss
what had befallen their new king. They were hoping that a miracle would happen and blow this
whole thing away. Then something strange happened. One by one, The elders started speaking
in different languages. No one could understand the other but after some time they were able to
communicate through hand signals. Suddenly Tort approaches and they all run helter-skelter
thinking the dead Tort has come alive. Tort pleads with them not to run away and that he is very
much alive. 'What have I done to deserve this?' says Tort. 'Our ancestors have forsaken us, the
elders can't help and we've deserted our brutal King. Now we can only hope for God's salvation'.