A very long time ago, in a powerful kingdom called Tanwa, there lived a wise and gentle king.
He ruled the people with love, peace, and laughter. As a result, the land was buoyant and prosperity reigned supreme. The king also had a rare gem. One that no other king near or far possesses.
Well, this rare gem was a Gan-Gan (Talking Drum). This drum was no ordinary instrument. Amazingly, it did not just make music, it spoke. It could whisper secrets, shout warnings, and even tell tales from the past. The Gan-Gan was remarkable.
It spoke to chosen ears only. To others, there are just ordinary beats. Only the king and his trusted drummer, Ayankunle had direct access.
One day, while the king was in his palace garden, the talking drum began to beat. It whispered, “Doom is near! Doom is near! Strangers march forth in the land just beware!”
The king sat up straight and consulted Ayankunle to be sure of what the drum was saying. Ayankunle placed his hands on the drum and listened closely to the secrets that the drum whispered. Then, he nodded slowly and confirmed what the King already knew.
“The drum says danger is near. Enemies are approaching the kingdom as we speak.”
Without further delay, the king called his warriors, chiefs and villagers for an emergency meeting. He says, “We must prepare for danger. However, do this not with fear but cautiously and wisely.”
He ordered messengers to all the nearby towns with the message, “Rise and stand, hand in hand! The kingdom needs her children now!”
They harkened immediately to this call and began preparing to save their kingdom.
However, just as the enemies got to the gate, something interesting happened. The drum started beating again.
It said, “Truth is stronger than sword or spear. Let the strangers come near.” The king walked out with his aides holding the talking drum in his hand. He calmly asked, “Why do you come to fight?” The leader of the enemies was quite surprised.
He said, “We heard Tanwa was weak. Obviously, we were wrong.” After this statement, the drum started playing again. This time, with a sweet and welcoming rhythm.
The enemies were suddenly pacified by its sound even without understanding its message. They were curious to know what it said.
The drum could read their minds. The king explained the message to the enemies, “Peace is sweet, come and eat. Sit, and let your hearts be merry.”
Upon hearing this soothing message, the enemies lowered their weapons. Their commanders sat with the king. They talked, laughed, and shared palm wine with kolanut.
From that day onward, no one ever attacked the people of Tanwa. This was not because of their fighting prowess or spears, but because of their wisdom and their secret weapon, the talking drum.
The children of Tanwa sang the praises of the king and his special treasure (drum) that speaks, sings, saves and dances to its tunes.
With the various tales passed down through generations, people are always reminded that peace, wisdom and unity are the strongest treasures of any Kingdom.
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