Being Woman in Africa is automatically synonymous with limitations. These “limitations” are not self-imposed, rather, we are born into it. As more movements are spearheaded, female empowerment causes pioneered and feminism on the rise; we are witnessing a new crop of women who are not only moving past these seeming limitations but also, breaking boundaries, shattering records, making new records and blazing trails.
Ara Thunder is what we call a “Trail Blazer”. This woman plays the talking drum with a dexterity that is both AWE-FULL and beautifully inspiring. The fascinating thing about Ara’s craft is the message it communicates and the feeling it evokes- that it is possible for a woman to venture into what was hitherto a male “owned” territory.
As Nigeria’s unique female talking drummer, she was selected to entertain the President of France, Emmanuel Macron on July 3, 2018, when he visited Nigeria with the ekwe talking drum and bata drum which gave an international status to her career.
In a chat with BBC Africa, Ara talks about preserving the African culture.
“One thing I don’t really like about what we do, is that we don’t promote our own culture and that is very bad; and that is why I actually picked up the talking drum and owned it. By doing this, she says she is telling Africa, “we have the uniqueness, we have the richness,’ so, we should promote our culture.”
How phenomenal!
