Appraising the Training of Traditional Drummers in Aloyinlapa African Drumming Institute, Lagos State, Nigeria

https://doi.org/10.36349/olijhe.2024.v01i01.017

Abstract

This study evaluates the training of traditional Yoruba drummers in metropolitan areas, focusing on the Alóyinlápá African Drumming Institute in Lagos. In traditional Yoruba society, the traditional drummers were trained in rural areas within the family circle of Àyàn, known as the practitioners. This tradition has led to a significant setback for non-Àyàn to participate in Traditional Yoruba Drumming practices. This study examines the teaching and learning methods of Yoruba traditional  drumming practices in urban spaces. This study argues that established traditional drum training centres in urban areas have yet to be addressed, despite their relevance to the sustainability of the Yoruba traditional drumming system in contemporary Yoruba society. The study relies on data from traditional drum training centres using ethnographic techniques. Findings revealed that training people on how to play traditional drums, such as the Bàtá and Dùndún ensembles, usually carried out in the village, has found its way to an urban centre, making it more accessible to the general public. Therefore, tertiary institutions should embrace this initiative and create centres for traditional knowledge systems whereby traditional instruments are taught to preserve Yoruba cultural heritage for future generations..