Building bridges

...one drumbeat at a time.
This Norwood drumming circle
is bringing neighbors together.

LISA GRUBER | CIN WEEKLY CONTRIBUTOR

Baoku Moses plays a Nigerian Bata drum as Kendra Lary accompanies him on a set of Djun-Djuns. (Photo by David Sorcher/CiN Weekly)

JUST THE FACTS

WHAT: Drums of Joy African drumming circle

WHEN: Begins between 4 and 5 p.m. every Saturday during the summer and ends around sunset.

WHERE: Lindner Park, Cypress Way, Norwood

PRICE: Free; open to anyone who wants to make music or just listen

PARKING: There is a parking lot located off Cypress Way.

CONTACT: (513) 374-1447

When Kendra Lary and Baoku Moses began a community-wide drumming circle in Norwood last year, they started out with some big goals: bridging cultural differences and bringing their neighbors together. This summer, they're once again achieving their vision one drumbeat at a time every weekend at Lindner Park.

The Ilu Ayo "Drums of Joy" African drumming circles begin about 4 or 5 p.m. every Saturday afternoon and may last a couple of hours or until dark, whatever people feel like. "People come and go the whole time," Lary says.

All are welcome to participate with their own instruments in the jam sessions, where foot tapping, head nodding and knee drumming are equally encouraged. But even spectators often end up sitting at an empty drum or with a shaker in their hands before the sun sets on this motley crew of percussionists.

"We kind of draw them in," Lary says. "People end up playing without intending to."

For would-be rhythm makers, the organizers bring extra instruments, such as wood blocks and hand shakers. Even attendees tend to bring extra drums along with their own music makers. "Pretty much any kind of instrument goes," she says.

"Anything goes" also describes the gatherings at Lindner Park during the drumming circles, which attract people from all over Cincinnati. The crowd may consist of just six onlookers or dozens; they may be teenagers, families or people just passing through to share their talents. Last year a member of a Celtic music group stopped by to perform, as did a group of belly dancers that had another scheduled performance in the area.

"It's just an interesting mix of people," Lary says, and it's a great activity for families, too. Bring some cold drinks and a blanket to sit on, or use the facilities already there at Lindner Park. There are bathrooms, picnic tables, grills, a water fountain and even walking trails.

Whether a person wants to join in the throng or only wants to watch, Lary says she just wants people to "come enjoy themselves and feel good." However, Moses wants onlookers to feel comfortable joining in the music-making, no matter their level of expertise.

"You don't have to be a professional," he says. His primary concern is that people come out to experience "the spirit" of the drumming circle, which represents his African home.

For Moses, a Nigerian who has lived in the United States two years, music is the universal language he uses to teach others about his homeland. He says drumming is an integral part of life in Africa, where it is used in celebration, in mourning, even in ceremonies to name babies. "Everything we do in life, music is involved," he says.

Now, he uses drumming as a way to bridge the gap between the culture he was born into and the one in which he now lives. Not only can the drumming highlight the similarities and differences between the cultures, but it's also a way to create understanding by bringing people together, he says.

According to Lary, it seems to be working. "It's a community builder," she says of the drumming circle. People hear the drumming in their houses and come down to the park to watch. "It's just a good way to bring people together."

Moses says his goal is to create an atmosphere of peace and unity to share with his neighbors. "You need to be part of it from the inside just to realize how good it is - that's why we call it Drums of Joy," he says.

Ilu (pronounced Ee-loo) literally means drum, and Ayo (pronounced Eye-oh) means joy. Both words come from the Yoruba language of western Nigeria, where Moses is from.

Lary says when most people think of Africa, they think of Tarzan, jungles and wild animals. Moses has been asked if people wear clothes in Africa and who the king is there, as if it were a country instead of a continent.

Creating understanding between their two cultures is why Lary and Moses sponsor educational programs through their African Image Arts Organization, founded to promote, protect and preserve African image and heritage. They emphasize the process of working together as one within the drum circle. "The individual is recognized as important," Lary says, "but we come together, and this wonderful music comes out."

In a circle, people become equals; they become a part of something bigger than the individual. "If we have this in our community, we won't have many problems," Moses says.