An old African legend tells that hundreds of years ago, in those lands, monkeys spent hours contemplating the Moon. They met at night when the sky was clear and were amazed at her beauty. They could be hours without blinking, fascinated by so much beauty. They often commented that if seen from afar it was so beautiful, up close it would be even more spectacular.
One day they decided by consensus that, to prove it, they would travel to it. Since monkeys do not have wings, their only option was to climb on top of each other in a long tower. The strongest remained in the positions below and the skinniest climbed with agility, until they formed an immense column of monkeys. The tower looked solid, but it turned out not to be. It was too high and those at the base failed their strength. The result was that he began to stagger and collapsed. Thousands of monkeys fell to the ground. To be more exact, all but one fell, because the one at the top managed to hook the Moon’s horn with its tail.
The pale Moon laughed. It seemed very funny to see that cute little monkey hanging upside down waving his arms. He helped him to his feet and, to thank him for such an impromptu visit, he gave him a drum. The monkey was very happy! I had never seen any because on earth drums did not yet exist. La Luna became his teacher and taught him to play it. She wanted him to become a good musician!
But as always, all good things come to an end and it’s time to go home. The Moon tenderly said goodbye to the monkey and prepared a long rope for it to slide down. He only gave him a warning: he must not beat the drum until it reached the ground. If he disobeyed, he would cut the rope.
The monkey promised that it would, but on the way down he could not resist the temptation and, halfway, he began to beat his drum. The sound resounded in space and reached the ears of the Moon, who, very angry, cut the rope. The monkey sped through the clouds and rainbows, plummeting to the ground.
The blow was snub-nosed! It hurt to the last bone and he sustained serious injuries. Luckily, a girl from a nearby tribe found him lying next to his drum and, taking pity on him, took care of him in his hut until he managed to recover.
According to legend, this was the first drum to be known in Africa. The indigenous people liked the sound so much that they began to make very similar drums. Over time, this instrument became very popular and spread throughout the continent. Today, from north to south, so many drums resound that the Moon is said to hear their tolls and is pleased.
