PREFACE
Rhythms of African Drums is a collection of Rhymes and Lyric Poems for kids and youngsters, that puts together in one volume the author's series of six children's books entitled:
1. Sleep Sound Cats and
2. Miaow-miaow
3. Take Steps slowly
4. Dogs and Wo-wow
5. Nature's Time Birds and
6. Faithful Watchdogs
The poems in the six original collections have been regrouped into five Books. The first three Books, typically with rhymes, maintain the original content of the first three books while the remaining three that are mainly lyrical have been regrouped into two Books depending on poems that are directly based on nature or those with people and somewhat abstract thoughts, though very simple abstract thoughts, deemed to be easily within the grasp of kids and youngsters.
Hence, as before the first three Books in this volume contain rhymes coupled with Lyrics based on various topics which may delight little kids; the fourth Book contains lyrical poems mostly on tangible nature while the fifth has poems that are slightly abstract and imaginative. In the author's view, this distinction makes the five Books in this volume suitable for various stages of first and second cycle schools, including the Kindergarten. Secondly, the Books are carefully graded in depth, thought and language appropriate for the intended levels.
Therefore, all the poems in this volume are Lyrics implying that they provide words for songs even though they are not necessarily meant to be sung or put to music. This is to say that when the poems are read aloud, their musical quality can be heard. In fact, these poems are meant to be read aloud as much as possible for enjoyment by all.
The basic tools employed by the author to achieve the musical quality of the Lyrics are various forms of Repetition. The first tool is the Rhythm used repeatedly to construct each line; in literary language it is known as Metrical Foot having many forms that regularly make up each line. Secondly, words are repeated at regular intervals that sound like the things they are describing, such as sounds made by animals, by mimicking animals' sounds, if you like. In literary parlance, this is called onomatopoeia. Thirdly, sounds within some lines and even whole lines are repeated for sound effect if read aloud. Again, for the first three Books in this volume, besides Lyrics the poet employs Rhymes for greater musical effect to make them more appealing to particularly children in the lower classes of school, Kindergarten and Primary.
The author has employed Lyrics and Rhymes undoubtedly with their musical effect to encourage children and youngsters to enjoy poetry as much as they love songs. The main objective is that by reading and reciting with joy these poems with Lyrics and Rhymes they would acquire general reading habit, which is lacking in most African children.
It is well-known that songs are a most effective way of learning by children and hence teachers, especially in the Kindergarten and Primary Schools, use songs a lot to arouse and maintain pupils' interest. It is the author's desire that these Rhymes and Lyrics will do the same.
Finally, the main title of this volume, Rhythms of African Drums, is chosen to underscore the primary objective of the collection, which is that of giving lessons of life to children by calling their attention or informing them just as by tradition a drummer would do on important occasions. One cardinal lesson of this collection is respect for the environment as well as humans and animals.
It is noteworthy that Rhythms of African Drums were used in the past particularly as instruments of transmitting messages from people to people or even from villages to villages in times of need, such as in times of war or at funerals, festivals etc. To say the least, these Rhymes and Lyrics are literally Drums beating to assemble both kids and youngsters to participate in and listen to the recitals of these poems not just for musical enjoyment but also to learn the lessons the poems impart, just as in the traditional home of yesteryears an elder such as the good grandmother would call her grand-children to tell them stories and the like or even to advise them wrapped warm in cloth around the three-stone fire on a cold evening.
And so, beyond the familiar scenes in these poems, the author hopes that teachers would make children for whom this book is intended to see not only the beauty and wonders of nature as typified by ants, bees, butterflies etc, but also to appreciate the social and physical sciences as well as religion or ethics which the poems apparently highlight in this small children's volume, the author thinks! For example, in Take Steps Slowly, the reader comes face to face with the principle of "Division of Labour" underlying the poem, Bees Share Duty, or "Law of Gravity" illustrated by the poem, I can't Fly or "Love or lack of Love" seen in the poem, Mating Marriage Flight, "Determination or tenacity of Purpose" personified in the poem, Climbing Stem etc Indeed, examples of illustration or implicit enunciation of such principles may be easily found in this volume if the reader explores the poems deeply.
The author thinks that in this combined volume may be easily seen the progression of the original series in diction, thought, depth, style etc. as the Lyrics follow the Rhymes. The easy softness of the Rhymes with their mostly monosyllabic words and the slight hardness of the Lyrics with their polysyllabic diction seep through as the reader plods on from the beginning to the end of the volume. However, the style of this poet to employ mostly monosyllabic words is evident throughout the entire volume.
25th August, 2007