Every evening around 5pm, the boy in my street will start.
He has no drum. He uses empty pure water jerry can, bucket, and two sticks. He will sit in front of their shop and start beating. Kpam kpa kpa kpa.
At first, everybody was shouting "who is making that noise?"
But if you listen well, there is pattern. It is not noise. The boy is playing.
Last week I sat near him. He was sweating, eyes closed, beating that jerry can like it is a real drum set in church. People were passing and throwing 50 naira, 100 naira inside his bucket.
I asked him "where did you learn this?"
He said "I just hear music in my head, then I play it."
That was when I understood. Music is not about big speaker or expensive instrument. Music is inside you. If you can hear it in your head, you can play it on anything, even on jerry can.
My neighbour still says "is that music? That boy is disturbing." But for me, that boy is the best musician in this street.
image source chatgpt