What do drum beats symbolize in ‘Things Fall Apart’?

In the Igbo culture, drums are reflecting intense emotions of the tribe. The drums are present during every communal event from wrestling matches to funerary celebrations. This drum beat brings the Igbo people together representing a symbol of unity. In addition, the drums can also be seen as the life of the villages. When many people are gathered together engaging in dance, or watching active events, the cluster of the people of the village seems like a heart or core, bringing together the two most important parts of society; the people and their culture. With this, the crowd of people acts as the tribe’s heart and the drumbeat is its heartbeat. Also, drums were needed because they helped in making decisions and carrying messages to the other tribes in different villages. Achebe was the symbol of tribal drums to show the flourishing culture and life that Umuofia experiences before the Europeans arrive. The symbol of drums is often present during cultural gatherings and celebrations in Umuofia. During the feast, which marks a new harvest year. “Drums (are) still beating, persistent and unchanging. Their sound (is) no longer as a separate thing from the living villages.”

Sometimes the beating of the drum contained a message for the people before they met. For instance, in chapter 13 the Ekwe or gang boomed before dawn and the people knew from the drum beat message that someone had died. Once again the drum represented communication throughout the clan.