Renowned talking drummer and cultural ambassador of the Ooni of Ife, Aralola Olamuyiwa, popularly known as Ara, has recounted how people tried to discourage her from playing the talking-drum.
Ara, Africa’s first female talking drummer, revealed that she was warned it might prevent her from having children, but she overcame this belief.
The drummer shared her story on the latest episode of the ‘Terms And Conditions’ podcast.
Ara said, “There are some drums females cannot play. I started with the traditional drums. But I evolved over the years. I played different instruments like bass guitar, keyboard, and set drums.
“But I wanted something different, so I started learning how to play the talking-drum. People I asked to teach me were skeptical about teaching me because I am a woman. So I am self-taught.
“Although at some point, I was afraid. I was like, ‘what could happen to me?’ They were like, ‘you might not be able to have kids.’ It’s a traditional thing but I broke that jinx,” she said.
The amazing drummer, however, has a son with her estranged husband, Prince Nurudeen Olalekan Saliu.