"WHAT THE DJEMBE TEACHES US ABOUT COMMUNITY " | Baba Abiono Ogunrinde | TEDxThird Ward
Baba Abiono Ogunrinde uses the djembe drum as a metaphor for community building, explaining how each part of the drum represents different roles within a community. He demonstrates how understanding these interconnected roles transforms how communities function together.
Summary
Baba Abiono Ogunrinde draws on his 35+ years of experience with djembe drums to illustrate profound lessons about community structure and connection. He breaks down the drum into four essential components, each representing crucial community roles. The shell, carved from a single piece of hardwood, represents the foundation and history that holds everything together - the elders and established wisdom. The skin, the most fragile yet most audible part, symbolizes youth and emerging leaders who are stretched and pulled as they find their voice. The rings represent mentors and supporters who carry silent tension - providing crucial support without being heard in the performance. Finally, the rope appears decorative but actually provides essential connection, representing the often-overlooked bonds that hold communities together. Ogunrinde emphasizes that communities typically fail not from lack of talent, but from lack of connection and unacknowledged tension. He argues that the djembe teaches intentional unity rather than accidental community formation. When people understand their specific roles in the community rhythm, they transform not just their own participation but how they relate to others. The talk concludes with a demonstration of multiple rhythms coming together, reinforcing that community is something actively created through understanding individual roles and connections.
Key Insights
- Every community has its own shell foundation, and without this historical grounding, people lose their shape
- Youth and emerging leaders are like the drum's skin - the most fragile part that everyone hears, stretched and pulled while learning to carry their own voice
- Mentors and supporters function like the drum's rings, carrying tension in silence that provides crucial support even though they're not heard in the performance
- Communities rarely fall apart from lack of talent, but rather from lack of connection and unacknowledged tension
- The djembe teaches that unity becomes intentional rather than accidental when people understand their specific roles in the community rhythm
Topics
Transcript
[0:01] Please welcome Baba Ugurinde. [0:41] When you hear this, what do you feel? Some people say rhythm, some say culture, a few even say noise. But today, I want to show you something different. I've spent over 35 years playing, teaching others how to play, and fixing countless broken jimbees. That's what this drum is called. And I've learned [1:12] that a jimbe does more than just make sound. Today, I want to share with you what it teaches us about community and how we can live together. This This is the shell. It's carved from a single piece of hardwood. One tree, one source. It's the foundation that holds everything else in place. Every community has its own…
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