Omari was one of the baddest drummers around. He played djembe, djun djun conga and other drums. People loved to hear him play, and they asked him to perform at weddings, parties, festivals and rites of passage. He was always happy to perform however; too often he didn’t get paid for his gigs. This was a problem because he had to pay rent, utility bills, and he had to feed two children. He had one son, and a daughter.

It happened one afternoon that an elder named Seku called Omari and said “Brother Omari, I need you to drum for my son’s rites of passage ceremony.” Omari asked how much. Elder Seku then answered “I really need a drummer but I can’t afford to pay you” Omari then asked this:

How will I pay my rent?

How will I pay my bills?

How will I feed my children?

Elder Seku said “bring a collection basket and ask for donations”. So that’s what Omari did

That night Omari came with his drum, his children and a basket for collecting money. With the help of his son on claves and his daughter on shakere, Omari lit up the ceremony with his drum beats. People got up and started to dance. Then in a high spirited moment Omari started to sing:

Dance in the spirit let the rhythm take control

Dance in the spirit let the rhythm free your soul

Everyone had a good time. But when it was over, he looked in the basket to see if there were any donations. The Basket was empty, and Omari was disappointed. So were his children.

The next day Omari got a call from another elder. His name was Elder Hasan, who had this to say. “Brother Omari, my daughter is getting married. Please drum at the wedding.” Once again Omari asked how much. Elder Hasan said “There is no pay but you’ll get plenty of exposure.

How will I pay my rent?

How will I pay my bills?

How will I feed my children?

Elder Hasan said “bring a collection basket and ask for donations”. So that’s what Omari did

That night Omari came to the wedding with his drum, his children and his collection basket. Once again his son and daughter backed him up, Omari lit up the reception with his drum beats. People got up and started to dance. Then once again Omari started to sing: