Drumming up a dream
East London African djembe drummer Richard Pipe blew the minds of refugees and homeless people when he performed for them in France recently.
For a few hours, the refugees and the homeless got to forget about their problems and enjoy Pipe’s performance.
“Magic Hands”, as Pipe is affectionately known, recently returned from a tour of Europe where he spent a month performing and teaching people how to play the djembe drum in France.
“I left to represent my country in Europe; it was about showing the rest of the world how rich in talent SA is.
“I get to meet a lot of people, the majority of them being tourists from around the world who take interest in African culture. It was through my drums that I was invited to France to showcase my talent.
“The greatest honour was playing for the mayor of Lyon before he made his speech at one of the events that I was invited to, as well as playing at the Nelson Mandela School in France,” he said.
“I played for refugees and homeless people. It was a beautiful experience to bring hope to the broken spirit through my drums, and many were in awe as to how a simple drum can make such beautiful sounds.”
Pipe wants to impart his talent to others through opening a djembe school where he can teach people to both make and play the drum.
He also wants to teach children in schools.
“My dream is to take this to schools. I want to teach children how to make and play this drum. I have a dream of having my work incorporated in extracurricular activities.
“This is not just about me. I want to impart this skill to many other people and they too can make a living from this art.” Pipe said he did not get any financial support from local authorities for his trip to France in August and September.
“I must say it was highly disappointing that people from another country had to support me. I believe I was representing the Eastern Cape, in particular BCM, in France.”