Did you know that one of the earliest forms of long-distance communication was the talking drum, originating in Africa? While other methods like smoke signals also existed, the talking drum was unique in its ability to convey complex messages over vast distances through rhythm and tone.
This connection to rhythm runs deep in African and African-American culture, and I recently realized how it shows up in our everyday communication. While interviewing a family member for my documentary, I had to remind them to stop tapping their jewelry and jangling their keys as they spoke. At first, I thought it was just a personal quirk, but then, editing my podcast, I caught myself doing it too—tapping surfaces or creating rhythmic sounds to emphasize my point.
It made me wonder: could this be an echo of the drum? Some theorize that enslaved Africans, whose drums were outlawed by enslavers, found other ways to keep rhythm alive—through playing bones, spoons, or even internalizing it in their speech and gestures. It’s fascinating to think that this deep cultural memory might still influence how we express ourselves today.
What’s interesting is that, being half European, I’ve never seen this pattern in my father’s culture or with my white friends and relatives. This contrast only highlights how deeply ingrained this rhythmic expression is in African-American culture. Observing this in myself and others has been a fascinating reminder of how culture and history shape us, often in ways we don’t even realize.
