On the outskirts of a bustling village, children played and sang songs, their laughter echoing through the fields. Their favorite pastime was playing the drums, the rhythms of which could be heard from dawn till dusk.
One day, Anansi thought, “If I could have the loudest drum, everyone would pay attention to me, and I’d be the talk of the village!” With this in mind, he devised a plan to create a drum that would echo more than any other.
After weeks of searching, he found a hollow tree known for its unique echoing properties. Anansi carved a drum from this tree, and sure enough, when he played it, the sound echoed across multiple villages.
Now, wherever Anansi went, he banged his drum, loving the attention it brought him. The echoing was so loud that it became a disturbance. Villagers couldn’t speak to one another, children couldn’t hear their mothers calling them, and the elderly couldn’t rest.
The village chief called a meeting to discuss this echoing drum. Anansi, with his drum in tow, was confident that he’d be praised. But instead, the villagers expressed their frustration.
A wise elder then stood up and said, “Anansi, your drum might echo the loudest, but it doesn’t bring harmony. The drums the children play create music, unity, and joy. Your drum only brings noise.”
Realizing his folly, Anansi kept his drum aside and learned to play rhythms that blended with others, creating melodies that united hearts rather than noises that echoed emptily.
Moral: It’s not about how loud you can be, but how harmoniously you can blend with others.