The Drum: 5 by Achebe Chinua

The Drum is a children’s folktale by Chinua Achebe, first published in 1977 by Fourth Dimension Publishers (Enugu, Nigeria). It is a moral‐fable that weaves together themes of community, power, greed, leadership and responsibility, using animal characters typical of African oral tradition. The protagonist is Tortoise (also called “Mbe”), who, in his quest to help his starving fellow animals, obtains a magical drum from the Spirit World which produces endless food—but his ambition to become king and his misuse of that power lead to his downfall. The story is richly illustrated (by Anne Nwokoye) and is suited to young readers, combining accessible language with traditional storytelling.