Cocomelon!
Hey, Cody.
Wanna hear a story?
Yes, I do.
Can I please help tell it, too?
Yes, listen close.
Let's imagine and rhyme.
It's Cocomelon Storytime!
What you doing tapping those spoons on that bowl, Cody?
Well, I didn't have a drum.
So I made one.
It sounds great the way it is to me.
That's really creative of you, Cody.
You used your imagination and made something amazing.
Thanks, Daddy.
Want to play my drum, too?
I sure do.
You know, your little drum reminds me of a story inspired by an old folk tale they tell in Uganda.
Want to hear it?
Oh, yes, please.
It's called the Tum Tukub Drumbeat.
There once was an African chief, the leader of his village, who loved to dance to the beat of a big African drum that went boom boom, shika boom.
Boom, boom, shika, boom.
That beat makes me want to dance, too.
Every year, there was a harvest party called Tikka Boom Shaka Boom.
Daddy, what's a harvest?
A harvest is when food has finished growing and is gathered up to eat.
Mm, harvests sound yummy.
Yes.
Every year the best drummers in the village would come and beat their drums to make the chief dance.
But one year, during the Tikka Boom Shaka Boom, everyone noticed the chief was not dancing.
Why not?
Nobody knew.
A villager asked, Chief, it's our harvest party today.
All the drummers have begun to play, but your feet are not moving along.
So we are worried.
Is something wrong?
The chief said, I have heard these beats before.
Now I want something more.
A new drum beat will move my feet.
Where was he going to find a new drum beat?
He didn't know.
The chief was boom, boom, shaking.
He called for every drummer in the village and soon there were big medium, long and short drummers.
The drummers were excited as they stood in line.
Which drum will make the chief dance?
I hope it's mine!
The chief said, Big drum drummers, play your beat!
But they didn't make the chief move his feet.
Medium drum drummers, play your beat!
Did they make the chief move his feet?
Nope.
The chief's feet weren't moving at all.
Next came the long drum drummers and the short drum drummers.
They beat their drums, making all sorts of sounds, but the chief's feet were still planted firmly on the ground.
The chief was sad.
Every drummer in the village had their chance and still no one could make me dance.
Oh no, wasn't there any other drummer who could try?
There was, but he wasn't a drummer, at least not yet.
He was a little boy.
Like me?
Yes, and just like you, this little boy was creative.
He was too young to carve a drum out of wood, so he used what he could find and made the best drum he could.
Did he use a bowl and a spoon from his kitchen like me?
No, but close.
This boy found an old pot and tied a plate on top with a big banana leaf.
And since he didn't have drumsticks... Or spoons.
Or spoons, he used two sticks he found outside on the ground.
That was a good idea.
The little boy was very creative.
When his drum was all done, it was getting late.
He ran to the chief and shouted, Wait!
The whole village fell quiet.
No one made a sound.
The chief told the boy, Come closer.
And everyone gathered around.
What an interesting drum from a plate and pot.
Could this make me dance when the other drums could not?
I think it could.
So did the little boy.
He believed in himself and what he had made.
He said, A drum this creative deserves to get played.
The chief agreed.
Seeing the little boy believe in himself made the chief believe in him too.
So the boy stepped forward with his little homemade drum, raised his little branch drumsticks, took a deep breath and started to tap a beat.
What did it It went, Toom-to-ka-be-ma-toom.
Toom-to-ka-be-ma-toom.
Toom-to-ka-be-ma-toom.
A tiny little sound.
From a tiny little drum.
Everyone was watching the chief to see if he would move his feet.
But the little drum drummer boy had his eyes closed.
He wasn't focusing on the chief's feet.
He was focused on making his beat.
Toom-to-ka-be-ma-toom.
Then the boy heard the villagers gasp with surprise.
He kept on drumming, but opened his eyes.
What did he see?
The chief was moving his feet.
Yay!
The chief was tum tum tapping his toes, moving and grooving and striking a pose.
The villagers danced too.
What a party it had become.
Thanks to the boy and his little drum.
The chief caught his breath and said to the boy, Hearing your drum brings me so much joy.
I haven't been creative in far too long.
Can you show me how to make a drum after your song?
The little boy said, of course, and smiled as he played.
The chief was so happy, he decided to name the harvest party Tum Tuka Bima Tum.
You know why?
Because that was the beat the little boy made.
That's right, Cody.
His little tomb took a drumbeat.
The end.
We heard a story.
Yes, it's true.
And I helped tell it, too.
We listened, imagined, and made some rhymes for Cocomelon Storytime.
A Spotify original podcast produced by Moodbug Entertainment.
