“Today, everyone in the village of the Bamilekes is celebrating;
there is rhythmic music and holy songs; old and young alike
are calling the rain with their chanting. From all around, hands
are tapping, clapping and drumming. Tam ta ra ta tam!
Zékéyé taps; taps the side of the drum. He too wants to make
the big drum sing. But he can not reach the top of the drum because
he is so small; smaller than his sister Ititi, smaller than
the monkey Cocodi, even smaller than the smallest bush.
So Zékéyé makes a tiny instrument for himself; tiny like himself…”
The story of Zékéyé, written by the renowned French author/ illustrator of children’s books, Nathalie Dieterlé and adapted
by Talespin, features whimsical, colorful bamboo-brush illustrations
that appeal to an all-ages audience.
The music, by Taiwanese composer Ruei-Ran Wu, beautifully
complements the sweet, naïve nature of the text featuring elements
of African drumming and animal sounds within the
framework of a standard 12-bar blues’ style. |
