Greetings of peace to all.
Today, I write not just as a contributor to Tanzania Digest, but as a human being—moved deeply by the rhythm of our times. We are living in a moment that calls for more than just hearing. It asks us to listen with our hearts, to feel with compassion, and to respond—not with weapons, but with wisdom.
When I hear the word “drums,” I do not simply hear a sound.
I feel the touch—the connection between hands and skin, intention and emotion.
Drums are more than musical instruments. They are a language. A heartbeat.
A force that can call, warn, mourn, and heal.
Across the centuries, drums have spoken.
They echoed before borders were drawn, before newspapers printed headlines, before wars became normalized.
In African villages, in sacred rituals, and in global protests, the drum has remained a powerful voice.
But today, as the drums of war echo across our world—in wounded lands like Gaza and Israel—I reflect on a different kind of drum.
A drum not for marching…
…but for gathering.
Not for noise…
…but for truth without words.
Children in Gaza.
Mothers in Israel.
Fathers in refugee camps.
Young people who have never known a full day of peace.
Their pain is real.
Their silence is loud.
But even beyond the headlines, there is still rhythm.
There is still human touch waiting to be heard.
Musicians may not silence bombs.
But they can shift the energy of a moment.
They can drum louder than hate, and inspire a new tempo for humanity.
With every beat, they can say:
Here is pain — but here too is hope.
Here is memory — but here too is movement.
Because truly, the heart is the drum of peace.
It beats in every corner of the world —
in every culture, every faith, and every hand that dares to feel.
Peace is not the absence of conflict.
Peace is the presence of compassion.
It is the bold decision to reach out, to gather, to listen — even when it’s hard.
So let the drum be transformed.
Let it no longer be an alarm for war —
but an anthem of healing.
Let it become the rhythm that connects us —
beyond politics, beyond fear, beyond revenge.
Because when hearts drum together,
peace is not just an idea — it becomes a sound the world cannot ignore.
Read more articles by Ussi
