Sharjah24: Reliving memories of the African jungles and drummers of the Phantom comics, young children joined wholeheartedly as they mastered the rhythm and beat of African drumming at the 15th edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF), the largest celebration of knowledge, creativity, art and innovation of its kind in the region, taking place in Expo Centre Sharjah from May 1-12.

As the heart-pounding sounds of the African drum called djembe merged with the electrifying music of the dance floor, it created a fun and lively atmosphere at SCRF 2024.  From learning to position the djembe between their legs to increasing the number of beats, the children had a riveting experience mastering the djembe with Ukrainian-Canadian music producer Ragimov Eduard.

“Every group of kids is different and you can actually tell if they want to have fun or do it seriously. What we basically did today was give them a sense of the rhythm of African music and knowledge of the instrument with intensive drumming. Too much drumming will hurt their hands, so I hope they will come again for more tomorrow,” said the Ukrainian artiste who has developed his own inhouse music called Lil Mishka Band and now works for an orphanage in Bulgaria. 

“Djembe is one of the oldest African drums with a rich history and its legacy is unfortunately getting forgotten. By combining all instruments, we are trying to preserve their legacy.”

Eduard, who believes working among children is a blessing, called each of the young attendees “natural born djembe players” boosting their confidence and happiness.

The 12-day action-packed festival for young readers, artists and creatives as well as their families showcases millions of books including latest releases in children’s and Young Adult (YA) literature from across the globe. SCRF 2024, under the theme “Once Upon a Hero” is also offering the region’s largest platform for cultural and artistic appreciation with theatrical performances, culinary demonstrations, workshops in STEM, social media, music, and several exciting competitions, activities, animation events.