South Carolina, 1741. After colonial authorities destroy the drum Kofi created to preserve the rhythms his father taught him, he must decide whether cultural knowledge can survive without the instrument that once carried it.
Set in the aftermath of the Stono Rebellion and the passage of South Carolina’s Negro Act of 1740, The Drummer’s Path explores why colonial officials feared African drums and how enslaved communities adapted when their movement, gatherings, and forms of communication were restricted. This historically grounded narrative centers memory, cultural preservation, collective learning, and the determination to pass knowledge to the next generation.
Kofi, Kwame, and Abena are fictional composite characters. The Stono Rebellion, the use of drums during the uprising, and South Carolina’s restrictions on drums and gatherings are documented history.