January 4, 2024

Remembering Your Ancestral Fire:
A Biracial Man’s Unlikely Journey of Self-Discovery, Heeding the Call of the Djembe
M. Taylor
Aviva Publishing (2022)
ISBN: 978-1-63618-164-6

New Book Reveals Drumming as Metaphor for Life Lessons

At the center of M. Taylor’s new book Remembering Your Ancestral Fire: A Biracial Man’s Unlikely Journey of Self-Discovery, Heeding the Call of the Djembe is the djembe, a West-African drum that Taylor learned to play as a way to connect with his African roots. Taylor is a biracial man with an African-American father and a Caucasian mother. He looks white but has Afro-like hair. He was also adopted, so his youth was largely a quest for identity. And then he discovered the djembe drum. In this book, he shares stories about his life before and after the West African djembe entered his life, why it entered his life, his numerous trips to Africa, the role his ancestors played in his life trajectory, his unique perspective of being biracial, and how he has become a djembe ambassador teaching drumming to countless people in the United States as well as traveling to other countries, including Ireland, China, and Japan, to share the djembe with other cultures.

One thing that really stood out for me in reading Taylor’s story was his struggles with being biracial and trying to figure out where he fit in. Once he began playing djembe as a way to reconnect with his African roots, he found that he had to deal with racism and an African-American mentality that often put up walls rather than being inclusive. He states:

“What I observed was the mindset, ‘I am black; therefore, I am African, and I know all things African by virtue of my blackness. So I don’t need to study or learn anything African because it’s all in my DNA.’ This mindset was initially revealed to me when I realized that sometimes when I wouldn’t get gigs, it was because a darker-skinned black drummer would get them, even though they had no idea what they were doing and were making up things, thereby doing a solid disservice to preserving the oral history of a place that is really keen on keeping its oral history accurate.”

Taylor goes on to explain how he studied with African masters of the djembe, and while the djembe is a gift from West Africa, it knows no color, nationality, gender, or race. Instead, it belongs to anyone with an open heart who will approach it with reverence and respect.

Unlike the African-Americans he criticizes, Taylor truly wanted to understand the djembe and the West African culture it sprang from. He shares journal entries from his many trips to West Africa where he studied with masters, as well as soaked up local culture and got eaten by mosquitoes. These trips were odysseys of learning for him that allowed him to refine his talents and become a master himself while also helping him to connect with the people and land that originated the djembe.

What Taylor learned is represented not only in his playing, but in the “Africanesque” folktales he composed that are included in the book and reflect African traditions and wisdom. One folktale tells of the origin of the djembe drum, while others tell of trying to become skillful at playing it. Mastering the djembe is, for Taylor, a path to wisdom and the past. He states, “I would learn many years later that speaking djembese is how I connect and commune with ancestors; they have been the wizards behind the curtain of my life, guiding me benevolently through hard and soft times.” By connecting with his ancestry, Taylor has learned never to feel alone, abandoned, or without community.

Taylor’s passion for playing the djembe led him to undergo acquiring a Tam Tam Mandingue Teaching Certificate so he could acquire the skill to teach others. This was no easy task, as Taylor explains:

“No set list of criteria was required to earn those early certificates. You’d hang with Mamady over years, sometimes for months at a time, and then he granted it to you when he felt you were ready, based on what he saw in class with you as a student as well as your comportment. A very important component was the type of person you were; he was trusting you to be a ‘messenger of tradition’ and to represent him as well.”

After some struggle, Taylor acquired the certification. It led him not only to teaching djembe but capitalizing upon opportunities to share his knowledge and skills with others. He describes the ups and downs of traveling about Africa to play for various villages while soaking in more African culture. In the United States, he has taught djembe for many years now, using it as a way to connect with others and give them a path not only for expression but for healing. He has taught in public schools and Montessori schools, accompanied dance classes and choirs, given countless workshops and even taught the incarcerated. His life is busy but full of music, experiences, and magic.

I admit I never heard of djembe before I read this book. But I am always open to learning about other cultures and experiences and this book did not disappoint. Indeed, it opened up new horizons for me. Taylor is a true artist because he has the artist’s soul. He doesn’t just play djembe; he lives and breathes djembe. He has helped to preserve and evolve a tradition to ensure that the beat will go on long after he is gone, and I appreciated the chance to get to know him better through these pages.

Remembering Your Ancestral Fire is the story of how one man who was a bit lost found himself, or rather how the djembe found him, and how they have nurtured one another for a lifetime. It’s a book that will speak to everyone regardless of age, race, gender, or culture.

For more information about M. Taylor and Remembering Your Ancestral Fire, visit www.HolyGoat.com.

— Tyler R. Tichelaar, PhD and award-winning author of Spirit of the North and When Teddy Came to Town