In Nigerian Yorùbá culture, detailed messages could be sent by a drummer, the Àyàn, from one village to the next faster than could be carried by a person riding a horse. The bending of the pitch of the drum was designed to replicate language that others hearing it would understand, and used to call people from far away to attend important cultural events. Today, the Yorùbá talking drums like Gbedu, Sakara, Bàtá and Gángan are metaphors for AWỌ’s calling of people within hearing range to come and hear the stories of the diverse performers at these salons talking about social justice, inclusion and community.