Lagos: For Nigerian drummer Isioma Williams, the Korean Janggu is more than a foreign percussion instrument. It has become a cultural mirror, showing what Nigeria could achieve by investing more deliberately in its indigenous drums and traditional music. Janggu is a traditional Korean hourglass-shaped drum with two drumheads, played using distinct sticks that produce different sounds.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Williams encountered the Janggu after a fellow artiste returned from a residency in South Korea and informed him about an opportunity for a Nigerian drummer. This invitation took Williams to South Korea, where he was attached to the National Theatre of Korea and later Kyunghee University. He also learned Korean, as much of the music instruction was conducted in the language, eventually completing the university programme with a B grade.
For Williams, learning Janggu was challenging, but its sound, technique, and appearance immediately reminded him of Nigerian percussion traditions. Williams, also known as ‘Papa Bata’ due to his familiarity with Yoruba Bata drumming, recognized similarities in tones and playing techniques. However, he does not want Nigerians to replace their indigenous instruments with the Janggu. Instead, he argues that Nigeria should study Korea’s approach and apply useful lessons to its own traditional drums like Bata, D¹ndºn, Gangan, Sakara, and Igba.
Williams’ teaching became an exercise in cultural translation, combining Korean Janggu techniques with Nigerian approaches to rhythm and performance. The workshops trained over 100 people, leading to the recently held Janggu Festival Nigeria and Janggu Competition. These events provided a platform for participants to perform, compete, and demonstrate their skills. In the future, Williams hopes participants can continue their training in South Korea, alongside visits from Korean experts to Nigeria.
Williams believes Nigeria’s numerous indigenous drums are insufficiently documented, taught, developed, and promoted, leaving valuable knowledge vulnerable to extinction. He emphasizes that traditional instruments could support performers, teachers, carvers, repairers, and manufacturers. He advocates for stronger theoretical foundations for Nigerian drumming through notation, documentation, and formal learning.
His experience in Korea introduced him to structured music theory, which he had not previously encountered as a traditional drummer. Williams has since introduced basic music theory, notation, and scoring into his Nigerian workshops. He acknowledged the support of The Korean Cultural Centre Nigeria for the festival and broader cultural exchange.
The need to pass knowledge forward is evident in the work of Oma Harrison, one of Williams’ students. After attending Williams’ workshop, Harrison began teaching children, even without regular access to Janggu instruments. She improvised by using buckets and classroom chairs for practice, while children aged three to 11 learned gradually.
At the festival’s grand finale, Adeniran Makinde, National President of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners, described the Janggu as a vessel for cultural memory, stories, emotions, and communal identity. Makinde urged stakeholders to ensure traditional arts remained living practices rather than museum pieces.
Korean Ambassador Yo-an Jeong, speaking at the 2026 Poongryu Festival, linked cultural identity with national dignity and international friendship. Jeong noted that Korean popular culture, including K-Pop, dramas, and films, represents modern expressions of a cultural spirit with deep historical roots.
Williams believes that cultural journey offers Nigeria a lesson: indigenous traditions can remain relevant when they are valued, documented, taught, and deliberately promoted. His ambition is to make Nigerians more conscious of what they already possess, focusing on the simplicity and portability of instruments like the Janggu. Williams hopes that the Janggu’s legacy in Nigeria will be helping Nigerians rediscover, develop, and pass on their own drums to future generations.