Anansi and the King’s Royal Drum is a delightful West African folktale that teaches children the importance of teamwork and responsibility. When the Lion King needs a faster way to gather his kingdom, Anansi suggests creating a mighty drum. All the animals work together to build it—except for the lazy monkey. But when it’s time to carry the drum, the monkey learns a hard lesson: if you don’t help in the work, you may end up with the hardest job of all!
CHARACTERS:
LION KING
MESSENGER
ANANSI
ELEPHANT
ZEBRA
ALLIGATOR
RHINOCEROS
LEOPARD
SQUIRRELS
MONKEY
TIGER
SCRIPT:
SCENE I: The King’s Frustration
(The Lion King sits stiffly on a magnificent throne, tapping a paw impatiently. The Messenger stands before him, looking worn out.)
LION KING: Go! Scramble! Sprint! Tell every corner of this kingdom that their King demands a meeting! A matter of urgent importance!
MESSENGER: (Sighing, bowing deeply) Yes, Your Majesty. I shall depart at once. I should be back with the last of the summonses in… two weeks.
LION KING: (Jumping up, pacing) Two weeks?! This is the problem! I am the Lion King, not the Lion Waiter! Every time I call for an assembly, the message crawls across the savanna like a tired snail!
MESSENGER: Forgive me, Your Majesty. That is the way of the land. The distances are vast.
LION KING: But the dangers are faster! If a rival pride attacked? If a drought threatened the great river? By the time everyone arrives, the crisis would be over, or we would be! This kingdom needs a voice that can shake the very trees!
MESSENGER: You speak with wisdom, Sire.
LION KING: (Calming slightly) Find my… my Advisor-In-Chief, Anansi. His clever mind is a weapon. Tell him to meet me at the assembly, and then, go and gather the animals! Tell them to hurry—or risk my royal displeasure!
(The Messenger bows quickly and rushes off. A moment later, Anansi scuttles in, looking very important and rubbing his hands together.)
ANANSI: Ah, my Noble King! Your excellent Messenger found me immediately. You have a puzzle? Good! Anansi thrives on puzzles!
LION KING: The problem, Anansi, is not a puzzle. It is time. How do I speak to my entire kingdom at once?
ANANSI: A truly worthy dilemma, Your Majesty! I shall not rush the brilliance. A solution this grand requires reflection. I shall return when the assembly is gathered. Give Anansi time to weave his thoughts, and I shall present a masterpiece of communication!
LION KING: (Waving a dismissive paw) Very well, Anansi. Go weave. I will see you then.
(Anansi bows extravagantly and exits.)
SCENE II: The Drum’s Conception
(The King is on his throne. Anansi and all the animals stand before him. The Monkey is yawning openly and leaning against a column.)
LION KING: Welcome, my subjects! I’ve explained to your Advisor, Anansi, that our current methods of communication are too slow. We must find a way to summon everyone to the palace in hours, not weeks! Anansi, what grand, revolutionary plan has your genius mind devised?
ANANSI: (Beaming, puffing out his chest) Your Majesty, your kingdom needs a Voice of Thunder! A sound that can leap over mountains and rivers. We need a drum, Your Majesty. A Drum of the Kingdom! A Royal Drum so large, so deep, that a single beat will echo from the borders to your throne room!
LION KING: (Intrigued) A drum? I like the boldness!
ANIMALS: (Muttering amongst themselves) A drum? A massive drum?
ELEPHANT: (Stepping forward) An excellent idea, Anansi. No messenger is as loud as a perfect drum.
ZEBRA: Splendid! Let’s not waste a second! We must select the mightiest tree! I can run the forest trails—I’ll choose the finest wood!
ALLIGATOR: (Speaking slowly, with a great snap of his jaws) I have the sharpest teeth. I will be the one to cut the base and shape the mouth of the drum. Snip. Snap.
RHINOCEROS: (Nodding heavily) My horn is a fearsome chisel. I shall hollow the body and scrape the interior smooth.
LEOPARD: And I, with my swift, elegant claws, will carve the outside with patterns worthy of a King!
SQUIRRELS: (Squeaking in unison) And we! We will gather the berries and the sap for the royal decoration! The finest colors!
LION KING: (Clapping his paws once) This is magnificent! A truly communal effort! Go! Start working right away! I want this drum finished by sundown!
(Anansi and all the animals exit with great enthusiasm, except for the Monkey, who barely moves.)
SCENE III: The Weight of Laziness
(The forest. A huge, half-finished drum stands center stage. Zebra, Alligator, Rhinoceros, Leopard, and the Squirrels are covered in shavings and sweat, working furiously. Anansi supervises. The Monkey is sound asleep under a small tree, a banana peel near his hand.)
ANANSI: Faster, faster! A little more scraping on the inside, Rhino! Beautiful detail, Leopard!
ZEBRA: (Wiping his brow) Anansi, did you notice the Monkey? He hasn’t lifted a single finger, or a toe!
ALLIGATOR: (Grumbling) He’s so lazy he can’t even be bothered to pretend to work. It is an insult to the King’s cause!
(A short time passes. The animals finish their final tasks, standing back to admire the enormous drum. It is a work of art.)
ANANSI: Done! The King’s Drum is ready! Hear me, friends! The sound will be legendary!
TIGER: (Approaching cautiously) It is perfect… but it is also huge! And unbelievably heavy!
LEOPARD: (Sighing dramatically) Who is going to carry this magnificent burden? It’s a long, uphill path back to the palace.
ELEPHANT: (Shaking his head) I am strong, yes, but its size would make it swing and rattle every time I walk. It needs a steadier carrier.
RHINOCEROS: I don’t see anyone here with a back wide enough.
ALLIGATOR: And I certainly can’t! It would get wet with river mist, and a King’s Drum must be dry!
ANANSI: (Stroking his chin, looking toward the sleeping Monkey) I see that no one volunteers to carry this glorious prize. In that case, I suggest a straightforward and fair solution. The one who is the least worthy of this honor should hold the drum!
TIGER: Least worthy? What do you mean?
ANANSI: I mean, the one whose hands are the cleanest! The one who refused to share the burden of the labor!
(All the animals turn their heads to stare at the soundly sleeping Monkey.)
SQUIRRELS: The laziest one! The one who slept! It’s the Monkey!
(The noise wakes the Monkey. He stretches, yawns, and slowly stands up.)
MONKEY: (Drowsily) Did someone say… the drum? No, thank you! I will absolutely not carry that heavy thing! Oh, no, not me!
(The animals burst into a massive, booming laugh.)
ELEPHANT: He gave himself away!
ZEBRA: We didn’t even say his name!
ANANSI: (Grinning slyly) You see, friends? The answer came from the culprit’s own mouth! The Monkey confesses to his own sloth!
ANIMALS: (Pointing at him, cheering) The Monkey carries the Drum! The Monkey!
(The animals rush forward, hoist the enormous drum with difficulty, and place it squarely on the bewildered Monkey’s back. He stumbles under the weight.)
MONKEY: (Whining, defeated) Oh, no! Oh, this is terrible! If I had only known that a moment’s rest would become a lifetime of back-breaking work… I should have carved! I should have scraped! I deserve this heavy load! I earned it by being lazy!
(The animals laugh again as they all exit, following the struggling Monkey as he staggers toward the palace.)
Ultimately, the royal drum facilitated unity and expedited communication within the kingdom. Yet more importantly, the animals discovered that every member of the community has a role to play. The monkey carried the burden of his laziness, reminding everyone that avoiding work doesn’t free you from responsibility—it only makes it heavier.
The End
Author: A West African Folktale
Adapted by K I D S I N C O
Moral: Everyone must contribute their share of work, or they will face the consequences of their laziness.
Moral Values:
- Teamwork – great things are achieved when everyone works together.
- Responsibility – every member of a group has a duty to fulfill.
- Fairness – those who don’t help must accept the consequences.
- Honesty – admitting mistakes helps us grow.
- Community spirit – unity makes a kingdom, a family, or a classroom stronger.
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👉 External Resources:
- Anansi – Wikipedia – Background and cultural significance of Anansi in West African folklore
- West African Folk-Tales (Project Gutenberg / Archive) – Collections of folktales from West Africa (including Anansi stories) in public domain texts
- Anansi and the Talking Drum” (TellStory.net) – A version of a talking-drum tale with emphasis on communication, responsibility, and symbolism in Akan folklore
- The myth of Anansi, the trickster spider (TED-Ed / Emily Zobel Marshall) — a short animated lesson about how Anansi brought stories to Earth
- Anansi Stories (YouTube playlist) — several animated and narrated versions of different Anansi tales
- Anansi the Spider (1969 Animated Folk Tale) — classic short folk-tale cartoon
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