Drumming up a story

Colourful character in Rabat, Morocco

During our visit to Rabat, the capital city of Morocco, we went to see part of the old fortified city. As we alighted from our bus this colourful character came towards us banging on his drum. This was obviously part of the experience of visiting this spot, but our guide didn’t explain why the drummer was there. He was also trying to drum up business, but I was too mean-spirited to give him a tip. Seeing he knew I had taken a photo of his, he was probably a little miffed that I didn’t give him a tip.

Writing prompt: use your imagination to tell the following:

• What is this man’s story?
• Where has he come from, and what is his background?
• Why is he dressed in this way?
• What significance has the drum?