'African Drum, Beyond the Beat' is an impressionist portrait of the various social functions of the drum in West African society. The film uses a famous ode to the African drum to demonstrate its pervasive role in society over time. The drum's social functions range from use in work songs, to communication, to religious rituals,through to one of its more contemporary uses, by fans at football games. 'African Drum, Beyond the Beat' takes a special interest in the conception and nature of rhythm and, in dance, the inter-dependent relationship between the drummer and dancer by exploring the effects of drum rhythms on both. It also looks at the different elements required for manufacturing a drum, from the physical to the social. The film ends with a postulate that the democratic nature of African music, where instruments in an ensemble are equally important, makes it a paradigm for the modern age compared to Western classical music, where strict hierarchical structures reflect an outdated mechanistic view of the world.