No. 1 March-December, 1951 (July, August missing).

Including: The Mai Mai market in Johannesburg; serial reprint of 'Cry the beloved country' by Alan Paton; Know Yourself - History, Music and Art of the African tribes; Gerard Sekoto, Dr J Dube, JT Jabavu; Alexandra Central School; Johannesburg Underworld; Tsotsi; Adams College; Life of miners.

January-December 1960 (February, June, November missing).

Including: Man of Africa 1959; Phatha-Phatha; the Spoilers vs. the Msomis; Coalbrook disaster; Cato Manor killings; Steve Kalamazoo Mokone; soccer; Ben Baartman banished; Unity Movement; Coloured political parties; Basuto Royal family; the Africanists, Potlako Leballo, Mangaliso Sobukwe; series about Miriam Makeba's life story; Soorabjee Rustomjee; Reg September, Ebrahim Desai; David Pratt shooting Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd; Sharpeville funerals, with main report in October issue; musical 'Mkhumbane'; child labour; political refugees in Basutoland; Pondoland; wages; Congo Independence Day; series about Indian women; Bantustans; people in showbiz; John Dunn; Katanga; Patrice Lumumba; Joas 'Kangaroo' Maoto; Louis Armstrong in Kenya; Joshua Nkomo.

February-November 1961 (January, June, July, December missing).

Including: Visit by Dag Hammarskjoeld, Secretary General of the United Nations; Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethopia; Non-White soccer break-up; King Kong musical leaving for London; Ramakrishna movement; series about life story of Philip Kgosana; Shaik Mahomed "Sharkey"; Cato Manor riots; Coloured political parties; United Front demonstrations against Prime Minister Verwoerd in London; South Africa leaving the Commonwealth; Lutchmi Chetty murder case; General Delgado interview; tribute to Patrice Lumumba; Shadrack Matthews of the Msomi gang; end of Treason Trial; New Jerusalem Apostolic Church; Cape jazz; 'Durango Kid' Meshack Makhetha; All-In Africa conference in Maritzburg; referendum in Southern Rhodesia; series about Sofasonke movement, by James Mpanza; South-West Africa; Coloured Convention; Sherief Khan; Durban Canvas Factory payroll robbery; Nico Loubscher; Glendale Sugar Mill murder; DRUM interview with Yuri Gagarin; death of David Pratt; Emelia Ma-Ntsebo Seeiso of Basutoland; Krishna Shah.

January-August 1962 (June, September to December missing).

Including: Rajab brothers; Tanzania (Tanganyika) Independence celebrations; Southern Rhodesia riots; Chief Lutuli receiving Nobel Peace Prize; Pondoland; Joe Louw and Pamela Beira trial on Immorality Act; Dennis Brutus; Jomo Kenyatta; foreign labour; love across the Colour Bar; tribute to AB Xuma; Anderson Ganyile; Pirates soccer club; conferences at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Lagos, Nigeria, attended by Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo (ANC) and Peter Molotsi (PAC); Miriam Makeba at the United Nations special African Song Night programme; Kenneth Kaunda; Rev. Keith Nkabinde; Johnny Liebenberg.

DRUM publication for the West African readership, 1954-1962, incomplete, 9 files.

January-December 1952, changing from "The African Drum" in the logo of the African map until August, to DRUM and the logo of the roaring lion from September onwards.

Including: Phokeng Centenary village; AC Jordan; continuation of 'Cry the beloved country; District Six; African National Congres vs all-African Convention; Bethal farms; Gerard Sekoto; AB Xuma on Western Areas removals and Christ the King Sophiatown; ritual murder; Dr J Moroka; Proclamation of Queen Elizabeth II; Manilal Gandhi, son of Mahatma Gandhi; The Russians gang; the tot system; Clements Kadalie; Peter Abrahams on Congress; Dr Vilakazi; playing white; Prof ZK MAtthews; "We Defy" Statement by Nelson Mandela (September) and the Defiance campaign; dagga; Fahfee; horse betting; Sheriff Khan; AW Champion; Supreme Council of Bantu Federation; shebeens; Mau Mau uprising.

January-December 1953.

Including: Crimson League; ZK Matthews at the UNO; AS Mopeli-Paulus; Chief A Luthuli and Congress; Sugar farms; Jake Tuli; 'Mop passion!' by Can Themba, winner of the 1st DRUM Short Story contest; Pirates soccer club; RV Selope-Thema; Mahomed Kajee; school riots; Africn Chiefs at Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II; Manhattan Brothers; The life of the late Dr Pixley Seme by RV Selope-Thema; Who's Who in Congress; Supreme Council for the Federation of Bantu Organisations with photograph of officials; Sobhuza II; Who's Who in the Indian Congress; David Samaai and Grant Khomo; Garrett Adams; Group Areas Act; political leaders playing soccer; 'Bishop' Limba; Dr AB Xuma.

The main body of this collection consists of the original DRUM magazine, including its first number in March 1951, up to 1962.

The publication was started as "The African Drum" by Jim Bailey and Bob Crisp, and soon after only called DRUM. Its prime time were the 1950s under the successive editorship of Antony Sampson, Sylvester Stein and Tom Hopkinson. The staff of Black journalists, known as the "DRUM boys" included writers like Henry Nxumalo ('Mr DRUM'), Can Themba, Lewis Nkosi, Todd Matshikiza, Nat Nakasa, William Modisane, Arthur Maimane, Casey Motsisi and Bessie Head, as well as Es'kia Mphahlele, who was fictor editor and Dolly Rathebe. The photographers working for DRUM at the time included Jürgen Schadeberg, Bob Gosani, Peter Magubane, Ernest Cole and Alf Khumalo.

DRUM's golden era came to an end towards the end of 1950s, after the Sophiatown removals and many of its writers going into exile overseas or having died tragically, like Henry Nxumalo who was murdered in Johannesburg in 1957.

DRUM covered topics ranging from news from the African continent and politics to sport, scouting, crime, culture, art, music and fashion, including fiction writing and photography, as well as extensive advertising.

The DRUM magazine was distributed in different regions throughout Africa, and this collection includes issues published for its readership in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana (West Africa) and East Africa.