Top News

In boardrooms, classrooms, and community spaces, transformation doesn’t begin with a keynote or a PowerPoint. It begins with rhythm. Fanny Mbayi Fongang, professionally known as Fanny Rebecca, is the founder of Motivational Drumming, a rhythm-based practice she has developed in the UAE over the past 15 years.

Her work integrates rhythm, through the use of percussion instruments such as drums, Thor shakers, and jungle sticks, with principles of psychology and embodied participation to support stress release, emotional reconnection, and the strengthening of authentic human connection. From corporate teams and schools to wellness circles and cultural gatherings, Fanny designs experiences where rhythm becomes a shared language and change is felt, not just discussed.

New land, old call

Fanny arrived in the UAE nearly 15 years ago, shortly after graduating with a degree in Theatre Arts/African Studies. Though her mother hoped she would continue her education in the UK, she chose Dubai, encouraged by a partner who believed the city’s openness to culture, creativity, and diversity would allow her to thrive. She arrived already accomplished: an award-winning actress, radio presenter, published novelist, and filmmaker in Cameroon. Yet, like many newcomers, her early years in the UAE were challenging. She co-founded an events company, continued writing and creating, and searched for a deeper sense of alignment.

That alignment came unexpectedly at Marina Mall, when she encountered a live drum circle by Dubai Drums. “It felt like a homecoming,” she recalls. “That sound reawakened something ancient in me and redirected my entire path.”

Fanny Mbayi Fongang

Finding rhythm

Back in Cameroon, drumming is not just performance, it’s communication. Long before telephones, drums announced danger, celebration, and communal gatherings. Rhythm accompanied storytelling, chanting, and oral history, often shared in circles that strengthened collective bonds. At university, where she studied African Literature and Theatre Arts, rhythm was taught as heritage and identity. “For me,” she says, “rhythm is memory, connection, and belonging.” Her childhood was filled with collective drumming and dance — at weddings, funerals and village gatherings. Later, at the University of Dschang, she performed across Cameroon as part of the traditional drumming and dance troupe. The impact was always communal. “People weren’t reacting only to sound,” she says. “They were responding to shared energy.”

In the UAE, working with diverse international audiences, Fanny began to see rhythm’s potential. Performance alone was no longer enough. She pursued certifications in public speaking and applied behaviour analysis and later expanded her academic foundation by undertaking an additional degree pathway in psychology through Thompson Rivers University in Canada.

She integrated rhythm with storytelling, motivation, and children’s literature, including her book The Builder King. Something profound emerged: people releasing emotional tension, regaining confidence and reconnecting with themselves — often without words. “That’s when I realised drumming isn’t just expression,” she says. “It’s transformation.”

Backed by science

Over the past five years, Fanny has grounded her work in neuroscience and psychological research. Studies show that drumming synchronises brainwaves, reduces cortisol, and increases dopamine and serotonin — chemicals linked to wellbeing and emotional regulation. Group drumming strengthens immune response, enhances focus, and deepens social bonding. “Rhythm activates both hemispheres of the brain,” she explains. “It calms the nervous system and allows emotional release without language. That’s why it works across cultures and ages.” Unlike traditional motivational talks, Fanny’s sessions are fully motivational and interactive. Participants drum, move, and engage together. “When learning is embodied, it stays,” she says. “You don’t get told to feel aligned — you experience it.”

That’s why her work is effective in empowering corporates, team-building, education, and therapeutic environments. Each session follows a deliberate progression: grounding, activation, expression, release, and integration. The segments of her session mirrors the body and mind’s natural healing, creating safety before intensity and trust before release. “The structure of my session allow people to detox,” Fanny said. “And trust is what makes real emotional and physical release possible.”

A global collective

Fanny works with a diverse team of professional drummers and facilitators, supported by marketers and performance artists who enrich each experience with multicultural expression. Her core drummers include Jackson Cheo from Cameroon, Derick Quarshie from Ghana, and Benjamin Sunday from Nigeria. They came together through live performances, referrals, and a shared belief in rhythm as a tool for empowerment and healing. Fanny believes drums are resurfacing because they restore balance. Modern life overstimulates the mind while disconnecting the body. Rhythm brings people back into the present.

She has witnessed this in high-pressure corporate environments, where shared rhythm dissolves hierarchy and reduces stress. Her belief is also deeply personal. Two years ago, following a painful divorce and while raising three children alone, drumming became her anchor. “It helped me release grief and rebuild strength,” she says. “Rhythm reminds us that alignment is possible even in chaos.”

As her practice evolves, so do her tools. Recently, Fanny introduced Thor Shakers, symbolic instruments representing strength guided by intention. Designed for corporate and therapeutic settings, it reinforces a simple message: true power is dependable energy, applied at the right moment. She is also collaborating with a production house, her investor, actors, and musicians to develop a musical theatrical stage show titled Voices of the Wild, delivering a message of respect for plants and animals. “Strength isn’t domination,” she says. “It’s energy that serves the team. I continue studying, reflecting, and refining my work, ensuring it remains relevant and responsible. Healing is not static, and neither is rhythm. As people evolve, the practice must evolve with them”

“Our heartbeat moves in rhythm. Our breath follows rhythm. Even our thoughts do,” Fanny reflects. “Life itself is rhythm, waiting for us to listen.”

For more information, please visit empowerwithfanny.com 

Shilpa Rao talks timeless songs, finding new sides of herself through music Music as medicine: Investing in the first 1,500 days of UAE babies