The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word NGOMA
N
G
O
M
A
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "African drum" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case african drum = ngoma.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does NGOMA mean?
NGOMA noun- A large social dancing event in parts of Africa.