The ekwe is used primarily as a method of long-distance communication, capable of reaching all nine villages at once. Chapter 13 opens with its distinctive sound, carrying a message from Okonkwo's village:

Go-di-di-go-go-di-go. Di-go-go-di-go. It was the ekwe talking to the clan. One of the things every man learned was the language of the hollowed-out wooden instrument.

The first thing everyone gathers is that the drum brings a message of death. They are naturally filled with anxiety and strain their ears for more. It is accompanied by the wailing of women, but this will only be heard within the village, whereas the ekwe will convey the message to all nine villages and beyond.

The drum continues its message by naming the clan, Umuofia, land of the brave. Then it names Okonkwo's village, Iguedo of the yellow grinding-stone. Finally, it specifies the message. Ezeudu is dead. Ezeudu was a great man in Umuofia, so his death concerns everyone, and they are all expected to go to his funeral.

Although the most important role of the ekwe is to communicate messages to the community using this esoteric language, it is also played along with other instruments by musicians. Unoka, Okonkwo's father, would play his flute to the accompaniment of "the blood-stirring and intricate rhythms of the ekwe."