Sukuma Dancing and Dawa
The Bagalu and Bagika Dance Societies
Images of Sukuma Dance
by Aimee H.C. Bessire
Dancing is a vital part of Sukuma life. The Sukuma
are famous throughout Tanzania for their innovative dancing styles. Dancers
continue to perform and compete in annual competitions, creating new costumes
and using new and old dances just as their ancestors did over a hundred
years ago. Some suggest that many of the current Sukuma dances started
through cooperative farming groups who traveled from farm to farm. Members
assisted one another to till their own farms and also worked as a group
in exchange for money. To help pass the long day and to maintain their
energy, the workers composed songs and lifted their hoes to the rhythm
of singing and drumming. Such cooperative groups still exist; yet, Sukuma
dancing is not limited to farm work.
The competitive dance season begins in Usukuma in
June when people have free time from their farm work and can celebrate
their new supply of food for the year. The season can last through August
or until people resume their farming activities. A good harvest will lead
to a dance season with great celebration through singing and dancing. The
festivals take place in a large field that has been cleared for dancing
or sometimes in a small stadium. A competition can be as short as a day
or as long as two weeks depending on the occasion or the number of dance
groups scheduled. Both July 7, or Saba-Saba, and August 8, Nane-Nane, are
National holidays to commemorate farming and commerce in Tanzania and provide
two of the biggest festival days for dancers.
Bagalu and Bagika Dance Societies
Competitive dancing in Usukuma began with the formation
of two dance societies: the Bagika and Bagalu. These societies were started
in the mid Nineteenth century by two famous dancers and composers, Ngika
and Gumha. Both of these men lived for many years with traditional doctors
to gain the knowledge of potent medicines. Because they were also both
famous dancers in Usukuma, they were encouraged to compete to test which
one had the most powerful medicines. Both used their magical potions to
attract the spectators to their side of the dance field and to force bad
luck on their opponent. The matches between these men was fierce and in
the end their supporters divided according to which man they thought was
the most powerful. Ngika then became the first leader of the Bagika Society
(people of Ngika) and Gumha of the Bagalu. The societies are still going
strong and dancers are affiliated with either Bagika or Bagalu. The two
groups continue to compete against one another during the dance season.
While the leadership of Bagika is divided between Ibogo Muhangwa and Kabugume,
Bulungute Muleka is the undisputed leader of Bagalu and grandson of its
founder, Gumha. These men are considered all the more powerful because
they received their knowledge from a direct ancestral line to the first
dance society leaders, Ngika and Gumha. Bulungute, Ibogo and Kabugume are
busy during the dance season administering special medicines to their followers
to aid them in winning competitions.
Before going to a competition, the dance leader consults
his trusted traditional doctor for special advice and medicines for good
luck. He then wears certain medicines while the group is dancing or implants
medicine on the dancing ground for good luck and to attract the crowd.
The most popular dance medicine is called samba. This is a special powdered
form of good luck medicine that is supposed to make the dancers and especially
the dance leader very attractive to the audience. It can be used in three
different ways. The dancers may rub the powdered medicine on their bodies
with a lotion; mix some in water and allow it to wash over the body while
bathing; or, sit in an enclosed space with the medicine over a fire and
allow the open pores of the body to "inhale" the substance. During a contest,
some dancers build semi-permanent ancestral shrines on the dance ground.
Larger structures are also constructed where a constant fire might be maintained
to heat the samba medicine. At the competition, dancers go into the house
to allow the smoking medicine to enter their bodies through the pores.
During a match, two dance groups compete for the crowd
at the same time. Each attempts to perform the most outrageous stunts to
draw the rest of the spectators over. The crowd runs from one dance group
to the other as the excitement builds and the cheers of the audience grow
louder and louder. The winner is selected by judges based on the size of
the crowd the dance group maintained during the competition. Costumes are
diverse and new innovations occur each year in the hopes of victory. One
famous dance family, the Lyakus, innovate new moves with each dance season.
Hoja Lyaku, the family's grandfather, was a famous dancer of Bakomyalume.
During a dance he would use large wooden figures, often with moveable arms
and legs to parade in front of the spectators. The figures would often
draw a large crowd because of their novelty and humorous moves. Hoja's
grandson, Steven Lyaku, suggested that they no longer use the wooden figures.
Instead they plan new secret weapons each year as a strategy to win. In
1995, Steven Lyaku won a dance competition when he wore a plastic monkey
mask given to him by a Japanese traveler.
Maganigani is another young dancer who has achieved
great fame in the Sukuma community through contemporary innovations. He
dances Sogota which he and his dance troupe have helped to make popular
all over Usukuma. Maganigani is frequently invited to tournaments during
the dance season. The Sogota dance troupe travels from competition to competition
from June until August. Sogota dancers wear thigh-high, multicolored striped
socks and shorts and shirts in red with white appliqued designs. They also
wear ankle bells which ring as the dancers jump high into the air and twist
their bodies. Maganigani consults his traditional doctor before the dance
season to gain advice on winning. The doctor prescribes special medicines
to be used and recommends methods for honoring the ancestors to ensure
good luck. For example, Maganigani may build ancestral shrines on the dance
ground and then perform while moving in a special path around the structures.
During a visit to the traditional doctor, Maganigani and other Sogota dancers
may also receive scarification cuts in their skin, into which medicines
for attracting the dancing crowd are rubbed. Although he relies on traditional
medicines for good luck in winning, Maganigani's dance, Sogota, is pure
innovation from traditional Sukuma dances. Its originality has helped Maganigani
achieve status as a popular icon in Usukuma. Even in small villages, children
can be seen attempting to imitate the unique dance steps made famous by
Maganigani. This blend of the traditional with innovative changes reflects
the richness of the contemporary dynamic in Usukuma.
Wigashe: the "Sitting Dance"
From June through September, Sukuma song writers compete
in long festivals. The composer's groups are called Wigashe (pronounced
"wee-gah-shay"). The composer, or mlingi in Kisukuma, stands and sings
during the competition with a chorus surrounding him. The Wigashe competitions
are also called the "Sitting Dances" because the chorus sits on log benches
around the leader and, as the song progresses, begin to jump from their
benches with the song's rhythm. After the composer sings the words, the
chorus echoes the song. For the competition, each composer writes a new
melody and a complicated series of lyrics. Some composers write six or
more songs that will be performed during competitions and for commemorative
festivals throughout the season. Wearing intricate costumes of beaded,
embroidered or appliqued vests, hats and arm bands, the composer sings
and sways slowly while rhythmically moving fly whisks in his arms. Most
of the famous composers are men, but women also write songs and join in
the chorus. Like the dancers, composers are affiliated with either Bagika
or Bagalu. Two composers compete at the same time (one from Bagika and
one from Bagalu) and try to attract a larger crowd than their opponent.
They will often use medicines for good luck and to attract the largest
audience. Composers write unique lyrics, which may be about anything from
Sukuma history to recent National elections or even carrying a moral message
about AIDS. In June of 1996, the composer Budelele, competed with a song
about the tragic ferry accident in Mwanza to memorialize those who had
died.
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Denmark and Sukuma Dancing
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Denmark has a vibrant intercultural exchange with
the Sukuma. In the late 1960s, several Danes visited Bujora and other areas
of Usukuma and formed a close relationship with the Sukuma community based
on their love of Sukuma dancing. Each year Danish groups continue to visit
Usukuma to practice dancing and to experience Sukuma culture. There are
now many dance groups in Denmark which were created through these exchanges
with Usukuma and are devoted to Sukuma dance. The Utamaduni ("Culture")
group was the first of these, but Watoto na Wengine ("Children and Others"),
Ikumbo ("Whip") and Kisiwani ("Of the Island") are among some of the many
other active dance groups in Denmark. These groups invite Sukuma dancers
to Denmark each year to teach and they also hold a week long Sukuma cultural
camp at the end of July. Some Sukuma dancers have even settled permanently
in Denmark.
This relationship has led to a mutually beneficial
intercultural exchange between the Danish and Sukuma. People in Denmark
have the opportunity to learn about African culture through Sukuma dance
classes and exhibitions. Likewise, the Sukuma have learned about Danish
culture. Through this exchange, the Danish have had an impact on Sukuma
dance. Some Danes have become famous for their dancing in Usukuma. More
established Danish dancers have even innovated new moves with Sukuma dances.
For example, Anders Jørgensen, whose Kisukuma name is Lubala, held
dance classes for Sukuma children to practice Banungule, the porcupine
dance, which he had learned through dance classes in Denmark and Tanzania.
In 1995, Lubala taught the children a mixture of traditional Banungule
steps, hip-hop and break dancing. These innovations add a new flavor to
a favorite Sukuma dance and may be readily incorporated into Banungule
traditions.
Images of Sukuma Dance
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