Ngoma Dance at Lamu Cultural Festival
Mzee Musa never minded broadcasting his drumming expertise before haters, foes, and cheerleaders in the vichochoro of the old town of Lamu (pathways). In his absence, hatemongers gossiped about his bragging exhibits at the open square of Mkunguni. The one who cannot dance complains about the bad drum. He was a prolific drummer admired by many people on the Island. He belonged to the most classical Swahili band that entertained people in Lamu County.
I stared at Mzee Musa, raising the fimbo (stick)and hitting the drums once. Then, he held the vibrating membrane to stop the rumbling sound. He hit the drum twice and held its side. Mzee Musa stood up like a coconut tree to consume the drumbeats. He then beat the drum thrice, stood up, and gently shook his head. The kofia (Islamic cap) fell, but did not bother him. The sound of the nzumari (flute) and siwa (Swahili traditional horn blow) pierced through the silent atmosphere. The melodious sound was swift like a shark on the waters of the deep sea. The dancers in intricate floral kofias stood in a straight line looking up to Allah. The deep silence of the drumbeat meant that Allah was receiving daily invocations. Mzee Musa picked up the kofia and vibrated the drum at a high tempo until I blocked my ears with my fingers.
Other band members followed Mzee Musa’s drumbeats simultaneously, and dancers consumed the vibrating rhythms in silence. The young girls in deras (long, free-flowing dresses) broke their backs with electrified ngoma dance (Swahili drumbeats dance of Lamu Island). Women in khangas, lesos, and buibuis joined young girls and shouted “oyaa yee!, oyaa yee! (religious ritual chant). Snakes, lizards, cockroaches, and bats emerged from the cracking walls of the vichochoro. They made their way to the band singing, oyaa yee!, oyaa yee!” The band was comprised of old and young men dressed in kikoi and kanzu. Young men blew nzumari and siwa skillfully. They had the energy to puff the nzumari and siwa through their lungsloudly. The old men concentrated on beating the drums. For over seven decades, the band was known for producing melodious sounds harmonized with local instruments such as ngoma (drums), uta (bow), kayamba (shakers), and nzumari. Mzee Musa was the lead member of the Lamu Musical Band.
The ngoma dance attracted the intrusion of cockroaches, shaking their legs and shedding off their wings. A bed of snakes lay flat on the waterfront, shedding off beautiful scales. Lizards dropped their tails while shaking their bellies. A cast of crabs abandoned their shells to the ngoma dance. Snakes, lizards, and crabs (dangerous creatures) suffered no harm from their environment. The cockroaches were not a feast for the snakes, and the snakes were not a feast for the tourists. Rats were not hunted by a stray clowder of cats. Crabs despised the African proverb; do not go where the harvest is plentiful. They willingly made their way to the Swahili food at Mama Rukia’s dishes. Her beautiful daughter harvested crabs and prepared a Swahili meal for Mzee Musa’s band. It was also an evening meal for visitors and foreigners at the Lamu hotels.
I remember my grandmother harvesting flying termites during the rainy season. My uncle lured the termites with drumbeats, and filled plates, sufuria (cooking pots), and spoons (traditional utensils). My uncle’s wife would dry termites in the sun and roast them on a dry karai. In the evening, my younger sister would go to sell the roasted termites along the road leading to the city.
There was another group of male dancers dressed in white kanzus (traditional garments). They paraded themselves along the waterfront of Lamu Island, holding bakora (traditional staffs). The men draped themselves with orange handkerchiefs. They placed their bakora gently on their shoulders to the rhythm of the drumbeats. The chama (main conductor, like a choir) lifted his bakora for two minutes, listening to the drumbeats before placing it back. The men in white kanzu imitated the chama action. They neither shout nor chant any words. They did not call out “Allahu Akbar” or chant “oyaa yee! oyaa yee!” Instead, they absorbed the rhythms of the drumbeats in silence with bakora on their shoulders. The men in the parade behaved like military men, honoring their commanders. This was another ngoma dance known as ngoma la barani (an esteemed male Swahili dance). .
The chama emerged from the parade holding a red handkerchief. He danced, moving up and down, raising the handkerchief slowly to the drumbeat. He gracefully approached Mzee Musa and removed his kofia. He wiped his rainy sweat. Then he moved through the dancers in the parade and playfully touched their noses, eyes, and ears. At one time, he embraced each of them by their shoulders. He congratulated each man for the melodious drumbeats. He shook his head gently to the drumbeats and raised a red handkerchief. He moved to one of them courteously and adjusted their bakoras gently. Then he rushed to the instrumentalists, smiling to the rhythm of the drumbeats. He raised the red handkerchief to increase the tempo. The chama shook his head in sync with the swift rhythms of drumbeats. Suddenly, he spotted a renowned politician dressed in a white kanzu. He pretended not to see him and swiftly moved aside. He playfully struck the politician with a bakora on his shoulder thrice. It was too late for his bodyguard to neuturalize the strokes of bakora.
The crowd was thrilled to see Hon. Omar bin Hussein (a popular politician) at the parade dancing to ngoma la barani. My attention was drawn to the charming chama and the authentic dancers who danced with Hon. Omar. Some of the crowd flocked towards the chama and removed his kofia. They placed a hundred dollar bill under his kofia. The chama raised a flag adorned with the symbol of the Lamu eye, and the people shouted, “sherehe ni leo!” “oyaa yee! oyaa yee! (We are celebrating today).
There was another group of women in buibui and hijab chanting anxiously, “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illa Allah, Wa Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar wa lillahi l-hamd.” (Allah is the greatest; there is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise). They sounded soulful like children in Madras memorizing the words of the Quran at the mosque. They were nervous as they watched ngoma la kirumbizi dance in the open field of Mkunguni. The men were staging vicious mock sword fights while dancing rhythmically to the drumbeats. The chamawas cheering the fights, moving red and orange handkerchiefs up and down.
The ngoma dances were performed outside the earliest Riyadha Mosque along the waterfront in the old town of Lamu Island. The mosque has been recognized for Maulid religious rituals since 1866 (Maulid is the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad). According to Swahili scholars and Muslim historians, the Riyadha mosque was founded by an Arab religious leader, Habib Swaleh. He is celebrated for initiating the Maulid festival on Lamu Island.
If you visit Riyadha mosque on Lamu Island, you will see a composed portrait of Habib Swaleh dressed like Sultan Oman (a religious dress used to observe religious rituals). I was honored with a replica of his kofia as a gift. I was then baptized with his name, “Swaleh,” at the mosque.
We have over twenty mystical Swahili dances known as ngoma dances performed in the Swahili community. The ngoma dance safeguards the culture of Swahili. They are performed during the annual Lamu cultural festivals, Swahili weddings, and other significant celebrations like Maulid. The notable ngoma dances include Ngoma la Lamu (from Lamu Island), Ngoma la Pate (from Pate Island), Ngoma la Siyu (from Siyu village), Uta (Bow), and Ngoma la Barani (from the mainland areas). Ngoma la barani is performed by twelve men who form two circles of ten. Ngoma la barani is led by the lead “chama.” The dancers in white kanzu imitate the actions of chama. The ngoma la kirumbizi is known as ngoma la fimbo (stick) or ngoma la upanga (sword) in Kiswahili. The ngoma la kirumbizi features a group of men staging a mock fight with upanga ( curved Arabic swords). We also have female ngoma dances, such as ngoma la lele mama and ngoma la vugo. The dances are performed mostly during wedding ceremonies. The dances present a group of women in leso or khanga shaking their backs to the drumbeats. The ngoma la lele mama and ngoma la vugo are accompanied by the blowing of the siwa to signify matrimonial rituals. These ngoma dances have been performed for over a century. They are a reminder of the origin of the Swahili people of Lamu Island. Currently, there is an emphasis on the young generation of the Swahili community to perform the ngoma dances.
REFERENCE
Seven dances that keep Lamu traditions alive Kalume Kazungu 2022skazungu@ke.nationmedia.com
Sherehe za Maulid ya Lamu 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG2i0saeu9s
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