Activities - Folk Arts & Crafts
Artistic Program
Tingoma Tase Africa
Songs of Africa
Performances range from 15 minutes to 90 minutes and usually follow the following sequence
- entry with old traditional Swazi songs followed by traditional dances to the action filled beat of several big African drums
- Sibhaca dance by men wearing traditional skirts and other adornments from angora skin. The dance originated after colonial times in Africa and mimics the military style of the British soldiers. It is believed that the skirts were copied from the Scottish or Irish regiments stationed in South-Africa in the 19th century.
- Umoya dance by young girls wearing skirts which was originally made from tree bark or strips from animal hide. Rattlers, made from the coucons of butterflies with small stones in, are worn around the ankles to give a rhythmic sound with dance. The upper bodies of these girls are uncovered and their dance is fast and exciting, lifting their legs above their heads.
- Mazulu dance is performed by the older girls and young woman who wear a typical traditional cloth (jutjwa) on their upper bodies and also dance in formation, lifting their feet high.
- Umgiyo dance is performed by the married women whose attire clearly distinguishes them from the younger ladies. Their dance do not allow high step and is characterized by swinging movements with foot sliding action.
- Sizingili dance is an ancient African dance style performed by the active men of a clan, wearing big animal hide with angora goatskin leg covers. This is an energetic fast-moving dance with high kicking action, sometimes resembling animal movements.
Part 2
In this part, the emphasis is on music which vary from ancient traditional style songs to more contemporary singing, some without instruments and others with traditional African instruments such as Jembe drums, Sticks, Rattlers, Marimba (African xylophone) and Luvungu, an African instrument making a Violin like sound.
African communal singing is traditionally in the acapella style without instruments. At least two vocal parts – one for the lead singer and one for the chorus – was typical of the indigenous style usually sung at important social events such as weddings, funerals, preparation for battle and so on.
A variation of style developed in the 1800’s which combined some of the rules of European classical music and hymnody with the indigenous choral mode. The term which describes this hybrid best is makwaya. “Kwaya” is the phonetically spelt version of choir.
Performances feature various old songs, adaptations in the traditional Makwaya style as well as traditional African instrumental music. |
