The Rhythm is Going to Get You

Rhythm, Music and Dance come to mind at the mention of Africa. I have been feasting on the very rich offering of all three in Uganda, albeit as spectator, a role that I am consigned to by a singular lack of talent in this area— of which I remain mercifully aware—and which as a rule I am loath to inflict on my fellow men; they know not what they are spared. Indeed, I astonish myself by my civic-mindedness. Should I feel ill-disposed toward anyone, I shall attempt to dance in their presence….being compelled to watch cacophony in motion should be ample punishment for most trespasses. But enough of this digression and on with rhythm, music and dance!! I am convinced that the three are inextricably woven into the very DNA of the continent, and its denizens endowed with an innate sense of rhythm, grace and the ability to dance beautifully; I am yet to meet an African who has not received a generous measure of this bounty, a truly extraordinary one from the vantage point of an outsider.

The history of the peoples of Africa is preserved orally; its repository—stories, drumming, song and dance. I’ve always loved percussion and was I in for a treat! I first had the pleasure of hearing the drums of East Africa – the Ngoma (the generic drum widely held, by Ugandans, to have originated in Uganda; there are several variations of the drum that produce sounds of varying pitch), the Engalabi (long drum), the Mpuunyi (bass drum), the Namunjoloba (lead drum)—at a concert by Percussion Discussion Afrika, a band dedicated expressly to keeping alive the percussion traditions of East Africa.

Drumming has always been an integral element of tribal culture and serves a myriad of purposes—communication, proclamation, celebration and healing, to name a few. It is largely ceremonial now, and many of the instruments that have been played for centuries in tribal ceremonies would be rarely heard today, save for the efforts of troupes such as Percussion Discussion Afrika, and Ndere in reviving these disappearing arts and musical instruments and bringing their beauty for all to enjoy.

The rhythms of the day and the seasons—planting of crops, rains, harvest, cattle being herded back home at the end of the day —stories of the mundane and the momentous—fables of the Baganda, Banyoro, Banyankole, Bagisu and Busoga peoples were brought to life by the drums through which the wild heart of Africa seemed to beat —by music from the lyre, the harp (adungu), the xylophone (amadinda) and the pan pipe (ndere)—by the full throated singing, yodeling, ululation and clapping of hands—by dancers who moved with immense grace at an impossibly fast tempo without missing a beat and by the earth itself, the biggest drum in the ensemble, played by the pounding feet of the dancers, that boomed out its powerful rhythm affirming and celebrating life in all its glorious exuberance.