Background on Taita (African) Traditional Dance

Dance in Africa is not a separate art but a part of the whole complex of living. Unlike many dances of the west, African dance is not detached from the lives of the people but is a spontaneous emanation from the people. It translates everyday life experiences into movement. Based upon the spoken language, African dance is a source of communication through which it is possible to demonstrate emotions, beliefs, everyday life activities and other reactions through movement (Green, 1996).

Love, hatred, joy, sorrow, courage, fear, disgust, amazement and all other emotions are expressed through rhythmic movements. The people dance the sowing of the seed and the harvest, puberty rites, warfare, hunting, birth, death and life after death. There is the rain dance, dance of the sun, dance of strong intelligent offspring, courtship dance, marriage dance etc. Most African groups have some form of annual thanksgiving such as the Ebi-Woro New Year purification festival of the Ijebu Yoruba, or the “ New Yam” festival of the Idoma of Nigeria. Nicholls (1996) talked about boys of age ten to sixteen dancing Odabra an Idoma word meaning “yams in abundance.” The dance steps express the hunger that is past and the joy in the sun and rain that brings a bountiful harvest.

For the Taita in Kenya, like most African societies, dance is intricately interwoven into the fabric of life as a preserver and transmitter of the culture from one generation to the next. It has for a longtime been used as a powerful tool for instruction, education, and preparation of the young for adult roles.

Dances like Mwazindika, Kishawi and Kinyandi have been used (they are still actively used in many parts of Taita e.g. Mwanda and Mbololo) to give meaning to the stages of life and communicate status transformation. Based upon the Taita language, the dances and songs contain a mosaic of information and skills that are meant to assist an individual cope with life within the community.

One cannot talk of Taita dance without talking about the music, which is an integral part of the dances. Deep respect is paid to the mkaba ngoma (drummer) who is essential in creating, through powerful rhythms of the drum, the enabling atmosphere where the ancestors speak to the living.

On the other hand, uja uvinagha (the dancer) just like the mkaba ngoma is a requirement in all occasions that involves the well being of the community. The dancer in the Taita community is in essence the communicator and articulator of everyday life experiences through motion and song. His/Her costume, which is usually elaborate or flamboyant, is an essential part of the communication process.

It is important to be alive to the fact that Taita culture is a functional social entity developed over the centuries to meet practical needs. Art forms such as dance (drama, poetry, dialogue, and music are an integral part of the dances) were developed not so much for their aesthetic value but rather to maintain and perpetuate the culture. These serve not so much as artifacts or an end in themselves, but more as processes to an end.

Dance for the Taita is essential to perpetuation of the norms and values, integration of the young into the society and promotion of group solidarity. It is very important in the development of the self-esteem of the child through self-expression that is usually accompanied by a sense of achievement. Participation in the dances offers a lot of benefits to the child in terms of physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and aesthetic development. Through the repetitive nature of the chants, songs, and choruses in the dances, the children get to develop language and communication skills hence speeding up the socialization and integration process.