ee: southern africa going to malawi? bring your kazoo
TRANSCRIPT
EE: Southern Africa Going to Malawi? Bring your Kazoo.
THE LAND DOWNUNDER? The first people believed to have inhabited Southern Africa are the San, who established themselves many thousands of years ago and to whom Europeans commonly, and derogatorily, referred to as the "Bushmen."
Most of today's Southern Africans trace their ancestry not to the San but instead to Bantuspeaking migrants from the north. By around the year 1000 migrating Bantus had reached the southern reaches of the continent, seeding an empire known a Great Zimbabwe which controlled trade routes from the south up through the Horn. Arab and Persian merchants sought resources such as copper and other as well as animal products like ivory which Zimbabwean traders were able to provide.
Great Zimbabwe collapsed between the 14th and 15th centuries, but by that time Bantu traditions, cultures and communities had spread.
In the colonial era Great Britain was the main colonizing power in Southern Africa, taking control of most of the region Rhodesia (now called Zimbabwe), Malawi, Namibia, and also South Africa. The Boers also played a role in South Africa, leading to one of the saddest stories in human history a tale we'll tell in several weeks.
TODAY IN EXPLORE EVERYWHERE: Introducing Southern Africa Malawi's Mocking Malipenga
In the northern region of Malawi, a small, landlocked country in Southeastern Africa, people fromthe Tonga ethnic group perform a highly organized dance called the Malipenga. The danceinvolves teams known as Boma who are organized in a militarystyle hierarchy with titles suchas "sergeant," "captain" and "kingi" and dance in rows. Wearing clothes that simulate Britishmilitary uniforms or other exaggerated European clothes, dancers reenact historical events thatoccurred in Malawi under British rule or teach lessons about cleanliness or respect for elders.Musicians accompany the dancers with a military bass drum while dancers themselves,simulating marching band trumpets, play gourds or kazoos.
The act of dressing up like one's ousted colonial rulers to perform a satirical dance could comeacross as bitter, but the malipenga is not meanspirited. Though the dance, which developed sincethe nation's 1964 independence, is considered modern, it enables Tongans to demonstrate control overthe past using the ancient tradition of ngoma, an African practice of playfully experiencing dance,drumming, singing and storytelling as a from of cultural exploration.
SO LET'S TRY IT! You willreceive some guidancefrom this All Around ThisWorld "Wonderful Dance,Terrible Dancing" video.
To dance the malipengayou should wear:
white shorts
white shirt
white shoes
TO SERVE THE SERGEANT, CAPTAIN AND KINGI
or
khaki shorts
khaki blazer
khaki military hat
or
this.
More Malipenga videos: Malipenga Khaki | Malipenga With Flowery Hats
CROSSBORDER BONUS: The Malipenga is reminiscent of a tradition from the Caribbean island nation of Barbados known as landship, in which dancers, because of the islands' relationship with British colonial forces, imitate members of the British navy.
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