The Masai Dance

Masai music is incredible, especially so given that – with the exception of kudu horns which are blown on special occasions such as the Eunoto ceremony – there are no instruments at all. 

Everything comes from the voice. Although some tracks may sound a little monotonous to some ears, this is because you – as a listener – are not participating. In reality, everyone sings along, both the morani with their guttural poly rhythms, and the rest of the community, usually in a call-and-refrain pattern. The guttural sound of the warriors is mostly internalized, and is a play on vibrations – the vibrations work more on the singer and his immediate neighbors than on a static audience. 

The resulting polyphonic, multi-part songs – especially those sung by men – have an arresting and immediate beauty, strangely, sinuously powerful and effortlessly hypnotizing.

The peak season for singing and dancing is during the rains, which is of course a propitious time to celebrate important passages of life such as circumcision and marriage.

The usual musical format is a group of men, usually morani warriors, standing either in a row or a circle. The song – which is deeply rhythmical – starts with low grunting from the chests and throats of several men, which almost immediately become disjointed. Each singer has his part, as well as some leeway for improvisation, which together with the parts of the other men, combines to form a wonderfully intricate bass rhythm. 

Actually, that’s not quite right – what they really create is a blend of several rhythms – poly rhythms – over which, once it’s got going, the leader will start to sing short phrases. The grunting – continuous, contiguous, and overlapping – provides a constant sonic base (or buzz, like the shawm and ghaita of North Africa), which, separated from the reality of silence, quickly becomes hypnotic. 

The singers also dance to the music, which invariably involves soloists jumping as high as they possibly can whilst the other singers sway their bodies back and forth. When the dancer is tired, usually after only one or two leaps, another takes his place.

The Masai dance that is repeatedly seen in African documentaries is usually called the “jumping dance”. This particular dance is performed by the men of the village, who leap into the air to show their strength and stamina as tribal warriors. 

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DIALECTIC SOCIETY

Ours is a system that informs, in a painfully way, the struggles in our governmental system.  It is a paradox. Ok. maybe not.  In that case, it has to be a dialectic existence that has ceased to puzzle.  Skeptics have since crossed the aisle.  They are complicit in the perpetuation of this moral vice.  A victorious vice that is taking centre-stage in the rennaisance of this country.

If this reverie sounds like a Punjabi language, "bara bara che"? It is indeed complex and sophisticated.  It is not the case of kitu kidogo any more.  Neither is it a matter of 10%.

This is a case of the systematic growth of small tendencies, at gaining advantage of the situation to profiting from it.  It is now a monster peaking at the game, spreading insidiously, bulging at the bottom, and all conquering levels of government largesse.

It feeds the system, whose guardians have been sanitized by this soapy, slippery malaise.  They now happily consort, gloriously indulge and exact the urge ferociously.  The guardians are now apt at the game of double play, pursewing the villains by the day, yet turn to undo the damage by nightfall, assuaging their masters, reassuring them.

We are better it may seem, to joining at the table and taking our fair share of the pie.  That is now the essence of it.  So now the civil service has done just that, and bettering the game, setting high standards.  Soon, the lower echelons of society will want in. It is not enough to wait for makeover and changeovers to dally.  It is important to start another layer of the rot and spread it. 

The crying voices are floating on the high seas of loneliness. 

Africa & face painting

Tribal or Cultural Face Painting has been used for many motives. For hunting, religious reasons, and military reasons (mainly as a method of camouflaging) or to scare ones enemy. Several tribal fighting techniques were calculated to strike terror. Some warriors entered battle naked except for a loin cloth, but their bodies were streaked in bizarre examples in red and black paint.

Masai Warrior

Decorating one’s face in various patterns and shapes has been a part of the cultural make-up of many societies since the beginning of time. Face painting is a common theme across cultures as divergent as the Indigenous American tribes in North America and various tribes in Africa and South America.

In native America, face painting has been used for artistic expression since ancient times. The art of transforming ourselves with make-up and masks is a universal phenomenon. Before we sought to vent our artistic impulse on a cave wall, we painted on our faces and bodies.

Patterns developed over time to signify a variety of cultural events and these, conveyed an emotional meaning that was attached to them. The wide range of patterns that a face painter can create, enhance the emotions and meaning of the cultural events. The patterns can be color specific or randomly geometric seemingly without any significance.

The shapes and colors convey a strong bond and meaning amongst people who have a face painting tradition. They are a connection to their past and carry a very strong cultural meaning in their lives.

Tattooing was practiced and known by the ancient Egyptians, starting during the Middle Kingdom. Geometric designs have been found tattooed on the chests, shoulders, arms, abdomens and thighs of the mummies of dancers and royal concubines

The reason tribes use face art to transform themselves may be varied. Sometimes they choose to do so as a part of a tribal ritual or at other times they do so to mark their status (as is the case with some aboriginal tribes), but the colorful and dynamic language of the face painting remains the same.

Raw materials used for tribal face painting

Tribal Societies, who still follow the ancient custom of face painting, choose the colors according to the available raw materials. In ancient times, only primary and locally available colors like red, blue, yellow or white were used. Sometimes by sprinkling dust or soft bird feathers, special effects were achieved.

 Today most tribesmen choose to use branded face paints. Painting a face is an art, perhaps the very first art, going back to the origins of human culture. Artists paint bold, mask-like designs inspired by imagery from nature, imagination, and traditional masks. Unlike dance and music where the most charming modes and sweetest strains disappear before they are understood, painting captures the emotions and expressions and retains the impact for a long period.

Painting is essentially a combination of lines, forms, colors, tones, texture and space. It attempts to convey the spoken and unspoken expressions with the strokes of a brush.