l Ndege l Msewe l Kilua l Unyago l
A
Ndege performance is a local traditional form of dancing, drumming and
singing popularly termed as Ngoma. There are literally hundreds of
different Ngoma styles throughout Tanzania with a number of these
originating from Zanzibar and all are spectacular to watch, especially
Ndege. Ndege, together with Kunguwiya, are two types of dances which
marked the completion of the female initiation ritual or 'Mkinda' on
Zanzibar about a century ago. This 'Mkinda' ceremony was created after the
abolition of slavery on Zanzibar at the end of the 19th century, when
women of mixed African and Arab descent joined with other newly
emancipated slave women in a new form of initiation. In jointly dancing
the Ndege, the women of Zanzibar therefore signified and celebrated a
newly emerging social and political order that incorporated elements from
pre-existing coastal slave and ruling class cultures, representing the
broad spectrum of Zanzibar's complex ethnic heritage, and regardless
whether they would define themselves as Swahili, Arab, Comorian, Manyema,
or from other ethnic backgrounds. It even included women from the poorest
slave backgrounds. The symbols displayed during the dancing of Ndege also
reflected the diversity of Zanzibar's national heritage. The clothing worn
during the procession was that of the 19th century Arab female aristocracy
while the umbrellas symbolized male elite political authority. By
appropriating these signs of political authority, women who were not of
communities traditionally entitled to use them symbolically asserted their
rights to be recognized as members of the new post-slavery civil society.
Ndege, and also Kunguiya, were unique in this aspect.Most other forms of
women's popular dance during this era were segregated by class, including
other (non-'Mkinda') forms of female initiation practices. At the same
time however -as some scholars argue- Kunguiya, and particularly of Ndege,
by their very nature had the opposite effect, highlighting the persistence
of other forms of difference between women based on class, status, and
family background. Ndege was always performed between the two sets of
evening prayers, thus symbolically bracketing the dance and its performers
within the bounds of Islam. The clothing worn by the young initiates and
their instructors during Ndege was a colourful dress that was worn in the
19th century exclusively by women of the Arab elite and ruling class,
including tight fitting pants with frills on the bottom known as marinda,
a long chemise to the knees, and a particular type of hat, accompanied by
lots of gold jewelry and strings of jasmine flowers and roses. The dancers
move forwards with slightly rotating steps and movements of the hips,
carrying a bright umbrella or parasol, one of the most important symbolic
elements of ruling class attire in those days. The dancing of Kunguiya and
Ndege took place on an annual basis during the month before Ramadan, the
Islamic holy month. Although the Mkinda initiation ceremonies were highly
secretive, the performance of Kunguiya and Ndege were public, and it was
the crowds of men and women who came to watch the dancers that decided who
had won the competitions.