This pancocojams post showcases two videos from Burundi, East Africa that were published on YouTube by Indundi TV in 2014 and in 2015.
Selected comments from the discussion threads for these two videos are included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the featured artists and all those who were associated with these videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to Indundi TV for publishing these videos on YouTube.
**** SELECTED COMMENTS These comments are given in relative chronological order based on their posting date with the oldest comments given first, except for replies. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only. From the discussion thread for Video #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KviuuLsNsQ&ab_channel=IndundiTV
1. Lisa Grace, 2014 "I love how those guys dance."
** 2. Mimi Johali MJ, 2018 "Kings and queens my people rich with milk and honey. Mumata nubuki kwasokuru. Mutima wa Burundi 🇧🇮"
This pancocojams post presents an embedded YouTube video of the Igishakamba dance.
This post also quotes several online sources about the history and performance of the "Igishakamba" dance, including summaries or comments from other hyperlinked YouTube videos of this dance.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and all those who are featured in this video and the videos that are given as hyperlinks below. -snip- I changed the title for this pancocojams post on Jan 5, 2021 to hopefully increase the possibility that viewers will find and read it.
I'm interested in learning about any differences in the ways that igishakamba is performed by people in various East African nations and also about any contemporary changes in the ways that this dance is performed. Please share information and comments in this post's discussion section. Thanks in advance! ****
ONLINE ARTICLE EXCERPTS
These quotes are presented in chronological order by publishing date with the quote with no date given first, and then the oldest quoted information given next.
Excerpt #1 From https://www.inganzongari.com/music/ikinimba/igishakamba.html "Igishakamba
cultural dance is said to be portraying the beauty of long- honed Ankore race
cows and the general way of life of the semi- pastoral inhabitants of the
North-Eastern region of the country."
-snip- This quote is from the website of "Inganzo Ngari", a Rwandan dance company.
**** Excerpt #2 From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIj35gIR1z8&ab_channel=milk11honey Burundi traditional dance: Igishakamba published by milk 11 honey, April 2, 2011 "Burundian Students at Université de Sherbrooke (Quebec,
Canada) performing Igishakamba by Club du Lac aux oiseaux (Intashikirwa) at
Vieux Clocher de l'UdeS."
[Selected comments; numbers added for referencing purposes only]
Espe Gatako, 2011 "for me, personally i don't think that this is fully a burundian traditional dance, true burundians don't dance like that... and i'm also gonna say that it ain't Rwandan either..... it's just a combination of both....i like it BTW..."
** Mpinga Nzima, 2011 "@johnpascal77 This is a folkloric dance from Kirundo (Northern Burundi). The singer is part of the "Club du Lac aux Oiseaux/Intashikirwa", her name is Ciciri"
** Mpinga Nzima, 2012 "@ndayikeze Club Giramahoro ntiserukira uburundi bwose. "Igishakamba" is one of the folkloric dances of Kirundo. The proximity of Kirundo to Rwanda explains the cultural blend. But Kirundo being in Burundi, this is a Burundian dance. People who live in proximity with each will tend to be similar in so many ways despite political borders."
** mukeanne, 2012 "Why do you guys have to argue over nothing? Its okay just be happy about wat this girls are doing bcz it s a such good thing. For those who are saying it s not bundi dance, believe it or not this is burundi dance as some of u metioned it the dance from Kirundo. I myself can do the dance very well as i come from Kirundo, Commine Bwambarangwe. So this is completly burundi tradional dance as we have too many moves not only one moves. God bless u all."
** gwasam, 2013 "Thanks for this nice video my dear! Just a general comment,there are many similarities culture wise,way of living, etc btn Burundians and Rwandans.I am Rwandan but I have attended a function (urubanza as u say) in Kirundo in these back areas where people haven't traveled in order to say that they were performing what they saw somewhere else...for the ones who are bringing in here nationalities or whatever, just enjoy the moves of the Vanessa and others, the rest, leave it to God who created us!"
**** Excerpt #3 From http://bericai.blogspot.com/2015/04/igishakamba.html Gutamba Ikirundi Unknown, April 18, 2015 "Igishakamba is a burundian traditional dance originating
from Burundi an African country located in the east central part of the
continent. the dance originated from Kirundo a province found in the north part
of the country. It is an all female dance like most of the Burundian
traditional dances, it was performed for the king and his guests on special
events like weddings." **** Excerpt #4 From https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/202762 "Do You Know The Origin Of The Popular Traditional Dance "Igishakamba"? by Francis Byaruhanga, Published : August 20, 2016 "Well, growing up in Tooro, in Western Uganda, I used to see
young people - both girls and boys - gather in the neighbourhood after dinner
to participate in folk songs, Igishakamba and share riddles, in what was known
as Ugutarama in Kinyarwanda.
In the East African region, just like many parts of Africa,
there are multiple ethnic groups with different music traditions, one of which
is Igishakamba – a fusion of contemporary-music influences of Burundi, Rwanda,
Uganda, Tanzanian and DR Congo.
The dance is performed during weddings, ceremonies and
important cultural events. Notably, Igishakamba dancers and drummers, express
communal desires, values and collective creativity.
Jean-Damascène Rwasamirera, a historian and an expert in the
folk traditions says this type of dance is adaptive practice between the
Ekitagururo from Uganda and Umuhamirizo from Rwanda- the two contemporary
dances were merged and Igishakamba was born. It was introduced between
1960s-1970s and later spread to Burundi, Tanzania and DR Congo.
Today, Igishakamba is one of the most performed traditional
dances in Rwanda and is very popular in Umutara, in the Eastern Province.
Dr Jacques Nzabonimpa, director of Culture, Research,
Protection and Promotion unit, says that in the pre- historic Rwanda, people
inhabiting a certain place would have their own style of dancing. He cites
Ikinimba of the Bakiga people in the South-western part of Uganda, Gutsoma and
Ikinyemera of Bagogwe people in north-western region and Igishakakamba of
Bahima in south-western Uganda.
He explains that Igishakamba originated from the Bahima of
Nkole in Uganda and parts of Karagwe in eastern Tanzania as a result of
adaptation that resulted from Rwandans, who lived with in these areas.
Stick, whistle and a drum
Sticks, whistles and a drum are important instruments when
performing Igishakamba. While dancing, the male dancers use sticks and
whistles, while the female dancers use whistles too.
Traditionally, the sticks are used to guide the performance
and the whistles, which create a collective rhythm and allow linguistic meaning
to be expressed non-verbally.
Apart from the Igishakamba, there are several
other traditional dances in Rwanda like Amaraba, Intore, Ikinimba, Ikinyemera,
Inkaranka and Umuhamiriz"
**** Excerpt #5 From https://www.jstor.org/stable/26357872?seq=1 Journal Article: "Contemporary Dynamics in Rwandan Dances: Identity, Changing
Creativity and the Globalisation of Affect" by Carine Plancke Dance Research: The Journal of the Society for Dance
Research Vol. 34, No. 2 (WINTER 2016), pp. 150-169 (20 pages) Published By: Edinburgh University Press https://www.jstor.org/stable/26357872 "Abstract In contemporary Rwandan society, a revitalisation of 'traditional' dances can be observed which manifests in the proliferation of youth dance troupes, especially in urban areas. This revival is part of the drive, which has characterised Rwanda, to reconstruct itself after the traumatic 1994 genocide and to create a new, unified nation that strives to be 'modern' and integrated into the global market economy. This article explores the repertoire and dynamics of current Rwandan dance performances as they embody the new national identity, pointing to differences between the practices and views of dancers trained in the pre-genocide period and dancers from contemporary youth troupes. In this respect, two divergent views of creativity, found among these two categories of dancers, are distinguished: a perspective that privileges improvisation as a key creative process, on the one hand, and a view of creativity as innovation and the realisation of novel, pre-designed forms, on the other. With regard to the affective power of these performances, the article advances that contemporary dance shows generate affect, as bodily intensity, among the onlookers captured by the flow of spectacular, homogeneously performed dance forms. While evocative of Rwanda's new national identity, the latter neutralise connections with the dancers' subjective history and erase the dances' sociocultural background. In a final note, the changing dynamics in Rwandan dances are linked beyond this specific case study to the flow-closure dialectic of globalisation. It is suggested that dance's dual nature of both rhythmic flow and visual form is what makes it such a privileged marker of identity in our uncertain and violence-generating global times."
'Igishakamba is one of over 10 existing traditional dances in Rwandan culture based on the regions. It's originates from the northwestern part of Rwanda and the southwestern part of Uganda"
This post showcases examples of performances by Burundi drummers. One video of a Burundi women's drum group is included among these examples. Information about Burundi is included in this post (in the summary for Example #6). Information about Burundi drumming traditions is also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
These videos are presented in chronological order with the videos with the oldest dates given first.
Example #1: Sebas with Tambourines from Burundi, Rukinzo Legacy
elsebasM Uploaded on Aug 13, 2009
My visit to Burundi where I took lessons of traditional Burundian Tambourine percussion.
-snip-
"Tambourine" here means "drums".
Here's some information about Rukinzo Legacy from http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=4430991&style=music&fulldesc=T
"The members of the group that traveled around the world as "the Drummers of Burundi" varied from trip to trip. Just before their recording session in Japan, the 13 musicians on this album (under the direction of Leonce Ngabo) chose the name Rukinzo Legacy to distinguish themselves from similar groups. However, the listener should be aware that this music is less the provenance of certain individuals than an expression of Burundian culture that has been passed down over the years.
The disc consists of a single piece, "Ingoma Z-Uburundi," lasting almost an hour and filled with wonderful rhythms and incantations. The drums are divided into higher- and lower-range instruments, but it is the thick, rich sound of that nether-region percussion that predominates. The rhythms are not as light and intricate as those found, say, in West African (Ghanaian) music. Rather, they are muscular, heavy without becoming leaden, and immensely powerful. They churn and roll along as though pitching on a rough sea in a bewildering series of patterns, always augmented by the shouts and songs of the drummers. If there is a transcultural analogy, it might be to the Korean traditional drum squads such as SamulNori; this music has a similar power and breadth. The same general "tone" is maintained throughout the performance. While some Western listeners may find this lack of overt variety tiresome, others will surely revel in the ongoing rush of percussion as though immersed in a cascading stream. Highly recommended for all fans of traditional African music. ~ Brian Olewnick
Recording information: 08/26/1994."
-snip-
This quote was reformatted for this post for reading clarity.
****
Example #2: Maîtres Tambours du Burundi
Chaîne de batucboy Uploaded on Jul 30, 2010
Les Maîtres Tambours du Burundi au Parc de La Villette le 25/07/2010
-snip-
In response to the question “Where was this performance?”, a commenter wrote “Paris”.
-snip-
"Tambours" = drums
****
Example #3: Women Burundi Drummers
Bruce Baker Uploaded on Aug 17, 2011
The Female Burundian Drummers rehearse in a parking lot. I didn't know there were women Drummers until I saw them here. Lot's of people gathered around to see the show! Recorded in Bujumbura, Burundi in August of 2011
-snip_
Here are four selected comments from the video's discussion thread:
BrownSkinn1, 2012
"Beautiful!!!! What that mean when they take the drum stick and circle their head? I see the men do that too."
**
Bruce Baker, 2012
"I don't have any idea why they circle their necks like that. BrownSkinn1, you're right, the men do it as well. But I've yet to figure out the meaning. I should be in Burundi later this year, and I'll try to find out."
**
Mitch Labuda, 2012 in reply to Bruce Baker
"Perhaps, taking good thoughts and prayers and sharing with the drum, which is considered sacred"
**
sisterplanet, 2013
"Thanks for this, I didn't know there were female drummers! I saw them at the first WOMAD festival in the UK in 1982...fantastic!"
****
Example #4: #KenyaAt50: The Rushitama Karienda Burundi drummers
NTV Kenya Published on Dec 12, 2013
****
Example #5: AFH127 - The Drummers of Burundi
Afrikafestival Hertme, Published on Jan 14, 2014
Considered as one of the best percussion ensembles on this planet, Burundi's top
drummers have been touring the world since the 1960s. Their vibrant power and
precision on sixteen drums originally accompanied kings of this central African
nation.
At home, their music is considered sacred and is linked to regeneration and
fertility. But the heart-stopping rhythms have crossed social and cultural barriers
worldwide. Spectators at their concerts rarely remain indifferent to the complex and
compelling sounds and dance the musicians create.
Here, this centuries-old group, who play huge ceremonial drums with heavy
sticks and a staggering force and precision, unleash their thunderous, ritual-charged
power. In Burundi, the drum is a sacred object, closely associated with fertility,
the life cycle and nobility (the Burundi word ingoma translates as both "drum"
and "kingdom"). The performance seems therefore doubly charged with significance
and vitality, a feeling echoed in the ritual chants, cheers, and call and response
woven throughout.
While their way of drumming may strike the casual Western ear as somewhat
monochromatic, the percussion is actually comprised of forty-one different rhythms--
pulses and counter-rhythms, varying tempos, harsh, clacking side-stick accents--and
each rhythm represents an important concept of Burundi society: the recognition of
important figures, peace, respect, unity and the progress of their country.
"Rhythm Magazine" once wrote that their improvisations would be difficult for even
the cream of western rhythmicists to match". Yet no one should underestimate the
complexity of polyrhythm's in ceremonies that often last an entire night.
****
Example #6: Burundi: Unité, Travail, Progrès (drum performance by Rukinzo Legacy Drumming Club)
xithe, Published on Jan 9, 2015
The Republic of Burundi is a landlocked country in the African Great Lakes region of Southeast Africa, bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.
The three stars seen on the flag stand for the three major ethnic groups of Burundi. The three stars also stand for the three elements of the national motto: Unité, Travail, Progrès ("Unity, Work and Progress"), which can be seen on the Coat of arms of Burundi. They also represent the loyalty that the citizens of the nations have pledged to their God, king and country.
The Royal Drummers of Burundi, commonly known in recordings as The Drummers of Burundi, is a percussion ensemble from Burundi. Their performances are a part of ceremonies such as births, funerals, and coronations of mwami (Kings). Drums (called karyenda) are sacred in Burundi, and represent the mwami, fertility and regeneration. The Royal Drummers use drums made from hollowed tree trunks covered with animal skins.
Song: The Royal Burundian Drummers - The Echo of Burundi in Victoria
