Choice of Ngoma Groups

A total of nine dance groups were involved in this study from Dar es Salaam and four from Iringa. Lumumba, Hayahaya and Makumila were selected from Dar es Salaam. UMATI, Alamano and Hisia were selected from Iringa municipality and Livangala and Tanangozi were selected from Iringa rural. Each was selected for specific reasons.

1.8.3.1 Lumumba theatre group

Lumumba dance group is located in Ilala, Mnazi mmoja, Dar es Salaam. The group began in 1997 with 29 primary school children as members. Mwalimu Dyuto Komba was, and still is, the director of Lumumba group. Since its inception Lumumba group has imparted skills to children in Lumumba primary school. The reason for selecting it was because of its ability to continue since 1997 without falling apart. Experience shows that ngoma groups in Tanzania tend to disappear shortly after their establishment.

Moreover, the group was selected owing to the characteristics of its members, some of whom were the pioneers. They joined the group in 1997 when the group was under the management of Lumumba Primary School. Since then these few pioneers have remained members of the group. My interest in involving pioneers was based on exploring the input of primary education in the development of their career as dancers.

Another reason for involving this group is that it is inclined to juxtapose ngoma with musical instruments used by western bands, such as guitars, keyboards and other musical instruments.

Therefore, the aim was to explore how the group fuses these musical instruments and the challenges the group faces as a result. Moreover, dancers in this group were eager to design costumes, props and dancing styles to establish the difference between their ngoma performances and those of the rest of the groups. Such creativity has opened up opportunities to perform worldwide. The group confirmed that they had been invited to perform in Germany, Denmark, India and Poland, as well as Kenya and Mozambique (Music Crossroad International 2007). The group that fuses musical instruments, dance styles and costumes from across the globe was involved so as to delve deeper into how youth use material from other cultures to enrich their own culture and, more importantly, how this fusion opens up opportunities to perform across the world.

1.8.3.2 Hayahaya Ngoma Group

Hayahaya Dance Group is another group from which data for this study was collected. The name Hayahaya came from the word haya which means hurry up in Kiswahili. At the time the

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group started members of the group tended to tell one another haya haya which means hurry up for rehearsals. The interview with the group secretary explains this.

Tulipoanza kundi letu watu walikuwa wavivu. Walikuwa hawaamini kama tunaweza kufanikiwa kuanzisha kundi na likapata mafanikio. Ili kuhimizana basi tukawa tunatumia maneno haya haya. Kwa vile tulikuwa tukiishi jirani jirani, basi tulikuwa tukienda kila nyumba na kuambizana haya haya muda wa mazoezi twendeni. Baada ya muda tukawa tumelizoea sana neno hili. Basi hata mtu mwingine nje ya kundi letu akisema haya haya mtu anataka asimame ili aende mazoezini. Basi hivyo ndivyo ambavyo jina la kundi letu lilivyozaliwa

“When we started our group, people were lazy. They thought we would not make it. Because of this we used to tell one another, haya haya (hurry, hurry up) let’s go for rehearsals. Because we lived close to one another, we used to go to each member’s home and repeat the same words haya haya haya. Afterwards, we became used to the term.

Once we heard haya haya even a person who was not a member, what came into our minds was going for rehearsals. This is how the name Hayahaya was born” (interview, 2012).

Hayahaya ngoma group is located in Dar es Salaam. Unlike Lumumba, which began in 1997, this group began in 2008 with 7 members. The group has its office at Mtoni Mtongani where most of the members live. Despite the fact that the group is only 5 years old, it has proved to have a clear vision and positive future expectations. Although the group began in 2008, it began to be officially recognized in 2009 when it was registered by the National Arts Council (BASATA). Unlike Lumumba that tends to borrow ingredients from cultures from around the world, Hayahaya tends to recreate ngoma using movements from other Tanzanian musical cultures. Their ngoma performances borrow heavily from Bongo Fleva, Muziki wa dansi and Taarab. My interest in this group was to hear their views on what motivated them to fuse ngoma with other Tanzanian musical genres.

One more interesting factor concerning this group was the basis on which it was established.

It began with seven members and since then it has added only two members. Almost all the members were pioneers, while the two who joined later are treated as newcomers. My reason for involving this group was to find out why it has not grown. Indeed, by involving this group I soon realized that becoming a member of a ngoma group in the era of globalization is not easy. One has to go through various procedures until he/she becomes a member, some of which confront members who want to use ngoma to search for space in society. A discussion on how complicated the process is presented in chapter seven titled global influences in ngoma performances.

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1.8.3.3 UMATI

UMATI is another group which took part in this study. The group began to function in 1985 under the umbrella of UMATI NGO. Even the name UMATI was derived from the NGO’s name. UMATI as an NGO stands for Chama cha Uzazi na Malezi Bora or a union of reproductive health and care, which began to operate in 1959 before independence. After independence, UMATI continued with its role of providing young people and middle-aged adults with education on reproductive health and care. UMATI ngoma group was established for the purpose of supporting the NGO to disseminate reproductive health and care messages to the Tanzania community, particularly inhabitants of Iringa. During 1980/90, UMATI NGO withdrew its commitment to the community because its sponsors had ceased support. Until now, nobody knows whether or not the NGO exists, despite the fact that some workers are still seen going in and coming out of the office. Since the NGO terminated its service, UMATI ngoma group is hardly involved in disseminating health information. Instead the group has decided to stand on its own feet by struggling to find performance opportunities elsewhere, especially at social and political events. The group was involved in order to explore how their status as an NGO group impacts their endeavour to find space via ngoma.

1.8.3.4 Alamano

Similar to UMATI, Alamano ngoma group started in 2008 under the umbrella of Alamano NGO.¹⁰ Alamano NGO was established in 2002 for the purpose of offering a second chance to people living with HIV/AIDS. Apart from helping people living with HIV, the NGO provides services to orphans and children from a difficult environment. Alamano as a group began with 10 members but now the group is estimated to have 19 members or more, whose ages range between 15 and 45. Like UMATI, the group is also involved in sensitizing people about the NGO’s plans. The rationale for involving ALAMANO group was to find out the challenges that ngoma groups established by an NGO experience, as they endeavour to use ngoma to find space.

Being located in Iringa, Alamano group was selected to find out whether there is a difference in the influence on ngoma performed by youth in cities and small towns. Indeed, owing to technological differences and other cultural factors, the study revealed that ngoma performed

10 The name was drawn from the blessed Joseph Alamano, a founder of Consolata missionary sisters (Valentini 2012).

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by the youth in Iringa are less influenced than those performed by the youth in Dar es Salaam.

An in-depth discussion on global influences is presented in chapter six.

1.8.3.5 Tanangozi and Livangala ngoma groups

Tanangozi ngoma group is located in Iringa rural. The distance between Iringa urban and Tanangozi is 25 kilometres. The village is located along the main road to Malawi and Zambia, which means it is more exposed to different cultures than other villages. The Tanangozi group was involved in order to find out whether interacting with people from other cultures impacts ngoma performances in a rural area.

Another group, Livangala, comes from Ifunda in Iringa rural. The distance from Iringa urban to Ifunda is about 45 kilometres. The group is located in a remote area approximately 5 kilometres from Ifunda ward centre. The group was selected in order to explore whether remoteness protects ngoma from global influences.

Both Tanangozi and Livangala were involved due to the characteristics of their members.

Both groups comprise adults and youths. A combination of adults and youth in a group was useful for studying the power relations between the two groups and how that impacts young people’s struggle for space.