The brief involvement of Kamanga Dance Ensemble in social work

Kamanga Dance Ensemble is a registered community-based organization based in Kamanga Compound in the peri-urban of Lusaka city. The population is 20,000 people.

Like any other compounds, Kamanga is a highly density community comprising of middle and low-income class of people. Many of these people work in farms and as house servants. This is so because of illiteracy levels which is very high. The community has no social amenities like recreation centres, play parks, sports complex to mention but a few.

It is in this vein that KADE came up with the plan to construct the Community Cultural Centre which is at wall plate level that when completed will not only be used for cultural performances but also to serve as a skills training centre for the youths of Kamanga Compound and even the youths of other surrounding communities.

We use tools to help the community understand the issues that affect them in their daily lives such as dance drama, like the one in the video on HIV/AIDS pandemic, dance, songs, listening survey, story with a gap and social analysis.

Depending on the problem, we go in the community and do a listening survey where we do not have questionnaires but only listen to what the people talk about. After that, we prepare a sketch or dance drama. We then mobilize the residents by sounding the drums. After the people have gathered, we then perform the dance drama or sketch. We make sure the sketch has some symptoms of the problem affecting them (the residents).

REACTION AND INVOLVEMENT OF THE PEOPLE

Then start asking why do you think the people are doing what they are doing? Why are they doing that? The but why, method then applies. But why? Why? Why? All this is done in order to challenge the residents to move from observing to thinking and also to look deeply into an issue/situation so as to understand the problem and its root causes, consequences, connections and find a way for effective and proper response from the people.

Further questions are asked ‘Does this happen in real life situation? And if it happens what do you think should be done. The answers they normally have are of yes or everyday and others will even say all the time. Some even give examples of real situations that they have seen or noticed but cannot do anything about it.

So, when we get to this stage, we see people putting themselves in positions of doers, actors of the problem and also they show that any action that they are going to take will be sustainable because they will take full responsibility of the action.

This is what Kamanga Dance Ensemble is doing in the compound and surrounding communities. Our involvement in the developmental programs has really been felt and appreciated by the communities. Right now the communities are able to identify problems, plan, prioritise and solve their own problems.

Description and demonstration of Zambian dances

Zambia is a country located on the Southern region of Africa.

It has 73 ethnic groups and these ethnic tribes live in nine provinces of the country namely Eastern, Southern, Western, Northwestern, Luapula, Northern, Central, Lusaka and Copperbelt Provinces.

Kamanga Dance Ensemble performs at least three or four dances from each province. These dances have meaning and why they are performed. Some are ritual dances, initiation, spiritual and healing dances.

1. Nyakasanga
It is a circle dance from North Western Province of Zambia. It is performed by Luvale, Chokwe, Mbunda and Luchazi speaking people. This dance is performed during beer parties, weddings, graduation of (tundanji) young boys who are circumcised during the Mukanda ceremony. Their protection loose skin of their penis is removed. During this period the tundanji are kept at the camp for 6 months. They are taught good morals and to allow sores to heal.

2. Ndendeule
It is an initiation dance from Eastern Province of Zambia. It is performed by the Nsenga speaking people. When a girl has reached puberty age she has become of age (Ndola). She tells her grandmother what she has seen, the first menstrual blood, then the grandmother arranges for a traditional attendant called Phungu who puts her in a hut for a period of six months. If there are two or three girls who have become of age at the same time in a village, they are put together in one hut at the same time. This Phungu teaches them how to take care of their loin cloth during menstrual period. She teaches them how to do waist wriggling during sex with their husband when married.

3. Moba
It is a spiritual healing dance from Central Province of Zambia. This dance is performed by the Lenje speaking people. When one is ill or possessed by evil spirits, he/she is taken to a spiritual healer who does this dance to determine whether it is a natural illness or has been bewitched. If it is just a natural illness a patient is given medicine to treat the illness. But if the person is possessed by evil spirits, drums are played and songs are sung to make those spirits be detected. Some are bad spirits full of jealousy, if it is a woman then she is married to those male spirits, if he is a man then he is married to those female spirits. Some spirits come into people to make them become healers. They will be dreaming of roots and leaves to heal different diseases which people suffer from. Then they perform this dance to bring out spirits which mention their names and how many they are.

4. Nyau
It is a ritual dance performed by the Chewa speaking people of Eastern Province of Zambia. Long time ago, it was a traditional school for young men where they would be taught on how to behave and have good morals in the society. It is believed that when you are not initiated by the Nyau Secret Society then, you are not considered as a real man. Women will be rejecting you whenever you propose them for marriage. When a Chief or an important person is dead in the village this dance is performed from the time that person died up to the time of burial.

5. Pantomime
It is a dance drama based on HIV/AIDS pandemic that has not spared Zambia. Youths are the most vulnerable on the prevalence of this pandemic in our society because they lack social amenities where they can keep themselves busy and not indulge themselves in illicit activities that make them contract HIV/AIDS. This pantomime depicts people’s behavior when they have taken opaque beer that makes them become careless of their lives especially the youths.

6. Vimbuza
It is a spiritual and healing dance from Eastern Province of Zambia. It is performed by the Tumbuka speaking people.

7. Kalela
It is a dance from Luapula Province performed by the Ng’umbo and Bisa speaking people. This dance originated at Chishi and Chilubi Islands of Luapula Province of Zambia. People who went (on Chibalo) to go and work on the gold mine in South Africa and on the Copperbelt of Zambia were taken by force from their villages. During weekends each ethnic group would perform dances from their homeland.

Members

1. BERNARD KONDANANI MBEWE
2. TIMOTHY MGALA
3. MOJO TEMBO
4. JEFTER MITI
5. ADO MUMBA
6. AMOS ZIMBA
7. ALIYELE SAKALA
8. RAPHEAL CHIFOKOLO
9. GIFT DAKA
10. ROBERT BANDA
11. ISAAC BANDA
12. DARIUS DAKA
13. CHRISTINE MUMBA
14. NSAMWA MUMBA
15. TAONA MWANZA
16. BEATRICE CHIBIYA

History

Since its inception, Kamanga Dance Ensemble has participated in state, educational and private programmes such as from:

1991-1999
· Sensitization of Kamanga residents on the importance of community participation during the upgrading project by Irish Aid in Kamanga Compound.
· Attended a workshop for leaders on project management.
· Attended skills training course for acting by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS).
· Participated in music and dance festival in Bagamoyo, Tanzania.

1992-2002
· Worked in collaboration with Lusaka District Health Management Board (LDHMB) on health awareness in Kamanga and surrounding commnuties.
· Participated in equity guage promotion in health delivery.
· Performed for Women in Mining in Lusaka.

2000-2001
· Sensitise Kamanga residents and surrounding communities on throwing garbage in approved designated places under Lusaka sustainable programme.

2001
· Participated in dance, music festival by the National Arts Council.
· Participated in dance, music festival artists campaign against AIDS in Lusaka.
· Participated in International Conference on STIs and AIDS (ICASA() at Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC).
· Performed at the swearing in ceremony of the President at Parliament Building in Lusaka.

2002
· Performed at the opening ceremony of SADC Heads of State in Lusaka.
· Performed at Independence celebrations at State House in Lusaka.

2003-2008
· Was awarded a certificate by the Ministry of Youth and Child Development at Lusaka Museum upon winning the competition.
· Performed at official launch of Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company (LWSC).
· Performed at Lusaka International Airport on welcoming the Chinese President.
· Performed at the opening of National Assembly in Lusaka.
· Performed at Agriculture and Commercial Shows in Lusaka.
· Performed at the Swearing in Ceremony of the National Constitution Conference (NCC) at Mulungushi International Conference Centre.
· Was awarded a shield for winning at Youth Week Celebrations Competition hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Child Development at Lusaka Play House.
· Performed at the Christian Brothers (ISC) in Lusaka.

Briefly this is what Kamanga Dance Ensemble is involved in.

KAMANGA DANCE ENSEMBLE (KADE)

Kamanga Cultural Group was formed in 1991 January by a group of Kamanga residents in order to improve the living standards of the people of Kamanga Compound and the surrounding communities through the dissemination of information, basically on issues affecting the residents especially on HIV/AIDS through performing arts i.e. dance, music and drama.

Like any other compound in Lusaka, Kamanga Compound has many adverse problems such as child abuse, gender imbalances, high levels of vandalism, property grabbing, high levels of illiteracy, etc. It is through these problems that Kamanga Dance Ensemble decided to get involved and see how it can contribute in solving some of these problems.
Through our involvement, most of these problems have reduced. Kamanga Dance Ensemble was also involved in the upgrading of the compound to peri-urban standards by Ireland Aid. It was during this period when vandalism was very high in the community on the infrastructures which were put in the compound.

Kamanga Dance Ensemble acquired a land of 45 x 42 metres in dimension where it has taken up a project of constructing a Cultural Centre. It has been planned to be built in phases.

Phase I is of building an open air stage i.e. stage one and two, including two (02) dressing rooms, one toilet and bathroom for male and females. This structure is at wall plate level.

Phase II is where we are planning to put up skills training centre that will:
· Serve as a training ground in performing arts for youths as a saying goes in Bemba that “imiti ikula empanga” (which means the growing trees are the future forest).
· Assist reduce the number of youths roaming the streets of Lusaka.
· Provide entertainment to the public.
· Empower those youths who have completed training in skills and entrepreneurship to be self reliant.
· Create in the minds of the youths the need to contribute towards the nation development by way of providing entertainment in Zambia.
· Promote tourism industry through cultural performances.
· Host drama, music and dance festivals annually.
· Raise funds to help run/manage the affairs of the Cultural Centre smoothly and sustainably.
· Act as a resource centre for cultural values and traditional dishes.