Ingoma Women Drummers of Butari Present Sweet Sounds and Sweet Treats!
Today was a crazy good day! It was 100 percent and completely dedicated to the women of Rwanda! The Ingoma Woman Drummers of Butari are really famous in Rwanda and throughout the world. About 30 women from several parts of Africa have come together with one purpose; to drum! The woman range from all ages, backgrounds, and culture but have found a way to collectively express themselves. Typically throughout Africa, women drummers are seen as a very negative and degrading role in society; males typically drum. However, these women have pressed against the norm of African tradition and have inspired many other men and women across the world.
Ingoma is the traditional name for the drums the women were playing today. They are traditionally made out of cow skin, although sometimes they are made from goat skin. The different sizes of the drums affects the pitch of the drum, the smaller the drum the higher the pitch. The leaders of the drummers play the smaller drums and are responsible for changing the rhythms. Without those lead drummers, the rest of the group would be lost.
The women began shortly after we arrived and they played with supernatural strength for a half an hour straight. As they played, they danced and sang some traditional and original songs from parts of Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi. I was so impressed at their ability to sing, keep rhythm with their hands, dance, and smile at the same time without missing a beat.
The old concrete theater we were in had a high ceiling, and hallo walls, allowing for incredible acoustic sounds. We sat in rugged wooden seats with desk, like the ones used in schools. Every nook and cranny of the space was filled with the glorious sound of the drums. I tapped my feet and bounced my head to the beat with total appreciation for the experience. I was so captivated by these women, there was something special about them. Everything they did was with purpose; having oneness of mind and sound.
At the end of their performance, there was a time for Questions and Answers. Gloria Magambo (the manager of the drummers) translated Kinyarwanda to English for us. One question that we asked them was, "Why do you love playing the drums with each other so much." Here were some responses that stood out to me: "I love it when we're all hyper… It feels like I'm in a trance." " I love the syncopated rhythms combined with the singing and dancing." " I enjoy our rehearsals!"
One of the drummers asked us "How do you feel watching us drum?" One girl said that she felt joy rising while watching them. I told the women that I was impressed with their rhythmic abilities and coordination and that I wanted to drum with them. After all, my dream came true when the women said that they wanted to teach the group a few traditional beats. I was especially excited to learn and play with them because I had not been a part of a drumming ensemble for almost 6 years. They showed us three beats; the first one was easy, but the second and third beats became more challenging. The women were impressed at how well we all played together, feeding off of each other's energy.
We ended our time with the women by visiting their café called Inzozi Nziza for a small lunch and ice cream! The vanilla ice cream was incredibly light, creamy and silky, almost resembling Gelato in its texture. It was a great finisher to our meal and hot day.
A Thousand Barefoot Children Outside
Finishing up the last full day here in Rwanda. In the middle of packing. Thelonious Monk and Soulive are keeping me going during this process. Today we rehearsed with some theater students from the Kigali Institute of Education, and planted our seeds for the show we will be created over the next few months. It was great working with peers who don't think like Americans. Every time they would give ideas and collaborate with us my "brain jaw" would drop to the floor. These men and woman (there was only one girl) are brilliant. I wish we had another two weeks to spend with them creating a work of art. I could write a book on the dinner we had tonight. More info on that as soon as I can digest everything. I ate the best fish and avocado I will probably ever eat. Well, I take that back. It sits even with Jaques fish in Haiti. But nothing will touch that avocado. I'll be posting a big recap and will talk more about dinner tonight when I get stateside. I plan on doing a lot of writing/sleeping on the plane ride home tomorrow. So don't leave yet.
