A cultural evening of dancing, with drums and bum shaking!
On Wednesday evening we had a cultural evening, where local Shaangaan people came to give us the experience of traditional music and dance. We bought beer to share around and a fire was built, which we sat around as they started to play music on drums. It was a clear night and we spent the evening dancing barefoot around the fire beneath the stars, surrounded by the sounds of the bush. The atmosphere of the party was fun and friendly, and we all danced, with the exception of Angelica who made the excuse that she was tired to get out of it! It was an amazing night and we’re all looking forward to a similar party before we leave next week.
Many of the local people who live in this area are shaangaan culture and live near by in shanti towns, which is a village made of self built small huts from various sources such as bricks, wood and metal. Although living without material possessions such as a kitchen, sofas, bedrooms and televisions they appear to remain very happy in themselves.
The community will regularly hold big parties where they all gather to dance, drink, make food and play drums. Make shift sound systems are plugged into the batteries of cars, due to the fact they do not have electricity, and the parties are full of traditional dancing, with around 200 people gathering for each one. Make shift old televisions are also plugged into car batteries and mothers carry their children on their backs using towels, as well as joining in the dancing.
The culture of Shaangaan appears to be far away from the westernised areas in the world such as the USA and the United Kingdom. Some will tell you that their diets of food are sometimes poor and others will tell you that their food is pure, home grown and untreated of chemicals such as pesticides which make them live longer and stronger. They laugh when you tell them how much you pay for one avocado and that you spend all your money in a supermarket. They ask “why?” and they also ask “why do you come to this country” not as an unwelcome comment but as they would never want to leave their own country because of the beauty of it.
Simple lives appear to cause less stress, a bigger bridge of community spirit, and a knowledge that you will never be alone. They do not understand they way we live, and why sometimes, we feel trapped in our own material world. A poster on the wall we noticed where they lived read “People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.” We have learned a lot from their culture and feel this has been a great experience.
