Botswana: How Much of Our Musical Culture Have We Lost?

 

Botswana: How Much of Our Musical Culture Have We Lost?

Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)

February 2, 2007
Posted to the web February 5, 2007

Monkagedi Gaotlhobogwe

Just how much of our musical culture have we lost to modernisation? That's the question one would find themselves asking as they read Music, Dance and Theatre, a chapter in Phenyo Thebe and James Denbow's latest release, Culture and Customs of Botswana.

The authors unintentionally invoke a sense of pride among any Motswana reader because they show the creative spirit of the peoples of Botswana, their musical talent and the various musical instruments that used to characterise Tswana culture for centuries.

Ninety percent of them are all gone, and remain unknown to most Batswana today. This is so because the various musical culture of the Tswana society of old tended to be ethnic, with its tribe following its own culture and norms.

The intention of the writers is not to mourn or celebrate a musical culture falling apart. The book, by the two anthropologists, is not intended so much for Tswana readers as the authors assume everything they have covered in the book is common knowledge to the generality of Batswana, the owners of the culture.

The book is intended to be a guide to diplomats working in the country. "Our intention has not been to slight any particular group but, rather, to try to keep the text as accessible to an audience new to the country as possible."

With its revealing details and wealth of information, this chapter is just what any proud Motswana needs to read to learn about the culture that was, to see what musical heritage has been lost, and, if there is still time, perhaps the remnants of the fast dying musical culture of Botswana could be saved. The adaptation of foreign culture may have cost Tswana nations to lose many varied types of musical instruments that used to form the core of Tswana musical heritage during the 1800-1900 period.

They have unintentionally unearthed thecultural losses of the nation, especially in the area of music. Many musical instruments that the authors mention as part of Tswana culture have become extinct, while most of those still in use are only known amongst particular ethnic groups and not nation wide. It is upon reading this book that one realizes how much the nation has lost musically over the last centuries.

While today there are institutions such as the Botswana Society of the Arts who are working hard to revive the use of cultural music instruments, like segankure or segaba, we learn through the book that it is more than just segaba that has been lost. A lot of the nation's musical culture has disappeared with its ancient players.

The authors introduce the reader to one ancient musical instrument known as seburuburu or a bullroarer. This is the oldest musical instrument recovered from excavations in the country. It was unearthed at an Early Iron Age site at Matlapaneng in Maun and is said to be 1000 years old. It was not blown like a flute or fingered like a string instrument, but rather seburuburu was whirled around the head to make a roaring sound. However, the authors do not discuss the purpose of this musical instrument, that is whether it was ceremonial, or just for amusement like katara, segaba, meropa and so forth.

One other ancient instrument mentioned in the book is a flute, dated 900 years old. It was found near Serowe.

"Approximately six inches long, this instrument would have been blown something like a panpipe using a finger to alternately open and close the lower end and the single opening to produce a variety of notes," the authors said. When it was discovered, the prehistoric flute was found to be made from the hollowed-out leg bone of a large bird and was decorated along its length with closely spaced circular grooves that had become highly polished and worn out.

Interestingly, the flute is not common in today's Tswana culture as part of traditional music instrument. In fact, many would be quick to associate the musical instrument with external influences.

Although whistles found in modern cultural music troupes are all made outside the country, the authors tell us that they have been part and parcel of Tswana and San music for centuries. "...the most emblematic instruments among the Tswana and the Sarwa(San/Bushmen) were flutes, whistles, and one stringed bows," writes Thebe and Denbow.

They quote from the accounts of missionaries like David Livingstone, who documented flute playing among the Tswana, the Kololo specifically. The flutes were made from reed (ditlhaka) . The authors say tuned reed flute ensembles sometimes incorporated about 100 players and the reed flute dance could last up to ten hours with the men playing a variety of different-sized flutes while dancing counter-clockwise in a circle surrounded by an outer ring of women and young girls who clapped hands .Today this culture of reed flutes (ditlhaka) is only found amongst the Balete of Ramotswa. The culture has recently come to life after a woman chief of the nation inspired the elders to revive the musical heritage. They (reed flutes) are being played by a group of elderly men eager to revive the musical culture of the Batlokwa nation.

Interestingly, less than 100 years ago, the reed flutes music culture used to be a common feature among nations such as Bangwaketse, and Batlokwa of Tlokweng. Today the reed flutes have been substituted with hollow copper metal rods that are dipped in a bucket full of water and played with a wet cloth inside the rod helping to produce unique melody.

One other musical instrument that was popular among the Tswana and the Basarwa was a one stringed instrument called nkokwane. This should not be confused with segaba.

The fact is the instrument may have been common a century ago, but today it can hardly be found. The authors say that the Tswana and the Sarwa also used to have harps (segwana) made with resonators of gourd or leather permanently attached to the instrument. Another stringed instrument, kwadi or lesiba was played by inhaling and exhaling air into it. "By varying the opening of the mouth, different tones are produced that are very pleasant, partaking of the qualities of both string and wind, reminding one of an Aeolion harp..." the writers say.

The ancient mbukushu multi-stringed lute, lohi, also known as daukashe or dzoma amongst the Sarwa, is another example of Tswana cultural music instruments that have been lost due to modernisation.

The authors say this instrument looked more like the mbira or stinkane but differs in that its strings number between four and seven and are softer