Gasebalwe Seretse
22 August 2008
Last Friday, hundreds of Basarwa/San culture lovers converged on Dqae Qare Farm in D'kar, to celebrate the annual Kuru San Dance Festival.
Although the Kuru San Dance Festival is held in the belly of the Kalahari this did not deter hundreds of tourists, both local and international, from negotiating treacherous terrains to witness this great multi-cultural festival. Traditionally, it kicks-off on Friday night with the Healing Dances. According to the organisers, "the healing dances are as old as the San culture and usually take place around the fire at night with the aim of healing people, they also served to restore harmony in the group in times of stress and trouble."
Although many came expecting to witness real healing sessions, there was a huge disappointment as it became evident that more often than not, everything was staged. In a true healing session, the dance is slow-paced at first with the dancers chanting and clapping their hands in rhythm. After sometime, the dance becomes faster and more energetic, sending the shaman (healer) into trances and enabling him to do feats like performing healings on his patients and at times being able to walk on hot embers seemingly without getting hurt. Spectators saw less of that at the festival.
This is not to say that last Friday, the night of healing dances was a complete disappointment. Many groups including the Naro Giraffe Group from D'kar, the Qgoo group from Bere, the Bugakhwe group from Shakawe, the New Xanagas Group and the Gubi Family from Namibia, performed spectacular dance routines to the delight of the spectators.
One thing remarkable about the night dances is that the huge bonfire has magical if not divine effects on both the performers and the spectators. Unfortunately for some photographers whose cameras cannot work properly without flashlights, they were denied the opportunity to capture these magical moments because flashlights are not allowed as they are said to distract the dancers. For those who missed out on the night of healing dances, which are perhaps some of the highlights of the entire festival, compensation came in the form of the entertainment and ceremonial dances performed the following day (Saturday).
Pre-school children from D'Kar opened the second day of the festival with their show-stealing performances. The first five adult groups to perform on Saturday were the Naro Group, from Tchabo doing the kukama dance, the Herero from D'Kar, the Dxana/ Dcui from New Xade, the Naro Adult Group from New Xanagas, and the Boselo from Ghanzi.
The Qgoo Group from Bere followed, and one of the interesting things about the group is that the lead dancer, did some suggestive dances with elderly women. Also led by a male dancer, the Hambukush from Etsha followed and the group drew ululations and wolf whistling from the audience when Member of Parliament for Okavango, Vister Moruti, joined the dance. The Xhanikwe from Shakawe did a peculiar karube dance in which they pranced around as if they were imitating baboons. Although the dance was definitely not one of the most graceful around, it got many concurring that it 'was something different'.
The Dxana/ Dcui from Molapo in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) and the Bugakhwe followed before a group from Etosha, Namibia came into the arena. The Namibians nearly got some boos when one member of the group got into the arena carrying a guitar, which is a modern musical instrument. Many thought the group would at least redeem themselves by giving a breathtaking performance but their performance was dismal.
Other groups that performed the entertainment dances were the Dxana/Dcui Group from Metsianong (CKGR), the Ju/hoansi from Dobe, the New Xanagas Youth Group, the Wayei from Shakawe, the Ju/hoansi from Tsodilo, the Khomani San Children from South Africa and the Gubi Family from Omaheke North, Namibia. Although the Gubi family are a small group, they were one of the best performers at the event.
Saturday afternoon at Kuru is largely reserved for traditional games where the San and other groups get to showcase some of their hunting exploits, infused in the dances. Kgengwe (wild-melon), a staple food among most traditional San groups dominates some of the games. Almost all the troupes that performed during the entertainment and ceremonial dance session, also performed during the traditional games session.
In the evening, some of the groups had the opportunity to showcase traditional musical instruments such as the dengho (thumb piano), the zoma (pluriarch), the mouth bow, drums, the quru (a bow with calabash from the Shakawe area). Perhaps it must be mentioned at this point that the organisers of this festival do not view the Kuru San Dance Festival as a competition. Again the main focus is on the San groups and other marginalised groups that perform at the event. Among the San culture lovers who were attending the Kuru San Dance Festival, was Helene Wong, a resident of Gaborone who had this to say, "I heard great things about the San dance festival from my friends so I decided to attend this year. It was great to see so many San groups gathered at the same place and I am happy that I made it here." Wong, who expressed disappointment that the healing dances were not what she expected added that her favourite group was the D'Kar pre-school.
Her companion, Betsey Brada, a researcher from the United States of America (US), heard about the festival from a friend at Tsodilo. The friend was organising a trip to Kuru so she jumped at the opportunity to join the group.
"What impressed me the most about the Kuru San Dance festival is that I saw different San groups coming together to do something collectively," Brada said adding that she hoped to attend the festival again next year.
Guests of honour at this year's event included the guest speaker, Christian de Graaf, the Minister of Agriculture, Johnnie Swartz, the Minister of Works and Transport, Okavango Member of Parliament (MP), Vister Moruti, San leader, Roy Sesana and chairman of D'Kar Trust Board, Aaron Johannes.
The director of ceremonies was none other than the versatile and likeable Xguka Krisjan. Krisjan, who also happens to be a San dancer, has become the face of the festival as she is multi-lingual, making her one of the few people who are able to communicate in various languages used at the festival, including Setswana, English and Afrikaans. The Norwegian Church Aid in conjunction with the Kuru Family of Organisation (KFO) sponsored the festival.
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