Focus Media (Kigali)
Timothy Kisambira
2 October 2008
Being young, Christian and passionate about dancing. That is what unites the members of the dance group "Together As One." The group started in July 2004 with 30 youths, but has since seen its membership grow to over 80 young Christians from different denominations.
"Through traditional dance, I can portray myself as a true Rwandan woman."
Mike Shyaka, the youth coordinator, says that the idea behind the initiative was to unite the youth and to bring together different cultures from all walks of life from inside as well as outside the country.
"By uniting the youth, we believe that we can achieve a lot. We can preach the gospel, preach reconciliation, preach about the killer disease AIDS and also promote and strengthen our culture," Shyaka says.
Maureen Mutaga Umwali, a student in third year at School Of Financing and Banking, says that she began dancing in 1997.
"I grew up in Uganda with my mother, and we did not know much about the Rwandan culture. Our mother did not want us to forget our culture, however, and the only way we would keep it in our minds was through learning traditional dances," Umwali says.
She adds that when they came back to Rwanda, she decided to continue with dancing but preferred dancing in church and for Christ, because, she says, different dances have different messages.
"The reason I love traditional dance is because it portrays our culture. Above all, it's a decent dance, different from western dances which have no meaning and people end up exposing their bodies to attract others," Umwali explains.
She further remarks that through the dance she can portray herself as a true Rwandan woman, and that for her as a Christian, it shows what God made of her.
"When I dance in church, I am glorifying God and this also keeps our culture moving," the student says.
Understanding the dance
Another member of the group, James Karemera, says that he loved dancing when he was still a young boy.
"When I was young, I used to do all types of dances. I would turn on the radio or the TV and watch people dance, which inspired me to try it myself." At the age of 16, he fell in love with the cultural dance, having seen Kinimba, a renowned traditional dancer.
"I admired the way this guy did his thing, and the way people used to love him and talk about him. He inspired me and since then I dropped the interest of other dances and decided to continue with traditional dance," Karemera recounts.
He says that dancing is a good sport, but that some people tend to regard dancers as lazy and useless people.
"This is wrong; dancers are not useless or lazy," Karemera says. "I agree, there are many young people who imitate western dances and many of these dances have no meaning. Yet people should try to understand the dance, and what that says about the character of the dancer. We, for example, dance traditional dances for Christ."
Georgette Umutoni, who is in senior six, was born in Tanzania. She began dancing at the age of eight while in Tanzania, as a way of protect her culture.
"My parents used to encourage us to do traditional dances, and they told us that it was through dancing that we would come to know of our history and origin," Umutoni explains.
And she does not regret that she followed her parents' advice. "Many Rwandans love the traditional dance, so if you dance it people see value in you and show you respect," she says.
Umutoni likes to perfect her dance, and learn new moves. "It's not difficult. Whenever I attend a function where they are dancing, I try my level best to learn a new stroke, which I combine with what I already know. That gives my dance its unique style."
Dancing also helps to keep her head clear. "While other students go to play games and sports," Umutoni says, "for me dancing is the only way to refresh my mind."
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Focus Media. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
