CONDIZIONI: TOUR DI 1 MESE CIRCA (LUGLIO ED AGOSTO) – 5 FESTIVAL CONDIZIONI CIOFF ARGENT DE POCHE DI EURO 4 AL GIORNO E PER PERSONA TRASFERIMENTI SUL TERRITORIO ITALIANO COMPONENTI IL GRUPPO 35 PERSONE I COSTI SI INTENDONO PER OGNI SINGOLO FESTIVAL

People Of Matsamo - History A short history of the Swazi

The area of what now is Swaziland has been inhabited by various different ethnic groups of people for a very long time, in eastern part Swaziland human remains dating back 100,000 years belonging to the oldest homo sapiens have been discovered. The Bushman was as is evident from the large number of San

(Bushman) cave paintings among the first inhabitants of this region. The Swazi themselves arrived relatively late in history. The Swazi have their origins in East Africa around the great lakes, speaking siSwati having its origin predominantly in the Nguni group of Languages.

In the late 15th century as part of the general southward expansion of the Nguni the Swazi's crossed the Limpopo River to settle in southern Tongaland (Now part of .) Under their Chief I they remained here for about 200 years, until they moved, still ruled by a Dlamini Chief (Dlamini III), into the fertile Pongola valley (now part of South Africa). Here economic pressure and land shortages soon resulted in a number of skirmishes and battles with the neighbouring Ndwandwe clan, which ultimately resulted in a further migration of the Swazi into what is now central Swaziland.

From here the Swazi’s by way of absorption and conquest of Sotho and baPedi peoples build up a large Kingdom. Ngwane III established his headquarters in Zomboze. His grandson Sobhuza further expanded the Kingdom of Swaziland by absorbing Sotho, Tsonga and At the death of King Ngwane in 1899 the wife of Nguni chiefdoms. His rule was marked by the "" when the Zulu under King Mswati II Labotsibeni Mdluli took over the reign. In this troubled time when the Swazi came to threatened the entire sub region. Sobhuza met Shaka's advances with diplomacy, giving two of his daughters to the Zulu King. He outlived Shaka and grips with the loss of sovereignty, the queen Mother brought peace and prosperity to all his subjects. The Swazi under Sobhuza went fought to get the land and independence back, on to defeat the Zulu's under Dingane at Hlatikulu. Sobhuza the First is regarded petitions were sent to Britain, delegations of Swazi went to lobby in Britain. Most legal arguments were as the founder of pre-colonial Swaziland. is also credited with bringing Maize (now the staple food for southern Africa) from the Portuguese to lost on technicalities. Labotsibeni organised a the subcontinent. campaign to buy back the lost land from the British At the death of Sobhuza I, the mother of Sobhuza’s son Mswati II, became and Boers, to this effect many Swazi went to work in the mines in South Africa. Gradually land was Queen Regent until Mswati became of age. His influence and power gradually grew to envelope the area from the Limpopo in the north the Pongola River in returned to the Swazi until in 1968 about two thirds the south and the Crocodile River in the west covering an area of about three of the land had reverted back to the Swazi Nation. times the size of modern Swaziland, today forming part of South Africa Labotsibeni recognized the changing times and the need to introduce western style education to her including the area where Matsamo is situated. Hence, more Swazis live in these areas in South Africa as South African citizens, than those living in the Kingdom people, she therefore started the Swaziland National of Swaziland itself. School, and Sobhuza became one of its first The Swazi were the dominant power in the region for a period of 15 years. In students. Sobhuza went on to study at Lovedale college in South Africa were he came into contact 1865 when Mswati died he left a strong nation ruled by a cohesive ruling class. King Mswati was to be the last truly independent ruler of Swaziland for the next with many future leaders of Africa. 100 years. This is the time when Sobhuza became a founding A period of peace followed under the Queen regent prior to the reign of member of the ANC. In 1922 King Sobhuza II was installed as Mbanzeni. At this time the relationship between the and the arriving white settlers was friendly and co-operative. Swazi's treated both British Paramount chief of Swaziland and King to the and Boers as allies. However both groups of whites had their own agenda. The Swazi nation. He took over from his grandmother Boers were looking for both arable land and a rout to the sea where they could Gwamile, who had been Queen Regent whilst he was underage King Sobhuza died in 1982 after 60 establish a port of their own - thereby avoiding the hated British. The British in return was reluctant to lose the trade provided by the Boers. To aggravate matters years on the throne; he died as the longest reigning gold was found in Swaziland in 1882, leading to hundreds of European settlers monarch. rushing to Swaziland. King Mswati III ascended the throne in 1986 at the age of 18. He is the youngest reigning monarch in Although Mbanzeni frequently asserted the sovereignty of the Swazi, he had no control over the whites and he was coerced into granting land concessions and the world. prospecting rights. These often clashed with the rights of customary land usage. Matsamo Cultural Park is named after Chief In the 1881 Pretoria Convention, Swaziland was guaranteed its independence but Matsamo a prominent Shongwe Chief and contemporary of King Mswati II, who was the first its borders were defined. This independence meant that Swaziland lost large parts of its territory including the Matsamo area. King Mbanzeni died in 1889 and was Swazi Chief who resided permanently in the area succeeded by King Ngwane V also known as King Bunu. and established 13 rural villages between 1840 and In 1894, without consulting the Swazi, the two white powers concluded a 1925. Today this area is under control of the Matsamo Tribal Authority. convention whereby the Boer republic of Transvaal was granted control over Swaziland. Swaziland ceased to be an Independent State. After the Anglo-Boer Although the residents of these thirteen villages are War(1899-1902) Britain made Swaziland a protectorate and the Transvaal today still predominantly Swazi in custom and became part of the Union of South Africa, taking with it two-thirds of Swaziland. traditions, they are part of the diverse South African Nation.

FOLK MUSIC & DANCE

At the heart of our culture is certainly our music, yes, it is our identity, our ‘soul’ if you will. It is therefore not surprising that the development of indigenous performing arts and music is pivotal to the cultural activities at Matsamo.

Entertainment at Matsamo is more than a performance. Yes you will experience the best of African Folk dance and music but you will join in the fun and dance with us. You will feel the rhythm, the joy and the passion with which Africans entertain and play.

No matter where you come from or where you call home, Matsamo is where you will want to be.

A performance usually consists of around 40 members and is divided into two parts. The first part consists of a variety of dances performed by the senior ladies, the young woman, the girls and of course the men with their well-known African foot stamping dances. The second part consists of folk song and music with authentic African instruments followed by keen participation by guests.

The selection of dances and the passion and precision with which they are performed, insures interesting, colourful and exciting entertainment. Africans are known for their beautiful voices and natural sense of rhythm, displayed by Matsamo with enchantment. Vast exposure to tourists visiting their centre, offers the people from this rural community the opportunity to understand the importance of time management and good contact with audiences. It assisted Matsamo to develop outstanding entertainment and communication skills.

Matsamo Folk Music & Dance Group, formed in the year 2001, concentrates on Swazi folklore music, song and dance. At their Matsamo Cultural Centre in Mpumalanga, a province of South Africa, the members study, practice and teach cultural music and dance. The aim is to create cultural awareness with the youth and to help preserve their African heritage.

The Centre has more than 100 full-time musicians and dancers and during weekends and school holidays, talented children from surrounding schools join the group in cultural activities. In this manner folk music & dance is popularised with the youth and new talent is always introduced.

Participants include senior ladies and men but consist mainly of young people and teenagers, all performing different cultural dances related to the Nguni and more specifically the Swazi culture of Southern Africa.

Since the middle of 2003, Matsamo started giving outside performances on request and in a short period of time earned the reputation of a group which renders excellent entertainment and keeps audiences gripped.

Tens of thousands of international tourists and many South Africans, especially school children visit Matsamo annually to enjoy themselves or to learn more about Africa and its people.

The Group will participate in World class Festivals in Europe during the European summer of 2006 and considers it a unique opportunity.

In African custom, like in most customs of the world, people express themselves through song and dance. The lyrics of songs are usually expressing the feelings of the people about a certain subject or event. Often the event about which the song is all about and the facts and circumstances surrounding the happening is long forgotten which makes it difficult to understand the true meaning behind the lyrics. When researching songs and their origin and meaning we often rediscover valuable historic information. So has is Ka Hhohho, the introductory song, of special significance to the people of Matsamo as it is a very old song which relates to their direct area where King Sobhuza I, was born, some 200 years ago. During the reign of King Sobhuza I, the various independent clans of Southern Africa started polarising to protect themselves against conquest by the Zulu King Chaka as well as for economic reasons. King Sobhuza I, also called Somhlolo, introduced a strategy of incorporating smaller clans into the Dlamini clan, recognising their Chiefs on condition that their Chiefs marry Dlamini royalty. The son from such a marriage will then be the next Chief of that clan. In so doing the leadership will be half Dlamini within one generation and presumably loyal to the Dlamini monarchy. This strategy of incorporation was followed by king Mswati II, the son of King Sobuza I and founder of the Swati nation. In the song the Sotho people who lived in the region where Matsamo is today, grumble about the arrogant way in which King Mswati II took over their royal home and divided their kingdom with his strategy. The “ka” prefix means “place of…”. The Swati (Swazi in Zulu) people do not use the hard “r” in their language which was used by the fellow indigenous Sotho people. In Sotho the word “Kgoro” means “royal home” or “palace”. “Ka Hhohho was therefore the phonetically pronounced Swati word for “place of the royal home”. The song “KA HHOHHO” tells us how the people of those days felt about this strategy:- Mswati uyi Nkosi Ka Hhohho Wabekwa - Mswati is King of Hhohho wabekelwa kwentani? - Why was he put there? Sitsi camu camu balisika emalegeni - He divided us like furrows Nemambala ayeyana e Maswati - Really the Swazis are rude Hhohho Ka Hhohho. - Hhohho, place of the royal home. Nangembala ayeyana e Maswati - Yes, really the Swazis are rude. Here are a few examples of songs sung at Matsamo at their basic theme or meaning:- MATJOTJOMBE This song is about a place Matjotjombe in the rural areas where people enjoy to stay. They stay there much rather than in the cities where things are expensive. UMOYA WAMI My Soul is anxious to receive salvation Matsamo comfort my Soul My Soul please don’t disappoint me I am willing to see Heaven EMLANJENI This song is about a man sitting next to the river thinking about his loved one who is far away from him. MAHLALELA This is a light hearted song about a woman who is tired to live with a man who is lazy to work. INGWENYAMA The song praises Matsamo as the Lion INKOMO EMNYAMA In this song a child sings praise for his fathers black bull. In African culture, cattle are considered to indicate wealth. NDIKHOKHELE Guide me dear Lord I am a sinner Clean me with your blood Please God, I am praying UYASHA It is a song about two people burning with love for each other but afraid to tell each other. HLANGANANI MA AFRICA Africa unite today We do not need killing anymore It has been so long fighting each other Africa unite today.

Performances range from 15 minutes to 90 minutes and usually follow the following sequence

• entry with old traditional Swazi songs followed by traditional dances to the action filled beat of several big African drums • Sibhaca dance by men wearing traditional skirts and other adornments from angora skin. The dance originated after colonial times in Africa and mimics the military style of the British soldiers. It is believed that the skirts were copied from the Scottish or Irish regiments stationed in South-Africa in the 19th century. • Umoya dance by young girls wearing skirts which was originally made from tree bark or strips from animal hide. Rattlers, made from the coucons of butterflies with small stones in, are worn around the ankles to give a rhythmic sound with dance. The upper bodies of these girls are uncovered and their dance is fast and exciting, lifting their legs above their heads. • Mazulu dance is performed by the older girls and young woman who wear a typical traditional cloth (jutjwa) on their upper bodies and also dance in formation, lifting their feet high. • Umgiyo dance is performed by the married women whose attire clearly distinguishes them from the younger ladies. Their dance do not allow high step and is characterized by swinging movements with foot sliding action. • Sizingili dance is an ancient African dance style performed by the active men of a clan, wearing big animal hide with angora goatskin leg covers. This is an energetic fast-moving dance with high kicking action, sometimes resembling animal movements.

Part 2

In this part, the emphasis is on music which vary from ancient traditional style songs to more contemporary singing, some without instruments and others with traditional African instruments such as Jembe drums, Sticks, Rattlers, Marimba (African xylophone) and Luvungu, an African instrument making a Violin like sound.

African communal singing is traditionally in the acapella style without instruments. At least two vocal parts – one for the lead singer and one for the chorus – was typical of the indigenous style usually sung at important social events such as weddings, funerals, preparation for battle and so on.

A variation of style developed in the 1800’s which combined some of the rules of European classical music and hymnody with the indigenous choral mode. The term which describes this hybrid best is makwaya. “Kwaya” is the phonetically spelt version of choir.

Performances feature various old songs, adaptations in the traditional Makwaya style as well as traditional African instrumental music.