The Role of Music in the Traditional Marraige Ceremonies of the Bemba
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, \ THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN THE TRADITIONAL , MARRIAGE CEREMONIES OF THE BEMBA - SPEAKING PEOPLE OF NORTHERN ZAMBIA !- Presented by: Kapambwe Lumbwe SUPERVISOR: Deirdre D. Hansen, Ph. D A dissertation submitted to the faculty of Humanities in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Music. University of Cape Town September, 2004 The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town DECLARATION This work has not been pre~fb'ttsly submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It is my own work. Each significant contribution to, and quotation in, this dissertation from the work, or works, of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced. SIGNATURE:· Kl01J) ABSTRACT Bemba traditional society views marriage as the union of a man and woman forever. In addition, marriage also signifies the bringing together and amalgamation of the bride and groom's immediate and extended families, thereby extending the sense of communalism in Bemba society. Because of the Bemba people's strong sense of oral tradition, marriages are contracted by word of mouth and not by a certificate. This strong sense of oral agreement has endured and is revered and respected, despite the rapid increase in literacy and the impact of inter- racial relations and modernization. From the time a man finds a woman to marry to the time they actually marry, there are different ceremonies that have to be performed. These ceremonies include: Ukusonga (proposal), Ukukobekela (engagement), Ubwinga (wedding), Amatebeto (honoring) and Ukwingisha (lit. putting something into a container or enclosure, but denotes the highest level of honor). Ukusonga marks the beginning of the marriage process. It involves the delivery of a marriage proposal by a man to a woman through an intermediary (go-between or spokesman) known as Shibukombe. Ukukobekela follows immediately after that, and involves the presentation of a betrothal or engagement present called insalamo, to the family of the woman. Once all marriage negotiations are concluded the two families begin to make necessary preparations for the wedding ceremony Ubwinga, which is celebrated at the home of the bride. With time, a married man who proves to be a good husband, a good father and indeed a good member of the community, will be honored by his in laws who will initiate the Ukwingisha ceremony on his behalf. Since the notion of having honor and being honored is highly valued in Bemba society, this ceremony is particularly important to a married man as it establishes a strong sense of pride and belonging both for him and his family. As such, this ceremony can be regarded as a public display of worthiness, which suggests that certain codes of conduct have successfully been negotiated, on the part of both the man and the woman. Using this as a basis, the writer aimed at investigating the specific role of music, particularly within the traditional marriage rites of the Bemba- speaking people. Special attention will be given to the type and meaning of music used, the way it is used, and the reasons why it is used in this particular way. The writer hoped to show 1 that the utilization of music in this context is to perpetuate cultural and religious values, so as to ensure the continuation and survival of such cultural traditions. It was also hoped to show by way of study, that music plays an integral role within oral traditions, enabling the passing on of cultural values and morals from one generation to the next. Of concern here, is the way in which music is used to announce, initiate and to demarcate the different components of the marriage ceremonies over a period of time. As such music acts to signify, validate and incorporate the marriage ceremonies as an important part of the Bemba philosophy. 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the course of preparing and the writing of this research, I had the benefit of ideas that I learnt from my supervisor, Dr Deirdre D. Hansen, of the South African College of Music (University of Cape Town), in the course of extended discussions on research methods and thesis writing. It occurs to me that although lowe her a great deal for her uncompromising assistance in this study, I feel there is something else, almost indefinable, for which lowe her even more. I am also indebted to my lecturer, Mr Michael Nixon, for assisting me in collecting literature and infonnation on music transcriptions. This research would have been poorer without the assistance of Dr Shirley Toland (Spelman College, USA), Dr Leroy Davis (Emory University, USA), Dr Rudolph P. Byrd (Emory University, USA), Gideon Nomdo (MMUF Academic Coordinator, University of Cape Town), Kathy Erasmus (Academic Staff Development Coordinator, University of Cape Town), the graduate assistants Denise James, Lina Buffmgt?n, Renee Moore, John Willis and Stacy Boyd, and all the UNCFlMellon Minority Undergraduate Fellows of 2002, who spent time with me in preparing my research prospectus and gave valuable tips on how to conduct my research. I would also like to acknowledge my debt to my brothers, Mr Mwila Lumbwe, of Ernst and Young, and Mr Chabala Lumbwe, of Madison Insurance in Lusaka (Zambia), the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the UCT Post Graduate Funding Committee (International Students' Scholarship), for their financial assistance towards my research. My sincere gratitude is extended to my sister Ms Kaluba Lumbwe, my sister-in-law Ms Nakula Yuyi, my brother-in-law and sister Mr and Mrs III E.K. Kachasa, my brother-in-law Mr Kachasa Kachasa, my sisters-in-law Mrs Njekwa Lumbwe and Mrs Betty Lumbwe for the encouragement and support they rendered to me in the course of undertaking the research. I am also thankful to Mrs Siya Phiri, of Ernst and Young (Lusaka), Mr Joseph N'gandu, of the University of Cape Town, and my nephew Mr Katai Kachasa (Ernst and Young, Lusaka), for collecting reference books and video tapes on my behalf. I am grateful to my uncle and aunt, Mr and Mrs A. W. Mulenga, my cousin and his wife, Mr and Mrs M. Mulenga and my niece Mutale Chama, all of Kasama, for taking good care of me in the course of my research fieldwork in Kasama. I also owe special thanks to Miss Thontolani Chilemba (Miss T), a second year engineering student at the University of Cape Town, for reproducing my fieldwork audio recordings - lowe her a great deal of gratitude because she offered to assist me at a time when no one was ready to do so. I am also thankful to Thoko Lewanika, ofUCT, for the assistance rendered to me when I was compiling my video recordings and printing of this document - natotela sana mukashana (thank you very much young lady) . My appreciation is also expressed to Mr and Mrs N. Chinyanta, Mr Abraham Kunda, Mrs Phoebe Ilunga, Miss Mulenga Mpundu Kapwepwe, the late Mrs Dorothy Mukolongo, Mr Innocent Mulenga Malama, Mr Obino Mwela and Mrs Flora Chitalu Ngoma, all of Lusaka, Mrs Delfista Fulanshi, Mrs Godfrida Mutale and Mr R. M. Kambole all of Kasama, for the wealth of knowledge and their valuable time they gave to me during the course of personal interviews I had with them. Lastly I am greatly indebted to the management and staff of the South African College of Music IV (University of Cape Town), for allowing me to use the facilities and also their personal encouragement they gave me throughout my study. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 11I LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS viii LIST OF SONGS IX LIST OF PLATES XlI PREFACE XIV CHAPTER 1 AN INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 2 UKUSONGA AND UKUKOBEKELA 64 CHAPTER 3 UKULASA IMBUSA AND AMATEBETO 76 3.1. Chisungu 76 3.2. Ukulasa Imbusa 79 3.3. Amatebeto 97 CHAPTER 4 UBWINGA 103 4.l. Ukutwa ubwinga 103 4.2. Ubwalwa bwa bwinga 107 4.3. Ukupora ubwalwa 107 4.4. Ukuchilika musambi 109 4.5. Ukutiya ubwinga 111 4.6. Ukuluula and Ukushikula 114 4.7. Ukowa uluchelo 117 4.8. Ukusulula ifitete 118 CHAPTER 5 UKWINGISHA 120 5.l. Ukufyalwa kwa mwana 120 5.2. Ukwingisha 123 VI CHAPTER 6 THE DESCRIPTION AND ANL YSIS OF THE TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE MUSIC OFTHEBEMBA 129 6.1. SONG TRANSCRIPTIONS 129 6.2. BEMBA MUSICAL CONCEPTS 131 6.3. THE FORMAL STRUCTURAL AND STYLISTIC TRAITS OF BEMBA MUSIC 135 6.4. FORM AND STRUCTURE OF THE SONGS 139 6.5. THE SONG TEXTS, THEIR CONTENT, STRUCTURE AND MEANING 146 6.6. DRUMS AND DRUMMING IN BEMBA MARRIAGE SONGS 148 6.7. DRUMS 152 6.8. TECHNIQUES OF PLAYING THE DIFFERENT DRUMS 155 6.9. DANCE STRUCTURES AND MOVEMENT ORGANIZAnON IN BEMBA MARRIAGE SONGS 161 CHAPTER 7 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS 180 REFERENCES 194 APPENDIXES 1. Glossary 200 2. Zambia 207 3. Transcriptions of video recordings 212 4. Plates 223 Vll LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURE 1. Floor plan and arrangement of participants in a marriage ceremony 171 2. Song Transcription - KALE LEYA WANSOMBO 172 3. Song Transcription - MULANGILE AMONE 173 4. Song Transcription - YANSA AKASENGELE 174 5. Song Transcription - NASEKELA SEKE 175 6. Song Transcription - NKOKO YANDI CHITETELA 176 7. Song Transcription - FULWE PAFYAKWE 177 8. Song Transcription - NALOMBA 178 9. Song Transcription-NALOLING'OMBE 178 10. Song Transcription - UYU MWANA MUNANGANI 179 11.