Zulu Lesson Dance

This blog carries Zulu lessons, when the shoe fits. Yes, when I can find a word you can say like an English word e.g. Linda. My apologies to French, German, Spanish, Korean, Putonghua and other languages. I’m language deficient, not like school kids in Norway and Sweden.

I have good news today. Dance is sina in Zulu. Very easy to pronounce. Si-na. You say it like sinner, as in the bible. Sina. Remember, always lower your voice on the last syllable. English speakers tend to raise the voice as if asking a question: I’m going home? She is not asking a question, she’s stating an intention. In Zulu, you lower your voice.

Sina. It is a dance by many people and also by one person. That seems like a contradiction in terms. Far from it. Victorious soldiers danced before the king, but whoever felt like it, took the stage and danced alone. That sparked a competition, men trying to out-perform each other. Now let’s look at events.

Sina does not apply to funerals. They are somber events. Sina applies to weddings and other happy gatherings. When people say ‘Siyosina' they mean they are going to eat, drink, listen to poetry, sing and dance. No invitations. They just show up, which is a great problem in urban areas in 2024 because everything costs money, but people still cling to the bygone era of, we are one community.

Sina. Now, let’s looks at the dance by one person. It happens in a circle. It is not a concert hall with its plush seats. It’s a circle of people singing the same song, clapping and understanding the nuances of the dance. Some dancers are naughty, others taunt at each other. Rappers will probably call it ‘dissing.’ Can one dancer hog the circle? No. There is a way of wrapping it up. He can fall on the floor or do something with his dancing stick and the circle understands he has finished his gig. Another dancer enters the circle, which brings us to proverbs.

1. Dancers dance, and give way to each other.

2. The last dancer gets the greatest attention.

3. Dance to your own satisfaction.

Nonqaba waka Msimang

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