Moribayassa
The word Moribayassa means 'jumble' or 'mess'. Mamady Keita's sleevenotes for his album "Afo" describes it thus:
In order to give thanks for a wish that has been granted, the participants must dress bizarrely and make a complete circle of the village as they dance Moribayassa.
His awesome book A Life for the Djembe goes further:
Moribayassa is the name of a very old rhythm and dance, which, to this day, plays a highly unusual role in the life of a woman. If a woman has a big problem, such as illness in the family or child-lessness, she will at first pursue all the opportunities for help in the village, even consulting a fetish maker. When she has exhausted all of these resources, as her last hope, she takes a vow: "When this huge difficulty is over, I will dance Moribayassa." Between this decision and the dance, years may pass. This vow is so significant that a woman can only take it once in her life. Even today, the rhythm is played exclusively for this joyful dance of a woman who has overcome a difficult situation. For this dance, the woman dresses and shows herself in a way that she normally would never dare to do; she wears old, torn clothes; shows her naked legs; and behaves like a crazy woman who is allowed to break all taboos. In this way, she circles the village three or seven times, singing and dancing, accompanied by one or more musicians. The women of the village follow her and sing, too. After that, the dancer changes her clothes and buries the old rags under a mango tree. In my village, Balandugu, this mango tree is called Moribayaasa.
The energy this song embodies is unstoppable joy; it's difficult to play it slowly, as the rhythm just seems to have a life of its own and will speed up accordingly, no doubt due to the Dun Dun parts being so simple and fun to play. Djembe players must hold on to their hats and fly!
The keen student should learn from Mamady's recordings and/or a patient teacher.
Source:
The word Moribayassa means 'jumble' or 'mess'. Mamady Keita's sleevenotes for his album "Afo" describes it thus:
In order to give thanks for a wish that has been granted, the participants must dress bizarrely and make a complete circle of the village as they dance Moribayassa.
His awesome book A Life for the Djembe goes further:
Moribayassa is the name of a very old rhythm and dance, which, to this day, plays a highly unusual role in the life of a woman. If a woman has a big problem, such as illness in the family or child-lessness, she will at first pursue all the opportunities for help in the village, even consulting a fetish maker. When she has exhausted all of these resources, as her last hope, she takes a vow: "When this huge difficulty is over, I will dance Moribayassa." Between this decision and the dance, years may pass. This vow is so significant that a woman can only take it once in her life. Even today, the rhythm is played exclusively for this joyful dance of a woman who has overcome a difficult situation. For this dance, the woman dresses and shows herself in a way that she normally would never dare to do; she wears old, torn clothes; shows her naked legs; and behaves like a crazy woman who is allowed to break all taboos. In this way, she circles the village three or seven times, singing and dancing, accompanied by one or more musicians. The women of the village follow her and sing, too. After that, the dancer changes her clothes and buries the old rags under a mango tree. In my village, Balandugu, this mango tree is called Moribayaasa.
The energy this song embodies is unstoppable joy; it's difficult to play it slowly, as the rhythm just seems to have a life of its own and will speed up accordingly, no doubt due to the Dun Dun parts being so simple and fun to play. Djembe players must hold on to their hats and fly!
The keen student should learn from Mamady's recordings and/or a patient teacher.
Source:
