THE DANCE AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Now I am sure you have learned a great deal about the African people
and their children, yet there are two important things I have
not written about, and these are their dances and their musical
instruments. I had intended to put this part into the chapter on
games, but I thought I had better not, although the dance is considered
a game by the African children. In the hot season when the moon is
full, the whole country side resounds with the beating of drums, and
the shrill voices of the dancers are borne far on the warm night wind.
There are many kinds of drums from the deep bass to the high tenor.
They are beaten with the hands and on a still night the deep boom of
the bass drum can be heard for miles interrupted by the short snap
of the smaller ones. The time seems at first very irregular, and for
a white man difficult to follow. But the dancers move out and in and
round about, and keep up the game till sunrise. Unfortunately the
dances are not all harmless ones, and the less said about some of them
the better.
Of musical instruments the African children have quite a large number.
One of their favourites is called a “Sese.” I can best describe it to
you by calling it an African mandoline. The body is made out of a large
dry gourd and the strings are made by twisting threads together till
the desired thickness and strength is obtained. The left hand fingers
are used for pressing down the strings which are “tweeked” by the
fingers of the right hand. The music is very pleasing when the “Sese”
player is a short distance off. The tunes are quite unlike anything
white children hear at home, and charm one by their quaintness. I have
tried to play the instrument, but of course failed. The boys themselves
are not all able to play the “Sese.” Only those who are musical can,
and after much patient practice.
Another instrument with which the boys amuse themselves is called
the “Sansi.” It is the African piano, and is played a great deal by
river boys. The sounding board in the “Sansi” is made out of a flat
piece of wood about six or seven inches square and about an inch deep,
hollowed out. Two rows of little keys are fixed along this board. The
keys are sometimes made of wood but in good instruments are of iron.
These keys are all different sizes, and are arranged so as to produce
a kind of a scale, pleasing to the African ear and not unpleasant to
us. The instrument is grasped in both hands and the keys are skilfully
played by the thumbs and forefingers of both hands. Sometimes these
instruments are bedecked with beads and pieces of shells which cause
a sort of buzzing accompaniment to the music. A good deal of skill is
necessary to play the “Sansi” properly, and it is only a boy here and
there who can do it well. Like the “Sese,” the “Sansi” sounds more
pleasant when a bit away.
The flute is another source of amusement to the African boy. He makes
his own instrument out of a piece of reed, but he can appreciate a good
tin whistle from across the sea. From the reed he takes the pith and
bores three or four holes in the hollow tube, and his flute is ready.
The notes produced from the native flute always seem to me to be of a
weird melancholy nature. The same three or four notes are blown over
and over again, and become in time rather monotonous to the white man.
[Illustration: DRILL REPLACES THE DANCE]
Then there is the African violin called the “mgoli.” It consists of
a drum through which sticks are passed. There is one string drawn
tight over a bridge which stands in the drum. This primitive fiddle
is played with a bow. It is not so difficult to play as the others
already described, but its music is much more monotonous.
The African boys are also expert at playing on a wooden dulcimer which
they call “Nangolingondo.” Pieces of hard wood tuned to the African
scale are laid across two pieces of palm stem and are fixed in their
places by pegs. Then two players squat down on opposite sides of
the dulcimer armed with a stick in each hand. One player leads off
with a few flourishes and is joined by the other player whose notes
overlap and yet fit into and between those of the first player’s in a
marvellous manner. The music is fast and furious, but cannot be kept up
for a long stretch at a time. As with the other instruments, this one
is heard to advantage some distance off.
The buzzing of a certain kind of beetle is also made to do duty with
children as a kind of toy instrument. The unfortunate beetle is caught
and fixed up with grass so that he cannot get away, although his wings
are free to buzz with as much as he likes. In order to make this
beetle-music the insect is held by the grass in front of the opened
mouth. According as the mouth is opened so does the buzzing sound vary.
There are many other kinds of African musical instruments, mostly of
a very simple kind, giving forth but a note or two peculiar to the
African and beloved by him. The children are on the whole not unmusical
and can be trailed to sing very sweetly indeed. But I am sure they like
their own songs best.