Traditional dancing - Nhau

Tete province is one of the two places in Mozambique (together with Cabo Delgado province, where Makonde people are famous for Lipiko and Matambu masks), where it is still possible to watch traditional ritual dancing with masks. "Nhau" is the dance of initiation, represents virility, sacrifice and heroism. The wooden masks used in this dance are particularly impressive and fearsome.

Nhau dancers, waiting to enter the territory of the school

I have learned something about traditional African ritual mask dancing for the first time when I was in Stockholm and visited Dance Museum and Ethnographic museum. The expositions contained both masks, costumes and videos of ritual dancing.

One of the dance costumes at the Dance museum in Stockholm

It is believed in Africa that dance masks connect people with non-visible worlds, with formative energy, with ancestors, nature spirits, powers of healing, justice. The dance masks transforms people, saying: you are more than yourself. With the hep of the mask ancestors and spirits of nature deliver their wishes to the living people.

But it is not only the mask itself that is important. The complex of costumes, masks, special ritual, music and dancing creates a phenomenon of African mask dance. I believe it is one of the most beautiful art expression of African people, as it combines together work of mask carvers, costume makers, specialists in rituals, musicians, singers and dancers. And, it is the resemblance of traditions, which survived both Christianizing and colonization of African people.

One can see the mask or costume in the museum, but only participating (at least as a spectator) in the ritual one can feel with all senses the beauty of this artful expression: feel the rhythm, hear the drumming of batucas and singing of the village people opposed by the powerful dancing of the mask.

I was very excited when I learned that Tete province is famous as one of the few places in Mozambique where you can find dancing with the masks. I was even more happier to learn that I will be able to see the performance the same week I have arrived to my school (EPF).

As I have mentioned before, the school has just celebrated its one year's anniversary. On the day of celebration we had a lot of different performances: local theater groups, women dancing, local pop group, children choir... But I guess it was obvious to everyone, that the highlight of the day is Nhau dancing. And the dancers themselves for sure attracted the most attention with their colorful costumes and masks.