In my entire
life, I have never heard only one-hand clapping. That would be a mystery. Everybody
knows that it is two hands that do the clapping. As the thought of one hand
clapping may not make any sense, in Africa, full of idiomatic expressions and
proverbs that too could have a meaning.
If one can fold
his fingers and clinch his fist without going all the way to the palm or clip
the folded fingers with the thumb, one can produce a beautiful sound when hitting
against the face of the drum. I do not think words can describe the sound of
one hand. One cannot play a piano and produce a profound melody using one hand,
but it is simply possible with the African drum.
In many quarters
of the African continent the sound of a clapping hand on the drum is called
“ingoma” (a song) or “tambour” in French. What is music to the eyes of Africans
made from a clapping of one hand may mean something else in other parts of the
known world. Half clinched fist is
associated with melody whereas a fully clinched fist is associated with power.
In South Africa the majority of people who support the liberation movements
would shout Amandla! (All power!) The response would be “Ngawethu!” (It is
ours!). This basically, means that power belongs to the people.
The philosophy
of one hand clapping can mean hitting somebody in the face with the purpose of
either waking them up or punishing them for what they have done wrong or making
someone listen. They are many inferences that can be drawn. However, when
clapping a drum it can be very symbolic in Africa. This could mean dancing,
joy, happiness, wedding ceremonies, sadness, sending message, performance of
certain rituals, invitation to meetings, waking people up or enlightening them
about something. There are many reasons why drums were played in Africa.
No comments:
Post a Comment