A culture on the brink of extinction

By Boniface Ongeri and Adow JubatAt a village square painted gold by the setting sun in Wajir District, residents gather for a wedding. The young and old mingle freely as they dance to jiisow — a Somali folk dance.The master of ceremonies, Mr Hassan Abakiyo, clad in tunic and flip-flops, calls the crowd to order. "We are about to lighten up," he announces to rounds of applause.Women form a line as they clap and beat plastic cans.Abakiyo, a charming 73-year-old, struts around the human ring to the beat of jiisow.The old codger lifts his right leg and trudges forward using the left leg. He straightens his body and with hands curved like a cobra preparing to strike, he lumbers towards a group of stamping men.Dancers perform jiisow in Ijara District. Photo: Boniface Ongeri/StandardLike one possessed, he scuttles his right leg downward as the left leg shoots up in split seconds. He repeats the sequence for a few seconds before stepping back to the line. These are the marvels of jiisow, a Somali traditional dance that is fast losing glitter.Such dances would hardly excite in other parts of the country but in this conservative community, jiisow represents a stark departure from the norm. Religious leaders often discourage the dance, arguing it corrupts morals.But defenders of the cultural boogie say it stands above the rest and creates no room for mischief."I participate in jiisow because I want to shake my ageing bones," says Mr Ammey Abdille, 52. Jiisow lovers argue the dance is an exclusively male affair, with women playing a peripheral role of ululating and clapping."Men are not expected to expose their bare chest and knees upward. With such stringent rules, I don’t understand how the dance could corrupt morals," says Abdille.Jiisow is often a warm up dance for Dhaanto, another Somali traditional dance.For Dhaanto, women can join in but they should not come close to men."Holding of hands is prohibited. The line between the dancers is often drawn," says Mrs Ambia Uga, 53.In Dhaanto, women sing and clap while the men dance in stooping position, like vultures around a prey. As the singing hits crescendo, a staggering group of men joins the ring, stamping their feet."Women sing in praise of men and the men reciprocate by showering women with praises," says Mr Nurkey Adan Ahmed, 42.Curtain raiserAll this is often a curtain raiser for the final dance, saar. This is where the women have an opportunity to dance. Although saar is an exclusively women dance, a man is often spotted inside the ring formed by the women. "Despite the heat and sweat generated, women are supposed to remain in their hijab," explains Uga."In the olden days, no bride would be taken to her husband’s house before a saar jig," says Ambia.In those days, the dance was performed in special gear — wrappers and turban. These have been replaced with religious outfits, especially the burka for the women. In Somalia, the Al-shabaab militant group has banned the dances. Recently, the Islamist group opened fire at villagers who had gathered for the dance. Two people were reportedly killed and scores injured. The group has also banned social gatherings involving both sexes.However, in northern Kenya where opposition against these dances is not vocal, residents say the biggest hindrance to the culture is the Chiefs Act."A chief can prohibit the dances, which are normally held at night," explains Mr Ali Kalil of Ijara District.Tourist attraction"That power bestowed on the chief has negatively impacted on the culture, which should be supported to attract tourists," says Kalil.The old generation recalls that women coming for saar wore buscad, Somali ghee, on their faces.But these days, women wear lipstick and perfumes."What is being exhibited as saar is a diluted version of the good old dance," says Mr Abagira Hussein Abdi, 62. Abdi adds: "The songs used to be poetic. Traditionally, dry hides were laid down for jiisow dance to give the effect of livestock stampede as they rush for water." And yet some say the dances were meant to defuse tension between clans. "The dance has been known to defuse tension between clans as it hooks people easily," explains Mrs Nuria Abdullai, former coordinator of Wajir Peace and Development Agency.Jiisow is also used to mobilise people for public meetings. Politicians use the dances’ powerful effect to draw people to their campaign rallies. In fact, during political campaigns, some dancers rake in a fortune from the candidates. Jiisow is also used during public health campaigns. Originally, the dances were held when the community wanted to overcome misery as a result of calamities and also to celebrate the onset of rains.However, the culture faces extinction as modern day entertainment, particularly secular music by Somalis in Diaspora, take root.

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