| Giriama Dancing Ever wanted to know the highlight of life in Africa? It is their music! Here you can experience the drums and dances of the Giriama tribe while sitting by a large campfire under millions of stars. The group is based in Mida Creek and practises in Mida Ecocamp. Usually they play at special occasions as local weddings or funerals, but now they can also be booked for performances for our guests. The Giriama ladies have a routine of wriggling their hips without end and follow quite simple steps, while the drummers are breaking out in sweat. People from the village will turn up and join in - and we won't stop them. This is the real thing! A private performance can be booked for 2500 Ksh for groups under 10 people. Groups of ten people and above will be charged at 250 Ksh per person. The camp is not making a profit on the performance to support the performers and their families. |
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| (YouTube.com. will open in a new browser) |
The Giriama People
They live in homesteads of around 7 to 70 people, most of the time made up of three or four generations. Their huts are
made from dried grasses, which cover the wooden framework and are surprisingly cool on the inside.
Within the homesteads, one can find a 'coma', a place where ancestors are remembered and honoured. Each dead person is
having a stick carved in their memory. These sticks are different in height, depending on family rank. Should some bad luck
come over one family, they place coconut-wine and food in front of these sticks, trying to please the ancestors.
The Giriama express themselves through their dances and their drumming and have different variations for different
occasions.
They grow coconuts, cashew-nuts, maize, limes and some tomatoes and beans. Their main meal is ugali, made from the grinded
maize meal with 'soup' made from beans and tomatoes.
They live in homesteads of around 7 to 70 people, most of the time made up of three or four generations. Their huts are
made from dried grasses, which cover the wooden framework and are surprisingly cool on the inside.
Within the homesteads, one can find a 'coma', a place where ancestors are remembered and honoured. Each dead person is
having a stick carved in their memory. These sticks are different in height, depending on family rank. Should some bad luck
come over one family, they place coconut-wine and food in front of these sticks, trying to please the ancestors.
The Giriama express themselves through their dances and their drumming and have different variations for different
occasions.
They grow coconuts, cashew-nuts, maize, limes and some tomatoes and beans. Their main meal is ugali, made from the grinded
maize meal with 'soup' made from beans and tomatoes.
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Person 2: Dzalamuka
Person 1: eee
Person 2: Simanya nawe
Person 1: Nambola
Person 2: Ndovizo
Person 1: Dzasindadze
Person 2: Dzasinda
Person 1: Simanya nawe
Person 2: Ndovizo
- Thank you - Ninamuvera
- You are welcome - Karibu
- Good-bye - Ukaleto
- Reply to 'good-bye' - Wende muzima
A Giriama elder in the coma, ©David Rouge