MUSIC, DANCE, AND THEATER
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Purifying or healing (phekolo) basins used to address the ancestors by members of the Tumelo mo Badimong traditional church. At an annual ceremony, the basins are filled with traditional beer that is then blessed by the priest before congregation members are permitted to enter the enclosure to beseech their ancestors for help with healing or other troubles. Each basin is for the ancestors of a different tribe, or morafe.
T RADITIONAL M USIC
AND
D ANCE
Movement and vocals that use repetitive forms of call-and-response in which a soloist sings the stanzas to which the other singers respond in a chorus are characteristic of Botswana’s traditional dances. Most dancing is accompanied by rhythmic hand clapping and usually ends with an exuberant and high-pitched ululation by the female participants. Men and women of varying ages dance using creative leg and body motions with women, in particular, emphasizing the movement of hips and changing facial expressions; the elegance of the body and facial gestures are intended to go hand in hand with the beauty of the music. Clothing is another important aspect of traditional dance. Most Batswana today, for instance, wear Western clothing except when they put on traditional costumes for tourist or ceremonial purposes. But even when dances such as the trance dance are done “at home” for their traditional purposes, Sarwa men in eastern Botswana—where skin loincloths have long been abandoned—will still remove their shirts and roll up their trouser legs or put