MaKuYa Traditional Dance Festival

Makuya Traditional Performing and Cultural Arts Festival

 In November I went to Mtwara to the MaKuYa traditional dance festival.  Organised by a local NGO, it's aim is to promote the traditional dance and culture of the local Tanzanian tribes in the South.  Groups of dancers from the Makonde, Makua and Yao tribes performed their traditional dances dressed in their traditional costumes.  The dances all told a story, as this was the traditional way of passing knowledge through the generations of the tribe.  Unfortunately I do not know what the stories were, except there seemed to be one about chickens (well, they were all dressed as chickens!).  Also on display were some fantastic hand carved masks, some of which were over 300 years old, and a babu giving a demonstration of how they are made. 
It was great to see this side of Tanzania which is slowly being eroded away as "western" cultures invade even into the smallest of villages, and it is good that an event like this can spread the traditional cultures to the younger generation of Tanzanians.