Dança e identidade: interpretação da dança Nakhula, Nampula – Moçambique, (1976-1992).

Abstract

The present study aims to analyze the role of the ancestral dances, in particular the Nakhula ancestral dance, in the (re) construction of the Identity of the people from the Malema district. The dance is seen as a cultural heritage as well as the depository of the traditions and cultural manifestation transmitted from generation to generation. In terms of the method, the study was based on oral history, having employed the interview and the image-capturing technique. The study concluded that Nakhula ancestral dance is seen as a vehicle for the social and local knowledge transmission linked to the various ceremonies, among them: funeral ceremonies, mainly those related to the remembrance of loved ones – performed 40 days after the physical disappearance of a relative, locally known as Makeya, marriages, successful harvest, the birth of a child, rites of passage, as well as political and recreational events. The dances, as cultural manifestations, serve as a means of knowledge transmission from generation to generation as well as means to populations expressing pleasure or displeasure to the political power. To celebrate these moments, families/local communities organize parties or ceremonies and invite the dancers to liven up the party. Keywords: Ancestral dances, Ceremonies, Identities, Cultural manifestations, memory.