Northern Uganda is home to the Acholi people, a Nilotic ethnic group of the Luo people. They are descended from Nyabongo/Labongo, Nyipir/Gipir’s brother.
In Acholi, there are usually 23 types of music and dance that are threatened. Ajere, acut, okwil, lamuya, lacuku-cuku, okojo, aguma, akel, myel-lyel, rut, myel-jok anyodo, nanga, konge, obet, oling, oyiny, kwero merok, and atoo-iraa are some of them.
Apti
Apiti is a dance performed by women to commemorate the completion of a group endeavor. There is just singing, dancing, and whistling; no musical instruments are used. Due to the harvesting seasons of August through September and December through January, when there is an abundance of food, this dance is popular during these times.
The dance became well-known in the late 1960s and early 1970s after The Department of Community Development was particularly active in encouraging people to participate in productive activities like agriculture after colonial governments. Members of the Wamito Kuc Women’s song Group in Purongo Town Council, Nwoya District, perform Ajere dance and song. Politicians and the government would encourage groups of women by giving them uniforms to wear while they performed the Apiti dance and song. Due to the Department of Community Development’s inaction, Apiti decreased as interest in group activities waned. According to Ojara Lacambel, one of the festival organizers, it wasn’t shocking that just two groups—Palabek and Padibe in Lamwo District—performed Apiti dance at the 2010 Acholi music festival. Apiti entails songs that glorify men and women who toil away and mock ladies who flee from their family at times of great effort. Additionally, political usage of music has been appropriated to honor politicians. Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations (SACCOs), which are becoming increasingly popular, are a new way to encourage individuals to participate in income-generating activities and can help reinvigorate this type of music.
Larakaraka is a traditional Acholi performance showcasing the dance abilities of young men and women in the hopes of finding romantic partners or potential spouses. The dance is characterized by dynamic movements and acrobatics, with dancers often executing jumps and spins in mid-air. Laraka-raka is a dance of courting performed by singles. It includes songs about love, songs that compliment attractive and polite ladies, and songs that make fun of women from “bad” homes. Drums are the instruments used, and The girls in the dance wield whistles. The boys either blow large horns, referred to as obute in the local dialect, or small horns, known as bila.
The points of calabash, known locally as kiliko, or the tips of the horns of wildlife, including antelopes, are used to make the horns (these are known locally as kilu). Because every boy and man blows their horns in a different way, the girls and women can quickly recognize them.
There is a subgenre of Laraka-raka music and dancing known as
Dingi Dingi dance is a traditional children’s dance of the Acholi people of northern Uganda who occupy Gulu, Kitgum, Lamwo, Pader, Nwoya districts, among others.
Bwola is one of the most prestigious dances—a royal dance performed for the Acholi king. The men form a large circle and each carries a drum. The movement of their feet matches rhythmically with the beating of the drums. The women dance separately inside the circle without beating drums.
Otole is an Acholi dance performed by warriors, en route to the battlefield and after victory. # AcholiCulture #AcholiCulturalFestival17
Jok Myel
The spiritual leader will deploy Ajaar, a supernatural person, to drive away an evil spirit if it attacks someone. To call the spirit to communicate through someone, unique songs are sung throughout the ritual, accompanied by shakers and drums.
Because of this, this song is typically played when someone is ill or is being assaulted by a bad spirit. It is stated that each Acholi clan has its own deities, although they all cooperate.
Since music is viewed as evil by Christians, it is no longer performed. However, the songs in this genre have been taken and utilized in churches, where shrines have been set on fire. Nowadays, it’s rare to hear music performed anyplace.
Rut; The birth of children differs; some are conceived single, others twins, some accompany their heads first, and others with legs first. Phenomenal births in Acholi are commended. It implies these individuals are exceptional. For example, the twins and the individuals who come with their legs first. There are functions what’s more, customs expected to conciliate the spirits who empowered the birth to occur, however likewise to give the infants great wellbeing and to find lasting success individuals throughout everyday life. While for the typical births, when the mother and child are prepared to emerge from the house, peas are ready, for the unprecedented kids, white chicken is butchered. There are exceptional tunes and moves performed. For the twins, male and female members should be half-stripped, with the ladies uncovering their bosoms. The dance is done early morning and the exposure is intended to show that they are open with nothing to stow away.
The Lukeme music, which was primarily composed for young people, is said to have been among the most well-liked genres in Acholi. There is a claim that this particular genre of music kept kids out of school in the 1960s and 1970s. Students had to have their thumps tested on Monday to see if they had played Lukeme over the weekend. It is stated that lute players have been extremely well-liked. “Back then, going somewhere like Jinja was a sign of accomplishment, yet Lukeme boys were more well-liked than those who made the trip. According to Lacambel, girls favored a Lukeme lad even if he had jiggers. The 1980s saw parents start disparaging Lukeme in their speech. intended to prevent their kids from being engrossed in the music. Additionally, Adungu from the Jonam tribe took it over. In the late 1980s, Lacambel is recognized for having brought Lukeme back to life by putting people in groups to study the genre. Aije, Geppe, or Aguma are other names for Lukeme dance, according to Mr. Okello Quinto of Gulu Theatre Artists.
Aijie, or Ayije
It consists of saucepans, shakers, and various-sized thumb pianos to provide the bass. The greatest composers wrote the songs. The majority of the songs are momentous and historical. The history of the Acholi is archived in this particular form of music.
For example, it is said that every occurrence from the LRA battle is preserved in this style of music.
