Music and dance in wonset ritual among the Sapiiny in Uganda

Abstract

The Sapiiny community in Uganda perform a circumcision ritual known as Wonset to initiate adolescent males into adulthood. The ritual has music and dance as its constituent elements. The researcher takes interest in the music and dance because they are an inseparable part of this ritualistic circumcision yet scholars who have written about this ritual do not discuss the music and dances performed there. More so, the actual use of music and dance in Wonset has not been critically examined in most of the existing studies. In this qualitative study, the researcher used tools such as participant observation, interviews, and photography. Personal experience of the researcher as a native born and raised in Sebei region also played a very important role in this study about wonset and its constituent music and dance performance. This study established that Wonset is something more than a mere surgery of the male sexual reproductive organ. It is a rite of passage for boys among the Sapiiny community. It initiates Sapiiny boys into manhood/adulthood while at the same time, re-uniting them with their ancestors. Music and dance plays a very significant role beyond entertainment to being constituent element of this ritual. They develop behavior, attitude, skills and values in the candidate-participants which make them responsible leaders of both their future families and Sebei at large. It is also a festivity celebrated in a series of stages in which people come together to showcase their talents in singing and dancing, celebrate their harvest, find and identify with their relatives, make friendship and affirm their identity as Sapiiny. The study concludes that, through music and dance, the Sapiiny affirm their culture and perform a documenting role through them.