Q.What is the role of music in these children's lives? What does the film have to say about the enduring power of music?
Ans: It is an honorable, sometimes inspiring exploration of the primal healing power of music and dance in an African tribal culture. The competition in the capital city, Kampala, is obviously much more than an entertaining talent show. Through music, dance and drumming, the children transmute fear and pain into profoundly cathartic spiritual affirmation.
These ancestral dances are connected to their homeland and their tribal roots (they are members of the Acholi tribe) and ultimately to their core identity. When they perform the Bwola, the tribe’s intricate, 500-year-old royal dance, you feel its ritual power healing broken lives.
The main purpose of a war dance was to infuse a fighting spirit and self-confidence into the dancers. They were going into a dangerous activity, many probably for the first time. Nearly all were at least scared, many were terrified. The war dance helps to overcome that fear, as well as helps bond with your fellow warriors. That bond is the main thing that will keep you at your post in a battle; you don’t want to fail your comrades.
Q. How is tradition linked to a physical place, and why is this notion important? Is traditional or folk music important in your life?
Ans: Every tribe in the world has traditional dances which act as a symbol, identity and custom...
