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shaped by this sharing and interaction with others, and eventually all those
traits were exported back to Makgabeng when the labourers returned home.
Regardless of the hardships of compound life endured by the labourers,
they still found ways of trying to alleviate such stressful lives. After all, they
had been coerced into the system, and therefore, as human beings, tried to
cope with their difficult conditions. The communal identities which the
migrant labourers were born into in rural village such as Makgabeng, soon
became evident even in the compounds. After knocking off from work,
especially during weekends, men from Makgabeng would come together
and share so many things, especially in beer halls which were built near or
inside the compounds. In addition to reminding one another of their lives
back in rural villages, they also began to be involved in entertainment
activities together.
One of the most powerful entertainments to emerge from compounds
around Soweto, Tembisa, Mamelodi and Saulsville was the powerful drums
and flute dance, known as dinaka. According Matome Johannes Seanego,
the Makgabeng inmates of compounds in those mentioned townships
formed themselves into dinaka groups 561 . During weekends and holidays
each group would rehearse by itself while on special occasions they would
invite one another at one venue for festivals. During such occasions, the
561 Interview, Matome Johannes Seanego, New Jerusalem village, 19 September 2003.
319