Music of the Waswahili of Lamu, Kenya

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The first volume in this collection contains examplesof five forms of maulidi: Maulidi ya Kiswahil~ Maulidiat-Habshi, Maulidi Barazanji, Maulidi Diriji andMaulidi Sharaful Anam or Kukangaya.Maulidi is the most popular musical form in I.amu.It is first of all a Muslim ritual marking the birth ofthe Prophet Muhammad, but it is also, both to thelocal participant and to the outside observer, anexciting performance. It reaches a peak of public display'during the month-long annual celebration of the actualbirth of the Prophet, but it also occurs throughout theyear in private celebrations in homes or public recitalsin the mosques or on the streets of the town. The fivedifferent styles in use in I.amu all consist of chantedreadings and hymns in praise of the Prophet. In spite ofthe strong musical component in maulidi, people referto it as "readings" rather than music, thereby reflectingthe orthodox Muslim reluctance to be involved in theoverindulgence or uncontrolled expression oftenVolume IMaulidlSide 1Maulidt ya KtswahUtassociated with musical performance.The forms of maulidi contain texts describing eventsin the life of the Prophet and maxims for proper livingderived from the Prophet's example. These are chantedby a religiOUS leader in a style similar to the chantingof the sacred Koran. Interspersed with these readingsare the hymns in praise of the Prophet, usually sung byall in attendance. In three of the styles, the matariaccompany the hymns, while in two, the hymns aresung without instrumental accompaniment, usingbody rhythm to establish the basic pulse.The examples on this record demonstrate clearlythe commonality of structure of the five styles. Thedifferences among them should also be apparent.Different groups and individuals in I.amu have theirfavorite styles, which are used at various times andon different occasions, but nearly everyone in I.amuwould heartily agree that maulidi is undoubtedly theirmost treasured musical form.Maulidi ya Kiswahil; as it exists today, has developedout of older forms which can no longer be clearlydescribed by the people of I.amu. The readings used inMau/idi ya Kiswahili are often referred to as Maulidiat Debi, a form published in 1912 in Bombay, India,but no doubt composed much earlier. Knowledgeableinformants ~y that the Debi readings have been alteredby the addition of poems original to I.amu or materialfrom other forms of maulidi. 10 addition, Maulidi yaKiswahili is occasionally referred to as Maulidi ya Rama,the "shaking maulidi," referring to the movementsmade at the climax of the hymns. Some think Maulidiya Rama was once a distinct form of maulidi in itsown right, but most evidence indicates it is an earlierand perhaps derogatory name for what is called Maulidiya Kiswahili today.Maulidi ya Kiswahili is the only style of maulidi inI.amu in which Kiswahili is used. The language of sacredritual is Arabic, so that, even in Maulidi ya Kiswahil~the readings and many of the hymns are in Arabic.Traditionally, new songs or verses were created on thespur of the moment in the midst of heightened devotion,but this rarely happens today. Old favorites are therule. Maulidi ya Kiswahili readings often occur in streetswhich have been set off for the purpose by placingmats on the ground and enclosing the central area withropes tied to temporary poles. lights are strung betweenthe poles and colored bits of cloth or paper are tiedto the ropes. At the height of a reading more than onehundred men and boys participate while others gatheraround the perimeter.The participants sit in two long rows on the matsfacing each other. One row contains the readers andother leading religiOUS figures of ramu and the threematan players. Exact position in this row is determinedby age or respect for a person's status, especially in thereligiOUS hierarchy of the town. The other row containsyounger men and boys who at certain points in theritual perform stylized dances on their knees, swayingfrom side to side. The drums accompany the hymns8but are silent during the readings. Each drum is tunedto a particular tension or pitch and each drummerplays a different rhythmiC pattern. The three drumstogether create a dynamic and forceful accompanimentto the singing.A Maulidi ya Kiswahili reading begins with fatiha,opening prayers. These are followed by the openinghymn which is the same at every reading. The first eightor nine verses are chanted by a teacher and the restare sung by various individuals, with the whole groupjoining in the chorus. Another reading, chanted by oneof the leading teachers present follows the hymn.Readings and hymns alternate until the maqam, theverse which mentions the birth of the Prophet, isreached. At this point everyone rises and a series ofhymns unique to this part of the reading is sung. Afterthe singing of five or six of these hymns, everyone sitsdown again, final prayers called dua are said, andrefreshments of dates and coffee are served. The wholereading usually takes about two and a half or three hours.The readings themselves are well known to nearlyeveryone involved since they occur at every performance.However, the leader can choose to leave out or includeparticular sections on a given night depending on theenthusiasm of the men participating or other subjectivejudgments. The first two hymns are the same for everyreading, but the rest are chosen spontaneously byanyone who wishes to do so, merely by reciting thechorus of the hymn as soon as it becomes apparentthe reader has finished. The timing of the entranceof the hymns is remarkable; there is very little pausebetween readings and hymns. Direct competition oftwo hymns beginning at the same time is also rare.The hymns consist of a chorus which is sung byeveryone, and verses which are introduced spontaneouslyby various individuals. Most of the versesare familiar to the others and many join in with theoriginal reciter before he finishes his lines. The versesfor a given hymn vary from reading to reading and areinterchangeable from hymn to hymn, so long as they fit
the scansion of the musical line. The number of versesalso varies from ten to as many as thirty. On occasion,someone chants a longer verse than usual in a stylecalled kukangaya, which means shaking. This style isborrowed from the form of maulidi called Maulidi yaKukangaya, which is now known only by a small numberof older religious devouts. Examples occur in thisrecording, and the single performance of kukangayawitnessed in the field is excerpted on this record.At an indeterminate point the group begins to recitethe last phrase or line of the hymn over and over again.This repetition is accompanied by synchronized bodymovements of all the younger men in the facing row,who rise up onto their knees and quickly adjust theirpositions so that their shoulders are lightly touchingand their knees are aligned. The movements consist ofgentle swaying from side to side and forvvard and backwith the arms held at angles in front of the body or withhands on shoulders. The duration of the repetitionsdepends again upon the enthusiasm of the participants.Tension mounts during this chant, being encouragedby the intensity of the drums, until one of the leadersbegins a repetition of the entire hymn and the wholegroup joins in. This ends that hymn and the nextreading begins.Maulidi ya Kiswahili is performed on the averageSide 2, Band 1Maulidi al-Habshiof once a week by one of two loosely organized groupsin the town, for no reason other than to praise theProphet. It is believed that praises of the Prophet resultin blessings on those who do it, and so the more oftenit is done, the better. BeSides, for the people of Iamu,it is an exciting addition to their regular prayers andthey take great satisfaction in a well executed reading.Malarl players accompanying Maulldl yaKlswabIUMaulidi al-Habshi is the most recent form ofmaulidi to be introduced into Iamu. All informantsagree that it was written by Ali ibn Muhammadal-Habshi, who taught in the Hadramaut on the southerncoast of the Saudi Arabian peninsula around the turn ofthe twentieth century. One informant mentioned 1295a.h. (1915 a.d.) as an approximate date for the deathof al-Habshi.Sources in Iamu knowledgeable about the life ofal-Habshi say that the ritual came to the East Africancoast because the Sultan of Hadramaut becamealarmed at the rising influence al-Habshi was gainingwith Bedouin tribesmen, who were attracted to histeachings because of the maulidi celebrations heregularly performed. In order to prevent his teachingsfrom being suppressed by governmental action,al-Habshi dispatched students to other parts of theMuslim world which had regular contact with theHadrarnaut and probably contained Hadrami settlements.These included Java, Singapore, and Significantly,Iamu.Al-Habshi's maulidi was adopted for local use inIamu by a saintly ascetic teacher, Saleh ibn Alwy ibnAbdullah Jamal Al-lail, who has come to be called HabibSaleh, Habib being an honorific title meaning "beloved,"which is attached to the names of especially saintlyteachers after their deaths. Habib Saleh attracted manystudents both by his energetic teaching and throughthe use of Maulidi al-Habshi as a devotional device.Because of his widespread influence as a teacher, hishouse came to be used by many people as a mosque.Some time before his death a new and larger mosque,called the Riadha Mosque, was built near his originalhouse. The Mosque-is nowone of the most influential9schools of Muslim law and practice in all of East Africa.Hisdescendants and their pupils still practice Maulidial-Habshi on a regular basis. It is the form used for theannual celebration of the birth of the Prophet,organized and led by the teachers of the Riadha Mosque,and attended by thousands of visitors from alloverEast Africa.The performance of Maulidi al-Habshi resemblesMaulidi ya Kiswahili, containing regular readingsinterspersed with hymns, beginning with fatiha andending with dua. However, the readings or hymnsused in Maulidi al-Habshi never occur in Maulidi yaKiswahili or vice versa. In addition, the social organizationof Maulidi al-Habshi readings is very different. Inthe first place, all the readings are done by teachersfrom the Riadha Mosque rather than by a variety ofreligiOUS leaders. Secondly, the teachers start all thehymns and recite the verses. The verses are regular foreach hymn, the same ones being used each time aparticular hymn is performed. Other participants joinin repetitions of the verses and the chorus of hymnsand responses during the readings. The most activeparticipants in a Maulidi al-Habshi reading are studentsfrom the Riadha Mosque. Others attend the readings,but are less directly involved than they are in Maulidi yaKiswahili readings.The hymns are accompanied by two matari, playedby young teachers from the Riadha Mosque. Occasionally,when the reading becomes very enthusiastic, afew boys or one or two men who participate in nearlyevery public maulidi reading in town beat the singleheadeddrum, kigoma, with a snapping motion thatenhances the sound of the matari. This also happens onoccasion in a Maulidi ya Kiswahili reading. The boys,
Page 1 and 2: COLLECTED BY ALAN W BOYDETHNIC FOLK
Page 3 and 4: ETHNIC FOLKWAYS RECORDS Album Nos.
Page 5: The lamu waterfront, a zeJe process
Page 8 and 9: THE KENYA COAST\\SOMALIA\\\KENyAWit
Page 12 and 13: who are seated facing their teacher
Page 14 and 15: Said, who pLayed the nai in the pre
Page 16 and 17: entered and circumnavigated the enc
Page 18: For Add it ion a I I n form a t ion

Music of the Waswahili of Lamu, Kenya

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