‘’Mango Tree, Mango Tree’’…
… and the children immediately burst into exuberant song and dance.
I cannot help but grin, properly, ear to ear. As I watch these beaming children, enchanted by the uplifting rhythms and beats, I realise, for the first time, the great power of music and dance.
I had been to Zambia before- as a tourist. But this time was different. There were no more lavish lodges or guided safari tours with my camera constantly poised at the ready. I stayed, instead, with Game Rangers International, a holistic non-government conservation organisation, in a tent alongside the rural Mukambi community.
On my first day, clearly different, a Mzungu (white person), my stomach fluttered as nervousness peaked out from the deep pit which I had banished it to.
I did not want to be another ‘’white girl’’ travelling to Africa to ‘do good’, only to accidently patronise and perpetuate unsustainable ideas. I wanted to learn from them as much as I hoped they might learn from me.
It did not take long for me to feel more at ease, it turns out we were not all that different. We quickly became friends, sharing our experiences and joking together. But not necessarily through words.
Language is important, but words are given undue emphasis- they are simply not our only form of inter-ethnic communication.
Human bodies, the locus of expression, offer us the opportunity to transcend language barriers through performance and shared bodily experience. Music and dance are universal languages, not in the sense that they are culturally homogenising, but in the sense that they can successfully catalyse social interaction and cultural sharing.
Energy dwindling, introductory games played, the sun retreats to the horizon, engulfing everything it touches in a warm orange hue. My first day with the Mukambi community was coming to an end.
Three barefooted boys race to their classroom. They emerge with a set of clearly well-loved Zambian drums, a few visible holes in the earthy skins. The drums are assembled on the school’s dusty playground, they eagerly take their positions and begin to strike, feeling the grooves and vibrations.
Before I know it, tantalising music fills the air, my body is overcome with an almost uncontrollable urge to move with the beat.
Flocking to the source of the music, a now sizable group of children begin to sing and dance, unable to avoid interjecting infectious laughter, sporadically throughout the rhythms.
It is a truly heart-warming sight. Zambian conservationists and community outreach patrons, Britius Munkombwe and Chiinza Hamz, step in and call ‘’Mango Tree, Mango Tree’’, the children joyously respond:
‘’I jump under the mango tree’’, everyone bounces up and down, up and down.
‘’I dance under the mango tree’’, hips roll zestfully side to side.
I drift off to sleep that night, happy and content, to the calls of ‘’Mango Tree’’ resonating in my subconscious.
This was not the only time I witnessed an eruption of excitement after the call of ‘’Mango Tree, Mango Tree.’’ From community to community, children gathered to join in with this jovial chant.
They were often excited to see me, a Mzungu, dancing alongside them, sharing their beloved song which drips with social significance. Despite our physical differences, our cultural variations, our language barriers, in those moments we could communicate and understand each other through our embodied experiences.
Shared by imitation, Mango Tree helps sustain Zambian oral tradition, bringing it into the contemporary, where is can endure on a local and global level.
As with most children songs, Mango Tree is imbued with morals and cultural meaning.
The mango tree, arms outstretched to create a luscious green canopy, is the centre of the community, providing essential shade from the scorching sun. A protective place where the community can complete their daily tasks, together.
The mango fruit, mouth-wateringly succulent, offer a natural sweet break from the regular staple supper- stodgy nshima and beans. Its nectar, a pleasant balance of sweetness and water both energises and hydrates.
Mango Tree is a symbol of tradition, community and happiness. It transcends barriers and highlights that communication goes beyond words. It is much more than a simple children’s song.
