Litungu - Musoma, Mara. Tanzania

The Litungu is both an instrument and an event. The instrument is a bowl lyre, a cousin of the better known Luo nyatiti. The event is a ritual organized to celebrate good harvests, weddings, and circumcisions. Boys and girls, between the ages of 13 and 18, take part. They dance in two lines, facing each other. The basic musical ensemble consists of the litungu and percussion. Often the litungu player will also sing. Some ensembles also include a one-string fiddle, kin to the orutu.

The Litungu is one of the most common celebrations of the AbaKurya, maize and cassava farmers whose homeland extends from Migori country in Kenya to Musoma rural district in the Mara Region of Tanzania. Musoma is also a city on the eastern edge of Lake Victoria, it is the capital of the Mara region.

I found these lovely litungu recordings in Mwanza, Tanzania's main port on Lake Victoria. These are not studio recordings, they are live recordings made during Litungu celebrations. I suspect, given the audio fidelity, that they were recorded with a digital recording device. Some of the performers are identified. All of these performers are unknown to me. Superficially, all of these recordings sound very similar. A hypnotic, repetitive, melody with steady percussion accompaniment. Imagine a Philip Glass composition performed for a village celebration. Closer listening, however, reveals subtle differences between the selections.

Download Litungu - Musoma, Mara. Tanzania

One of the selections features Chilare, Bhituko, and Mhanda, the three performers in this cell-phone video. It gives a good idea of a litungu celebration.

This second video features a more interesting performance.

Enjoy!