The Sunday Mail
Desire Ncube
NYAU is a cult that is deeply shrouded in secrecy, thereby leading to many speculations, especially where initiation of members is concerned.
President of Angonia ‘One Clan’, a Nyau group based in Mufakose, Steven Chikanyanu better known as “Bla Mwene” in the Nyau circles explained some of the things that happen during the Nyau’s initiation process into Gule wankulu (big dance).
A successful initiation process is normally followed by the performance of the dance to celebrate the integration.
The members also perform dances at their initiation ceremonies, funerals and memorials services. As they do this, their faces will be masked to hide their identity.
Their costumes made from a variety of items such as wood, paint, feathers, metal, wool and animal skin thereby representing a great variety of characters such as wild animals and spirits.
Some masks have a blank but horrific appearance, others a fixed enigmatic expression.
“When the dancer wears the mask, not only do they change their appearance, they also evoke a persona to match. Fierce masks will most undoubtedly evoke a high energy persona that would breakout into a wild dance and kick up a cloud of dust and leave bystanders in awe,” Bla Mwene added.
He also said that the Nyau brotherhood is responsible for the initiation of men and women into the cult.
“The dancers are men who have been initiated, and it is the elder people who initiate them. Initiation of men and women into the secret society begins with one living in a sacred place for a week or more. This is done especially to men. “Tradition says it is taboo for anyone to come on his own seeking admittance into the society, parents are expected to accompany their children and one must be above the age of 18 years,” said Mwene.
He however refused to divulge what will be happening at their sacred shrine during that time. He also refused to comment on the speculation that this sacred place is the grave yard.
Mwene however, confirmed that those initiated eat a full roasted chicken with no salt.
“A lot of things will be happening there but ‘mwambo’ (laws) there does not allow me to dish out everything. But let me just highlight that we eat roasted chicken contrary to people’s speculations that we force people to eat raw chicken. The only difference is that during initiation we don’t eat anything with salt. Instead we replace it (salt) with our herbs,” he said.
“Soon after that we (perform) Gule Wankulu. And if someone dances while naked you don’t laugh, you should not look surprised, you must take it normally. “If you look surprised, annoyed or disappointed, anything can happen to you through juju. It is a dangerous dance,” added Bla Mwene.
He said Nyau is an African culture that is associated with ancestors and encounters with spirits, which is why it is associated with fear.
“There are a variety of masks symbolising different spirits or aspects of life such as fertility or death. The dance fuses religion, centuries of tradition and rituals as it not only entertains but conveys a message.
“It makes the borders of the realms indistinct, blurring the senses. It hypnotises and draws you in by curiosity, only for a while,” he said.
The dance involves complex footwork, great stamina and flinging dust into the air to create dust clouds.
“The dancers shuffle, step and respond to specific drum beats and songs, depending on the mask he is wearing. But each particular mask and dance serves a particular role,” he added. The cult is said to have coded language, riddles, metaphors, myths and signing.
“When the men are dancing and women are singing, they are actual spirits in the ritual, and cannot be spoken of as men even though one may recognise their husbands, fathers, brothers and uncles when dancing.
“Again identifying the man wearing a mask is disrespectful to the religion. Although nothing can be done to you these days, we still discourage it,” he said. Mr Mwene said the dance and experience is always different, each carrying a different meaning.
While locals are generally frightened by Nyau dance perfomances, most tourists are intrigued by them.
