Dance Music in Igbo Culture: A Study of Akubumma Cultural Dance of Uli

Abstract

One of the most captivating traditional music genres in Igbo culture is dance music. In Igbo land, the organisation and performance of dance music reflects a community’s beliefs, orientation and the purpose necessitating the music and the dance. Basically, dance music is utilized by folk groups as a way of showcasing and strengthening their cultural identity and oneness as well as a means of celebrating events of customary or social relevance. In Uli, there are various dance music types; they include those for individuals and groups, women, children, youths and elderly men and women. This study is focused on the activities of Akubumma Cultural Dance, a dance music type performed by the folk men of Umuoma community in Uli, Anambra State. The study covers the organisation and performance techniques of the dance. Data collected for the study emerged from the field work undertaken by the researcher as well as from secondary sources. The result of the research indicates that traditional music is one of the foundational aspects of Igbo culture, one that should be sustained by ensuring its intergenerational transmission through the involvement of children and youths in dance music development and performances. The study recommends that the performance of traditional music should be made a major entertainment feature of various communal festivities and events in order to reinforce its value as a unifying and health-enhancing cultural expression.