We know well that music plays an important role in any kind of ceremonies and social occasions.
Music is a vital part of our life from the very beginning, during our entire life and even the death.
A child’s birth is a very festive occasion where we sing traditional songs. The life of a child is especially influenced by music because there is much use of music in the Mozambican traditions. And if we take a closer look, many children’s activities actually involve music.
Children watch cartoons, which include music, they dance and sing all the time in primary schools and also sing to praise God in Sunday schools. During secondary school, music is also indispensable as most of the learning practices are based on singing.
Let’s not forget about the musical games! There are two musical games we usually play here in Mozambique: Maria Espassana and Coropita.
Maria Espassana is a game, played by boys and girls, by making a circle with one participant in the center. He or she sings and dances with closed eyes and at the end of a song points another participant who will replace him or her in the center of a circle. This game is played in different areas of Africa and specifically in Mozambique.
Coropita is also a game from Africa. It is very popular in Mozambique among girls and can be played in- and outdoor. Before you start, you choose your own stone and make a hole in the ground (or draw a circle on the floor if you are indoor) and fill it with stones.
In order to win you have to collect as many stones as possible from the hole, but respecting two tricky rules: first, you can take stones from the hole only when you throw your own stone and it is in the air; second, in the meantime you have to sing!
Thus, our children learn, dance, pray and of course play in music. Due to these traditions, they all have basic notions of music even without having received any theoretical tuiton. They simply enjoy music and have a good sense of it because they understand it unconsciously.
Article by Amélia Isabel Mondlane
Intern at MCA Mozambique
