Anzoyo Sophie, Ma’di traditional dance leader (left), participating in interview carried by HUMAES peace project officer

I am Mrs. Anzoyo Sophie, aged 25 years.  I am a Ma’di traditional dance leader.  There are 30 members in our group. Before our community went to a refugee settlement in Uganda, we used to take part in traditional cultural dances. But nearly eight years down the road, there is no longer organized traditional dance. During the few days of practice, I could see the skill of the youth has improved. My appreciation goes to UNDP through HUMAES for the great opportunity provided for the youth to practice their traditional skills.

Right from the start of our practice until the time of the traditional gala event, it can be clearly observed that the youth did not present their original traditional dance skills. This was attributed to two reasons.  One of the reasons was because the youth have forgotten their traditional dance or another reason was that, the elders lost interest in training the youth.

The good thing is this particular cultural performance event has aroused the interest of the youth in traditional dance. However, the big challenges ahead of us are that the animal hide we use to prepare drums and Adungu (traditional stringed instrument resembling a harp) can easily get destroyed and the group will face financial difficulties to replace them. I urge HUMAES to lobby for more support for our groups.  For our part, we will continue with our normal practice until we perfect our traditional skills. Thanks to UNDP for the financial support.