Bondo in Sierra Leone- Ricky Chen- DANC163

After reading An Opera of the West African Bondo: The Act, Ideas and the Word by Frederick Lamp, I came to a better understanding of the significance of initiation and ritual dances in the West African context (specifically, Sierra Leon). First, I found it entertaining that Frederick Lamp constantly refers back to the European Opera as a base of comparison. On one hand, it allows Westerners to understand it better by putting something foreign parallel to something they know. On the other hand, it seems inappropriate to compare Bondo with Opera because Opera is narrative and Bondo is symbolic and spiritual. Bondo is Bondo, not West African Opera. Lamp does provide a detailed description and insights of the Bondo : the setting, symbols, actions of women, etc. The dance embodies change, a metamorphosis. There is so much weight and meaning in each movement that the culmination of these movements can change your social status in a society and community.

Connecting what we have learned in this course, we known that subtle differences in body movements and body parts can mean representing different religions, ethnic groups, countries, etc. However, one thing that we have not talked about is sitting. The act of sitting does not mean not moving, but carries the significance of existence. According to Lamp, "Sitting, therefore, associates women with the act of belonging, becoming, arriving, and being...Coming to sit equals being." In Western society, we take every simple movement for granted, overlooking the significant weight and the great communicative ability of body gestures. After reading this anthropologic study, I am beginning to understand that we must not mark our movements but rather articulate each gesture to convey its full meaning. We must then dedicate all our energy to every body part and take this article to practice.