Performed Words: Ballads and Folktales
of Tanzania's Haya People
Hear the Haya Ballads at http://www.performedwords.org.
(See software requirements below.)
Performed Words is a multimedia resource that uses Synchrotext technology to stream audio recordings of Haya balladry and folktales simultaneously with their English-language transcriptions, allowing users to experience Haya oral tradition in new ways. The site contains 10 ballads and 36 folktales, including "King Kitekere," a heroic ballad about prophecy and bravery that documents the Kyamutwara army's battle with the Ihangiro people of the neighboring Kihanja kingdom.
Who are the Haya?
About two million people live in the Kagera region of northwestern Tanzania, on the western shore of Lake Victoria. The Haya language, written since the late nineteenth century, is akin to the hundreds of Bantu languages spoken today in southern and eastern Africa. Historically, Haya society was shaped by social forces similar to those that shaped other Bantu-speaking kingdoms that evolved in the region around Lake Victoria and the lakes of the Rift Valley. Characterized by a centralized royal bureaucracy, these societies evolved from about the fifteenth century in a context shaped by conflict between two powerful institutions: a royal state based on the economic power of cattle ownership and a system of clans that controlled the inheritance of agricultural land. The ongoing contradiction between these institutions was shaped by various factors, including ecological conditions and European colonial rule. In Uganda, this development led to stable, ritually confirmed accommodations between the adherents of these institutions. In Rwanda, the contradiction was nurtured into ongoing bloody confrontation. Fortunately, in Hayaland, the contradiction churned well below the surface of events, giving rise to relatively few armed confrontations, but finding expression in aspects of communicative behavior, including the heroic ballads and, to a lesser extent, the folktales you are about to hear. Today, like other citizens of Tanzania, Haya people strive for economic and social development and individual achievement. The stories that come from the past, when they perform or remember them, serve as markers of historical development, embodiments of ethical principle, and, of course, beguiling entertainment.
- Peter Seitel, author, The Powers of Genre: Interpreting Haya Oral Literature
What is Synchrotext?
Synchrotext is an annotated media viewer that displays synchronized media with text. It provides real-time, English-language transcription of each Haya ballad and folktale in the collection on your computer screen as you listen to the corresponding audio track. In addition, you can create your own notes and annotations within the Synchrotext interface and then share your findings with others. Synchrotext is made available to Black Short Fiction and Folklore subscribers through the collaboration of Alexander Street Press and Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
Software Requirements
To access Performed Words, your computer must be equipped with either Microsoft Internet Explorer version 7.0 or higher, or Mozilla Firefox version 2.0 or higher. Pop-ups must be enabled on your web browser. Additionally, your computer must be equipped with Adobe Shockwave Player and either QuickTime or RealPlayer. Your computer must also be equipped with electronic audio equipment including a sound card as well as audio speakers and/or an audio headset.