They all have in common the meaning of the dance, which was originally only danced by the men. With this dance, the men settled a tough, and sometimes even violent and bloody, fight to determine the superiority between different age groups in the village.
The Malinke (also known as Mandinko) are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They are the descendants of the Mali Empire. They live in The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Niger, Mauritania and even small communities in the central African nation of Chad.
Dununba, the "Dance of the Strong Men" is a very old dance, performed, as its name suggests, only by men. However, exceptions to that rule have been come more common as time goes by.
The "Dance of the Strong Men" as danced by the Malinke of Hamanah occupies a position that makes it more of a social ritual than an amusement, although this aspect is also not ignored. It takes place in the Bara, the space for dancing that every village possesses and which has a large tree, either a Kapok or Mangrove, planted in the center. The circles of men or boys are formed around the tree, each circle representing a social or age group (kare). The Baranti, the masters of the Bara form the group that assumes responsibility for the smooth running of the festivities. They are the first to dance, and no-one else can use the Bara without their agreement. Although the Dunumba is reserved for men as its name indicates, women could take part by dancing at one side or by coming to the centre to enliven the atmosphere.
In modern times, Dununba is often done as a community and has the atmosphere of a public party.
Here's an example of modern Dununba Community drum and dance party:
And this is a more traditional version (this video's ability to be embedded is disabled, so you will have to go to YouTube to view it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x9nEAM02Fs
More information can be found here: DUNUMBA, DUNUNBA, DOUNUMBA
