ohangla

Ohangla is a traditional dance among the Luo community. It was used to celebrate weddings and also in funeral ceremonies as part of Tero Buru. Ohangla consists of more than eight drums played with sticks and a cylindrical, shoulder- slung drum, usually accompaniedby a flute, Nyatiti or kinanda. Tony Nyadundo, Prince Indah, Emma Jalamo, Otieno Aloka, Freddy Jakadongo, Osogo Winyo and Onyi Papa Jey are among the best-known Ohangla musicians. The original Ohangla featured a very fast tempo and often conveyed vulgar messages in its lyrics. Local elders would ban Ohangla music in the early 1980s because it was considered suitable for only adults. "The songs can only be interpreted by very intelligent or mature people, but not children or teenagers," noted Juma Oketch, an Ohangla band vocalist based in Nairobi. Ohangla is mainly associated with vigorous hip gyrations, suggestive dances, obscene lyrics, and liberal changaa (illicit brew) drinking among fans and players. Indeed, in the early 1980s, the then chief of West Alego in Alego/Usonga constituency, Siaya District (Currently Siaya County), Peter Osowo, banned the performance of Ohangla within the location after one of his wives eloped with a physically challenged Ohangla player.¶

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Ohangla”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence.¶

ohangla is style of traditional music and dance from the Luo community in Kenya, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition.¹¶

The source record links this tradition to 2 external registers, which can be verified through the citation.¹¶