Kiflemariam 1
Yanit Kiflemariam
Stacy Murchison
FA/DANC 1500 A
11 December 2022
Eritrean Folk Dance and Music: Annotated Bibliography
Admin, Shabait. “Tigrinya Traditional Songs.” Eritrea Ministry Of Information, 6 Apr. 2022,
https://shabait.com/2022/04/06/tigrinya-traditional-songs/.
In this article, the benefit of maintaining such traditions is extremely clear from the
importance of traditional songs, especially for those who have mastered the skill of
accompanying songs and chants with traditional musical instruments. As the author Milka
Teklom came to a conclusion in her discussion of the many Tigrigna traditional songs,
Abraham (known singer) stated that even in the most distant areas, these songs are struggling
to remain original due to their blending with current beats. He exhorts youth to return to their
roots and breathe new life into the old tunes.
Administrator. “Guaila's Pervasive in Eritrea.” Eritrea Ministry Of Information, 5 Sept. 2020,
https://shabait.com/2020/09/05/guailas-pervasive-in-eritrea/.
This article/storytelling was written by Natnael Yebio W. In this article he proceeds to
highlight the eventful day of an Eritrean family while focusing on cultural aspects all
throughout. He begins by explaining the venue where most folk dances take place, being
“Das” a big white tent where big events like baptisms, weddings and engagements take place.
This article highlights the complexities and beauties of a traditional day in Eritrea with
traditional food, dance and music. At the end of the article, Natnael mentions that “At the
moment with the reality of the ‘new normal' and social distancing guidelines, what our guayla
Kiflemariam 2
will look like in the future is anyone’s guess.” This cleared me with a considering question
and more research to complete.
“Ethiopian & Eritrean International Night Dance at South County High School.” YouTube,
YouTube, 9 Mar. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chyFqccEq34.
This beautiful video showcased by the South County High School beautifully
highlights different dances of the horn of Africa, those being Eritrea and Ethiopia. These high
school students have effectively performed the different dance forms that exist between the
two countries, where some ethnic groups may be overlapping with others like Tigre and
Tigrinya. Nonetheless, the students were greatly enthusiastic and this video makes the perfect
example to showcase the folk dances in Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Seroto, Butchie, et al. “Traditional Music in Eritrea.” Music In Africa, 8 Aug. 2016,
https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/traditional-music-eritrea.
This text written by Tedros Abrahama provides a great insight and overview of
Eritrea's traditional music, including its traditional dances and instruments, throughout the
majority of the nation's ethnic groupings. The author emphasizes that in Eritrea, dance has a
significant social impact. The dances of the Kunama and Hedareb people of Eritrea are
extremely vibrant, encompassing nine distinct ethnic groups. The article moves on to talk
about the traditional musical instruments of Eritrea and the other nations in the Horn of
Africa are similar. The diverse ethnolinguistic groups of Eritrea's traditional dances and
music are no longer practised in their original form. I believe this article amplifies and
signifies what is left is found in isolated communities since contemporary creations
frequently incorporate both traditional music and beats. Traditional instruments are frequently
performed acoustically or in conjunction with synthesizers.
Kiflemariam 3
The hungry partier. “What Is Eritrea?
🇪🇷(Italy in Africa?).” YouTube, YouTube, 5 Oct. 2019,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svezgqe5fOA.
This youtube video highlights the beauty and uniqueness of Eritrea's capital city of
Asmera. Its colonization with Italy still remains a huge factor in agriculture and cuisine. The
streets and cafés remain crowded at night. particularly around Harnet Avenue. Mussolini
Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue were once known as it, and both titles serve as a sad
reminder of the racial segregation the city once experienced and continues to experience
today when no Eritrean was permitted to enter the street without risking arrest, imprisonment,
or worse. This video serves as a great reminder of Eritrea's beauty keeping in mind all the
hardships and adversity it faced to remain independent.