Baganda music

Filmed during the AMNH Queeny African Expedition, 1950. The music of the Baganda (i.e. Ganda) people is recorded in this film, shot in Uganda by Edgar Monsanto Queeny and sound-man Jack J. Clink. As the Baganda demonstrate a dance, the madinda (a form of the xylophone), the bosoga harp, the sanza (a hand piano), and various types of drums accompany them. Both the music and dance feature complex rhythmic patterns. The narrator discusses the historical importance of the madinda, the favorite instrument of the Baganda royal court, and its use in official proceedings and processions. On July 31, 1951, Queeny wrote to the AMNH ViceDirector and executive secretary, Wayne Faunce, and said that "we made this little film while awaiting repairs to one of our trucks, which had turned over near Kampalla. It is not the best example of motion picture production, but, in time, it might prove to be a rather valuable document on a rather rapidly disappearing native music in this part of Uganda." Also included in this film are brief pictures of Ugandan topography, Lake Victoria, Rippon Falls, and Baganda bark-cloth clothing.