Ambasse bey
Ambasse-bey | |
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Stylistic origins |
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Derivative forms | Makossa |
Other topics | |
Music of Cameroon |
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Specific forms |
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Regional music |
Ambasse bey or ambas-i-bay is a style of
.John Hall described its rhythm as the one of a moving broom. Where dancers swing their shoulders like the wings of birds,[2] the dance is composed of sequences of fluid steps and jerky body movements performed in accordance with the music, which is generally the makossa. In order to perform this dance, the dancers must wear traditional sawa outfits.
Ambasse bey originated among the
Littoral. In the mid-1960s, Eboa Lotin performed a style of ambasse bey on harmonica and guitar that was the earliest form of makossa, a style that quickly came to overshadow its predecessor and become Cameroon's most popular form of indigenous music.[4] Ambasse bey was revived to an extent by Cameroonian singer Sallé John.[5]
Notes
References
- Chrispin, Pettang, directeur, Cameroun: Guide touristique. Paris: Les Éditions Wala.
- DeLancey, Mark W., and Mark Dike DeLancey (2000): Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cameroon (3rd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press.
- Mbaku, John Mukum (2005). Culture and Customs of Cameroon. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.