Local News: Drought in KZN

 

A little bit of rain has fallen, the valleys and hills in the Kwazulu-Natal Midlands have turned a lush green…..makes it hard to believe that we are in the midst of a debilitating drought. But the reality is, Kwazulu-Natal (and most of South Africa) is experiencing one of the worst droughts ever and many towns have run out of water, subsistence farmers have lost their crops and cattle farmers have lost their herds.
Excerpt of a recent news article posted on the official website of the eThekweni Municipality reads as follows:
“The Kwazulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department has warned that despite the recent rainfall, the prolonged drought remains severe. MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, said the province would need weeks and weeks of sustained rainfall to refill its fast declining water reservoirs to return to water levels considered safe and sustainable”.
Is there anything more that you and I could do?
I am an avid reader and have read many books including some about cowboys and Indians and then I thought….what about a rain dance!?! This is what we need to do! Only problem is, I am not native American and also have no idea on how to do a rain dance, so….my go-to place when I am unsure….Google…off I went to do some research on how to do a Rain Dance and eHow.com was very helpful!
Hmmm……
Things You’ll Need
• Comfortable clothing
• Moccasins or tennis or aerobic shoes
• Music with a steady beat featuring a flute or drum
How to do the Rain Dance:
Step 1
Form two lines parallel to each other and about four feet apart. Men stand in one line; women in the other.

Step 2
Step forward with your left foot.

Step 3
Raise your right foot while moving forward and bring that foot to the floor. The men can stomp more vigorously than the women.

Step 4
Continue to step forward in this way–left foot, right foot higher, stomp to floor. Unlike other Native American dances performed in a circle, rain dancers move in a square pattern around the sides of the room or area in which they’re dancing.

Step 5 

During one measure of the song, and while moving forward, face to the right. During the next measure, face to the left. A zigzagging pattern is formed as you continue on in this manner.

Step 6
Between measures, dancers can stop and twirl in imitation of the wind, which is showing the promise of rain. The women may chant or sing the song that’s playing, and the men can yelp with the beat.
Tips & Warnings
• Find authentic Native American music to accompany your dance.
• For an actual performance, use accessories traditionally worn by American Indians specifically for a rain dance. Feathers and turquoise incorporated into headdresses represented the wind and rain. Men and women wear masks made from feathers, horsehair and goat hair, and strips of turquoise. The women’s masks hid their faces, their shawls covered their hands, and they wore long black dresses, making their bare feet the only parts of their bodies exposed.
• Dance as slowly or vigorously as your health allows.
• Do not do this dance if your doctor has restricted your activity.
Come on folks, lets do this!!! If this does not work i.e. no rain falls during or after, not all is lost. I am sure that we would have had a fun time, with lots of laughter and pointing at our friends and colleagues, and maybe, just for a short while, we would not have thought about our problems and lack of water.

Sources:
http://www.durban.gov.za/Resource_Centre/new2/Pages/Despite-recent-rainfall,-drought-remains-severe-in-KZN.aspx
http://www.ehow.com/how_5519447_perform-raindance.html