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Blacking, Professor John – How musical is man? - Venda dancing, tshilombe and spirit possession

Youths sing of the joys and pangs of love while accompanying themselves with an mbira or another kind of bow, called tshihwana. A third type of bow (dende) is most commonly played by semiprofessional  musicians who are notoriously popular with women.

The name given to such minstrels-tshilombe-is related to words that refer to spirit possession, such as tshilombo and malombo. The Venda acknowledge that manifestations of musical ability can emerge in unexpected quarters and among unlikely subjects, but insist that they be normalized by logical explanations.

The term tshilombe should be regarded as not so much an acclamation of genius or of exceptional talent as an occupational description. An outstanding individual musician is one who puts himself in touch with spiritual forces, like a doctor or the member of a possession cult, and so is able to express a wider range of experiences than most people.