Africa Is a Country

This is not Pantsula

Africa Is a Country Podcast
African Five-a-Side Podcast

This is not Pantsula

By
Bukola Afolayan

Sbujwa is a South African dance described as a dance that requires every muscle in your body to work in order to complete the moves.

Images by Bukola.

Recently, when I visited Johannesburg in Johannesburg, I got quite the treat. I was about to jump into a cab when this van pulls up and out piled these colorfully clad kids. With their exit came the loud blasting house sort of music; then the dance moves, taunting, shouting matches, some alcohol, and street fashion, but at the end of the day, it was about the dance. I was mesmerized, to say the least. A quick inquiry informed me that the phenomenon I was witnessing is called “sbujwa” — apparently not a new sight in the city. It is described as “a dance that requires every muscle in your body to work in order to complete moves” plus lots of creativity. There are differing views as to its origin, as seen here and here. Wherever it might have originated from, it was a delight to watch.

I found a short documentary on sbujwa on YouTube.

I’m hoping some “anthropologist” might be interested in researching and explaining this and other street dancing phenomena in Johannesburg. Here are some images I took of the dance. You’ll find the rest of my photos here.

Further Reading

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When things fall apart

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The General sleeps

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The grift tank

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Kagame’s hidden war

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After the coups

Without institutional foundations or credible partners, the Alliance of Sahel States risks becoming the latest failed experiment in regional integration.

Whose game is remembered?

The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations opens in Morocco amid growing calls to preserve the stories, players, and legacy of the women who built the game—before they’re lost to erasure and algorithm alike.