The Budima Dance is a warrior dance performed all year round by the Wee people on a number of sombre and spiritual occasions, especially during traditional ceremonies, funeral processions, weddings, initiation ceremonies, the installation of chiefs, thanksgiving, harvest celebrations and ritual activities
The dance is performed with spears, whistles, walking sticks, knobkerries, flutes, ceremonial axes, shields, horns/trumpets, drums and rattles. The performance includes men, women and children.
The men represent skilled soldiers or fighters with long spears jumping up and down while running in and out of the inner circle of dangers, while others blow the sets of one-note antelope horn flutes and shout chants. Others play big and small drums. The women – adorned in beaded necklaces and bangles, with rattles on their feet – sing along and dance energetically.
The Budima dance serves as a unifying factor for the communities concerned, who take great pride in the dance and can join in with the dancers at any point during the performance. This Zambian tradition became a part of UNESCO’s culture heritage list
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