Uploaded March 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Meet some of the young and passionate students who are learning to build, craft and play the Entongooli.
As Ben Nsumugo Ntabula said: “Every time we set up our instruments and play, the children come and the children dance and the children ask us to stay. We can’t say they’ve lost interest. All we can say is that they’ve lost access to the music.”
We work with communities to reintroduce these instruments into cultural events and celebrations, restoring their role in social life. We establish ongoing teaching programs, performance opportunities, and recording projects to ensure the revived tradition thrives independently.
The Revival of the Entongooli
What makes this project so different from any of the other revival projects we have documented, is how focused this project is on young people. Mr Mukadisi, who is heading up this project, is very aware that to continue the legacy of this instrument, children and young people had to be involved. From the choosing of the materials, to helping build the instruments themselves, these children are involved in every part of the process of rebuilding the Entongooli. Mr Mukadisi knows that in educating these youngsters in the process and skills required to build this instrument, their appreciation and respect for the instrument and it's music will be all the greater.
Finding the material:
Finding the correct materials is half of the battle of reviving such a unique and rare instrument. The beginning of the Entongooli building process begins with forming the bowl shaped base, the soundbox, of the Entongooli.
A specific tree species called Omusita is used to ensure that the word is strong enough to endure the shaping, and to make sure it lasts for many years. Some of the instruments that Mr Mukadisi has in his position are over 100 years old. Once the correct tree has been found that is of an appropriate age, around 10 years old so the wood is fully formed, it is chopped down and into smaller pieces to begin the drying process. When the wood has appropriate time to dry, it is prepared for chopping and shaping, and the next process of preserving the wood through the use of animal dung.
Having the right tools for the job doesn’t necessarily mean the most high-tech or complicated. As we show in this video's in this playlist, the tools needed to continue shaping the base of the Entongooli are very simple, but remain incredibly effective.
Using a small hoe, the base of the Entongooli is slowly shaped by chopping away at the dried piece of wood (that had been sourced earlier). This created the bowl like shape that we associate with the Entongooli. If a deeper hole is needed, a chisel and a hammer is used to create more depth. All of the bark is trimmed off of this wood during the process to allow for a smooth base ready for the next stage: Cow dung!
To protect the base of the Entongooli, the maker must smear it with cow dung, coat it entirely and then leave it to dry. This process is to protect the wood from cracking, and also to protect it from weevils and insects destroying the wooden base. This method means the instruments can last for upwards of a hundred years.
Whilst the children working with this material said it wasn’t pleasant, they knew the importance of this part of the process and wanted to be a part of it so that they could continue their education about this instrument.
What we love most about this project is that it is providing opportunities for free education to these young people, as learning an instrument can provide opportunities for scholarships to local schools.
Meet some of the young and passionate students who are learning to build, craft and play the Entongooli.
As Ben Nsumugo Ntabula said: “Every time we set up our instruments and play, the children come and the children dance and the children ask us to stay. We can’t say they’ve lost interest. All we can say is that they’ve lost access to the music.”
We work with communities to reintroduce these instruments into cultural events and celebrations, restoring their role in social life. We establish ongoing teaching programs, performance opportunities, and recording projects to ensure the revived tradition thrives independently.
The Revival of the Entongooli
What makes this project so different from any of the other revival projects we have documented, is how focused this project is on young people. Mr Mukadisi, who is heading up this project, is very aware that to continue the legacy of this instrument, children and young people had to be involved. From the choosing of the materials, to helping build the instruments themselves, these children are involved in every part of the process of rebuilding the Entongooli. Mr Mukadisi knows that in educating these youngsters in the process and skills required to build this instrument, their appreciation and respect for the instrument and it's music will be all the greater.
Finding the material:
Finding the correct materials is half of the battle of reviving such a unique and rare instrument. The beginning of the Entongooli building process begins with forming the bowl shaped base, the soundbox, of the Entongooli.
A specific tree species called Omusita is used to ensure that the word is strong enough to endure the shaping, and to make sure it lasts for many years. Some of the instruments that Mr Mukadisi has in his position are over 100 years old. Once the correct tree has been found that is of an appropriate age, around 10 years old so the wood is fully formed, it is chopped down and into smaller pieces to begin the drying process. When the wood has appropriate time to dry, it is prepared for chopping and shaping, and the next process of preserving the wood through the use of animal dung.
Having the right tools for the job doesn’t necessarily mean the most high-tech or complicated. As we show in this video's in this playlist, the tools needed to continue shaping the base of the Entongooli are very simple, but remain incredibly effective.
Using a small hoe, the base of the Entongooli is slowly shaped by chopping away at the dried piece of wood (that had been sourced earlier). This created the bowl like shape that we associate with the Entongooli. If a deeper hole is needed, a chisel and a hammer is used to create more depth. All of the bark is trimmed off of this wood during the process to allow for a smooth base ready for the next stage: Cow dung!
To protect the base of the Entongooli, the maker must smear it with cow dung, coat it entirely and then leave it to dry. This process is to protect the wood from cracking, and also to protect it from weevils and insects destroying the wooden base. This method means the instruments can last for upwards of a hundred years.
Whilst the children working with this material said it wasn’t pleasant, they knew the importance of this part of the process and wanted to be a part of it so that they could continue their education about this instrument.
What we love most about this project is that it is providing opportunities for free education to these young people, as learning an instrument can provide opportunities for scholarships to local schools.
