Traditional wedding dance night in Serengeti ends in tragedy

Serengeti. A traditional ceremony - which is usually conducted before a wedding - ended disastrously here when a young man stabbed his colleague during a confrontation.

Traditionally, residents of Serengeti have a tendency of holding a dancing event at night when a young man in the area is about to tie the knot with a young woman.

It was in honor of that traditional occurrence that a dancing event was held at the home of Mr Mang'o Kibuni at Kenokwe Village on Monday, February 8, 2021.

Mr Mang'o Kibuni organized the event because her daughter is getting married during the coming few days.

The tradition is that all young women are allowed to enter the venue without paying entrance fee but young men are obliged to pay to get access to the venue.

While inside the building, each young man is allowed to take a young woman of his choice to the dancing floor.

To make the event more interesting and raise money for the impending wedding ceremony, young men do compete whereby one can tell the other to go out of the building on condition that he (the one leaving) will be paid a certain amount of cash.

“This is done in order to raise money so if the one who is told to leave the building is unwilling to do so, he has to refuse the order by availing more money than that issued by the one who wanted him out…It is a platform for young men to market themselves to potential spouses,” said the chairman for Nyabirore hamlet in Kenokwe village, Mr Chacha Zablon.

It was in line with that background that during a dancing event that was organized by Mr Mang'o Kibuni, a resident of Kinokwe, Silikale Mwita (21) miraculously escaped death when he was stabbed in a confrontation between himself and Mgusuhi Sabai (21).

Both Silikale and Mgusuhi were in the building when the former issued Sh500 to order the latter to leave go out of the building.

“Basically, the suspect (Mgusuhi) was to refuse the order by issuing Sh1,000 but without the money, he simply disobeyed so he was removed from the building by force. He alleged that his opponent Silikale should also be ordered out of the building because he did not avail the Sh500,” said Mr Zablon.

The difference became a full blown confrontation and when the victim went out to face the suspect, he was greeted by a knife.

The medical officer in-charge of Nyerere Hospital, Dr Tanu Warioba admitted to have received Silikale who was being treated of wounds he received from the stab.

Serengeti District Commissioner Nurdin Babu said police had launched an investigation into the matter.