First appeared in the Maldives around the 11th Century AD, Boduberu is an energetic performance that has gained much popularity in the Maldives. A Maldives island hotel is perhaps the best place to experience this unique show and Velassaru Maldives is a Maldives resort which allows its guests this opportunity. A group of about 20 people take part in this performance inclusing three drummers and a singer accompanied by a set of drums also known as Boduberu , a small bell and an onugandu – a small piece of bamboo with horizontal grooves which gives out a raspy sound when scraped. The songs sung here are of heroism, satire or romance and while the prelude of these songs are slow at the beginning, they eventually take on a fast beat which is augmented into a crescendo toward the end. The dancers typically clad in sarongs and short sleeved t-shirts help keep up the energy levels by taking up the wild beat and performing in a frantic, fast paced dance which mostly ends in the dancers being in a trance. Boduberyu evolved as an alternative to court music and is widely accepted as the music of the common people. The main point of Boduberu is to create noise and since lyrics do not take a place of importance, sometimes meaningless lyrics are being sung in a language that is a mixture of local, neighbouring and some African words. Although Boduberu has come to be an important item in stage shows today, it was originally performed after a hard day’s work as a means of keeping themselves entertained.
Jayani Senanayake is a writer who dabbles in travel and all things exotic. Under the pseudonym of Calliope Sage, she writes of the allures that must simply be discovered. Google+
