Cucu Dance of the Agikuyu – How It Is Performed

Cucu (Grandmother) Dance is a traditional children’s singing game of the Agikuyu people of Kenya. It is playful, dramatic, and full of imagination.

1. Formation

Children form a circle.

They squat around a girl who sits in the middle.

This girl represents Cũcũ (the grandmother).

2. The Begging Girl Appears

A bigger girl enters the scene.

She walks in a hobbling manner, as if very old or tired.

She supports herself on a stick, enhancing the drama.

She approaches the seated grandmother and begs for a goat as a gift.

3. Cucu’s Questions

The grandmother (the girl seated in the middle) questions the hobbling girl:

Who are you?

Why do you need a goat?

What will you use it for?

(The questions change depending on the group.)

4. The Gift of a Goat

After the questioning, Cucu agrees to give her a goat.

One child from the squatting ring is chosen to represent the goat.

That child stands up and is “taken away” by the hobbling girl.

5. Repetition

The hobbling girl walks away with the “goat,” then returns again.

She repeats the begging and receiving of a goat.

This continues until she has taken all the children away from the grandmother.

6. The Twist – Rebellion

Once all the children have been taken, something dramatic happens:

All the youngsters suddenly turn on the hobbling girl.

They throw handfuls of soil at her (playfully) and chase her away.

They make a lot of noise and commotion—representing rebellion or mischief.

7. Ending the Game

After driving her away, all the children return to their cucu.

The grandmother is restored to her “family.”

The game ends in laughter and excitement.