The name Bamaya originates from the local language which means the river valley is wet. Originally a religious harvest dance, it now functions as a dance performed at every social gathering. 

The dance involves a lot of waist movements. It is usually performed by men in ladies' skirts, with movements around the waist area resulting from the wiggling of the pelvis. Some schools of traditional thought links the dance movements of Bamaya to fanning off mosquitoes.

The special Bamaya cultural dance is based on the story of a man who maltreated his wife, resulting in a plague of famine for the whole territory. It was revealed that in order to humble the man in question to his wife, all the men in the village had to dress like women - hence the Bamaya costume. 

The gender equality element furnishes us with food for thought…be nice to all living things.