Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-04
TORTURE FOR CHARITY.
South Africans Slash Themselves for
the benefit Of the Wounded.

the Beneft of the Wounded.
Correspondence the London News
This week the Malays have shown their
loyalty in their own peculiar way by get
ting up strange sort Of entertainment in
aid of the fund for the sick and wounded.
The khalifa," the performance Is
called consists of exercises and feats with
swords and other sharp instruments to, the
accompaniment of tambourine playing and
various incanta tons. The individuals who
perform the tricks. make vigorous pre-
tense of inf1ceing upon themselves all sorts
# injuries. Apparently, they run the most
imminent risk. but for some reason or
other the weapons, effective as they I'M
-doubtedly are, seem powerless to penetrate
their bodies and limbs. 1t appears that ac-
cidents do occur sometimes, for during a
representation of a similar character in
Cape Town recently man severed ar
terry and bled to death. An old member Of
the Cape police. with whom 1 was con-
versng on the subject. told me that he once
witnessed private exhibition of the kind
somewhere out here, at which, through a
similar piece of misfortune, one of the ac-
tors disemboweled himself. All the same
when l told him that the Cape Town papers
had been decrying the show and expressing
the hope that nothing Of the kind would be
permitted to take place there again, he
said. What rot" 1t was not the first time
| believe that 1.-The Khaiifa'' had been
staged in Kimberley but it was, at all
events, comparatively novel to the public.
and was a matter of special interest to our
military visitors. Sir Charles Parsons and
other officers being patrons of the show.
quote some further details from the descrip-
ton given in the local journal:
when the curtain rose it revealed a min
iature representation Of a Malay temple,
around which were seated twenty perform
ers, with the tambourines on which to beat
out the weird accompa niments. The first
N,.t LII -
Kalem, and consisted in sword exercises of
a very novel and rather startling kind.
With a heavy. keen-edged sword which
was afterward handed around among the
spectators. the khalifa seemed to make
every effort to mutilate himself. in vain.
He tried chopping off his arms but to no
purpose: he hacked at himself in various
ways. and finally. exasperated with Tissue
cess, tried to cut his throat but it was no
use, 1t would not cut, and so. wearied out.
he had to give up Next there was the item
called the Tampboo. by Baredin Mora and
Fatah Doley. Armed with great steel skew
ers with iron heads Mora and Doley cut
and dug in a very energetic manner, but
their skins appeared in toughness and power
or resistance to put the rhnoceros to
shame SkeWers were no more effective
than the sword and let the chant go never
so fast and the tambourlnes beat never so
loud. the impervious bodies resisted every
self-inhicted attempt. After this Mamie
kamed and Obdulah Jardn gave an exhibit
ton with long-pointed knives. which they
tried to drive through their heads and mare
their arms with, In the Tampboo by Tas-
lam, lshmael. Mamie and Majabo Selo the
RISK or injury appeared imminent the four
performers dancing round and flourishine the
DANGEROUS weapons with vigor and seeming
recklessness. Strangest of all was the per
formance Of Mamie and Taslim. who had
i9ng steel pins stuck right through their
races, ears and nostril, without drawing anv
blood Part II was repetition of the same
items in different combinations. Finally
the whole tgoupe sang in the Arabic, Cod
cluded'' Vii