“African Churches Smooth”: US Man Catches Smooth Vibes of SA Church Dance Until Ululation Shocks Him

• An American content creator edited himself into a video of South African Zion church members performing their traditional slow dance in green robes
• The man was enjoying the smooth church moves until a woman's ululating sound caught him completely off guard and made him look up in confusion
• The viral video sparked mixed reactions from South Africans who found his shirtless dancing disrespectful, while others praised the beautiful Zion church tradition

An American man has gone viral after editing himself into a video of South African church members performing their traditional dance moves. The content creator, who appeared shirtless in the clip, added himself to footage of Zion Christian Church members dressed in their signature long green coats and headscarves as they moved in perfect harmony.

Content creator @umbutho_wasezayoni shared the entertaining video on the 17th of June, showing the American man trying to copy the smooth, slow dance moves while the church members held their traditional sticks and swayed to the rhythm.

The edited video made it look like the American was dancing right alongside the South African congregation, and he seemed to be enjoying every moment of the spiritual dance. However, his peaceful moment was interrupted when one of the women in the church group let out a traditional ululating sound, which completely shocked the foreign dancer and made him bend down in confusion.

The man's reaction to the ululating was priceless as he looked around, trying to figure out what had just happened. After a few seconds of being startled, he managed to get back into the rhythm and continued dancing with the group. The video was shared with the caption:

"Them African churches smooth but you gotta be ready," perfectly capturing the cultural surprise he experienced.

The clip quickly went viral, collecting over 3,000 reactions from viewers who had mixed feelings about the content. Many South Africans were not impressed with the man's choice to dance shirtless, feeling it was disrespectful to the sacred church tradition.

Mzansi reacts to the dance

South Africans flooded the comments section with their thoughts on the viral video:

@bmondlana joked:

"Beat boxing started here"

@thee_mbulazi wrote with disappointment:

"They found us😫💔😪"

@pmolepo suggested with laughter:

"Zion for International Tour now....🙌😂😂😂"

@siyamthandafutshane_ commented:

"Man, put a shirt on 😂😂😂"

@lady_lux2 expressed her shock:

"The disrespect 😮. Sir, where is your shirt?"

@debroassegaai simply responded:

"😂😂😂"

Understanding the ululating tradition

According to UniZulu research, ululating is a traditional practice performed by women across many African cultures as an expression of joy and celebration. The study explains that ululating is gender-specific, with only women performing the high-pitched vocal sounds during special moments. People who don't come from ululating cultures often don't understand the practice and may find it disruptive, which explains the American man's shocked reaction in the video.

The research notes that ululating has been discouraged in some churches by priests who didn't understand the cultural significance, viewing it as chaotic rather than celebratory.

Watch the Instagram video below:

Other stories about church members going viral

• Briefly News recently reported on a woman who shared a hilarious transformation video after dating a ZCC member, but the shocking change she revealed left Mzansi speechless.
• A Western Cape ZCC graduate was celebrated by her church community in the most beautiful way, and the heartwarming tradition they used will melt your heart.
• A ZCC gentleman caused major conversations when he combined his traditional church wear with an unexpected Scottish item that had everyone talking about cultural fusion.

Source: Briefly News