About Gabon

Apart from the wedding, I made also some shopping. I bought: 1) A Ngombi harp Mungongo musical bow, umbilical cord to the world and ngombi harp , access route to the Mystery. The mungongo musical bow and ngombi harp are the two main musical instruments of bwiti ceremonies in Gabon. The musical bow, male element, symbolizes the voice of the ancestor and the father. The harp , female element, symbolizes the woman's body and the mother-ancestor's face. The ngombi harp bears five to eight strings that are the fruit of her fecundity. The first ancestor, Disumba («the mother») is represented by the sculpted head. During ceremonies, the harp 's voice teaches the initiates the true meaning of hermetic accounts. The instrument becomes performer and mediator. In the primeval myth, the «upper» and «lower» villages are connected by a cord: mungongo and ngombi symbolize this primeval link between the spiritual and human worlds, as well as the pass...

An African-style wedding is like a play that takes place in several acts. The wedding I attended was between a woman, whose traditions are between the Fang and Bamileke customs, and a man of Bapounou custom. 1st act: The announcement to families The future newlyweds have announced to their respective families their intention to unite 6 months in advance. It is rather short as delay. Most often families have an average of 1 year to prepare. 2nd act: The preparation of the ceremony   Scene 1: The choice of the custom for the ceremony The wedding took place according to the customs of the woman (a mix of customs Fang and Bamileke). This is always the case when the man and the woman are of different customs. It is the man who comes to marry, so he does it according to the customs of the woman.   Scene 2: The choice of the loincloth The loincloth or wax is a piece of cloth often of very bright colors which is very widespread in the countries of sub-Saharan A...

Un mariage à l'africaine est assimilable à une pièce de théâtre qui se déroulerait en plusieurs actes. Le mariage auquel j'ai assisté était entre une femme, dont les traditions sont entre les coutumes Fang et Bamiléké, et un homme de coutume Bapounou. 1er acte: L'annonce aux familles Les futurs mariés ont annoncé à leurs familles respectives leur intention de s'unir 6 mois à l'avance. C'est plutôt court comme délai. Le plus souvent les familles ont en moyenne 1 an pour se préparer. 2ième acte: La préparation de la cérémonie Scène 1: Le choix de la coutume pour le déroulé de la cérémonie Le mariage s'est déroulé selon les coutumes de la femme (un mix des coutumes Fang et Bamiléké). C'est toujours le cas lorsque l'homme et la femme sont de coutumes différentes. C'est l'homme qui vient épouser, donc il le fait selon les coutumes de la femme.   Scène 2: Le choix du pagne Le pagne ou wax est une pièce de tissu souvent de couleurs t...