BAKAMA DO TCHIZO: REPRESENTATION OF TRADITIONAL CULTURE (Atena Editora)

Abstract

This article is the product of the doctoral thesis on “Forms of representation of the traditional culture of Cabinda: Educational processes of the Bakama”. In this context, the main objective of the article is to approach the main forms of representation of the culture of Cabinda through the Bakama of Tchizo. Within this context, (1) to know the main rituals that involve the identity of the Bakama of Tchizo from a cultural point of view, (2) to understand how the subjects of the community become Bakama. Based on the objectives of this research, the following research question was asked: How is the cultural representation of the Bakama of Tchizo manifested? The problem raised allowed us to define the following questions: (1) How does an individual in the community become Bakama? (2) What kind of rituals identify the Bakama's social functionality? (3) What is the origin of the Bakama? From a methodological point of view, in order to obtain data, interviews were carried out with leaders of the five Bakama groups. Observations of dance and the funeral ritual related to the Bakama of Tchizo were also carried out, using filming to facilitate observation and subsequent analysis. From a theoretical point of view, concepts about culture and civilization and traditional African culture were worked on. The results obtained allow us to affirm that: the Bakama are a secret society and their secrecy comes from the enigmatic cosmology of their masks; they have mythological origins through the mermaid Lusunzi and, although the date of their origin is not known for sure, this study estimates that their origin dates from approximately 1491; they have group initiation rituals, laws and norms that regulate both group members and society; of the five groups identified as being Bakama initially, three identify themselves as being Bakama, and two identify themselves as being Zindunga.