Africa-Press – Angola. The demonstrations of “Mukanda and Kafundeji or Tchicumbi”, male and female initiation rituals, are among the main attractions of the last day ( Sunday) of the first edition of the Festival of Traditions, which has been running since the 13th of this current month , in the Mussungue market, municipality of Chitato, province of Lunda Norte.
These are rituals that prepare teenagers (women and men) for adulthood, in the eastern region of the country (Lunda Sul, Lunda Norte and Moxico).
Kafundeji or Tchicumbi
For this ritual, it is necessary for the mother to notify the teenager of her first menstruation (heta) and immediately entrust the girl to a grandmother, aunt or guardian with a good reputation and recognized competence, to carry out the final rites, before the wedding.
Isolated from family life, the girl exercises erotic movements to the point of exhaustion, under the gaze of her godmother (txilombola), who during the sessions gives advice on subjection to her husband.
The ritual includes painful massages with plant infusions, to thicken the inner vaginal lips (known as misundo), tattoos on the waist, known as “txato” and “mukaka”, when located on the pubis, whose aim is to prepare the young woman and increase sensitivity in erogenous areas, to provide pleasure to the husband during sexual intercourse.
Mukanda
Regarding mukanda, which takes place during puberty, it is a male initiation ritual during which children are circumcised.
Before, a field surrounded by round huts is designated, in which the initiates, Txundandji (plural of kandandji), live away from their families for a period of one to two years.
The initiative for a mukanda ritual is taken by the village chief, where the kalelwa mask marks the beginning and end of the rite and severely prohibits women from approaching Mucanda.
During the retreat, initiates learn the procedures of cult ceremonies, make masks for rituals and practice different types of dance, which will be performed in front of the community on the last day.
Promoted by the Government of Lunda Norte, with funding from the Brilhante Foundation, the social face of the Diamonds subsector, the festival that ended monday, has as its main objective the recovery of the habits and customs of the Lunda Cokwe people, promoting cultural tourism and business opportunities in the Culture sector, as well as providing a holistic response to popular reactions towards community recreation.
In the first two days, rituals were carried out such as supplications and offerings to Nzambi Kalunga (gods), txiphwya (pilgrimage), demonstrations of marriage and reception ceremonies, regional costumes, signs of the “Sona” communicative code, traditional games, the form of hospitality and traditional power.
The dances, sessions of Cokwe stories and proverbs and the musical show, where the highlight will be the performance of the musician Santos Católica, are part of the attractions.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
