Africa-Press – Angola. The Provincial Government of Cabinda demonstrated, over the weekend, against the appearance of the Bakama in ceremonies that trivialize their cultural function and promised to take measures to stop this trend.
Indignation was expressed by the provincial secretary of Culture in Cabinda, by Ernesto Barros André, following harsh criticism from Cabinda society in reaction to the presence of musicians Jerilson Israel and Tatiana Durão at the Bakama bastion, in Tchizo, where they took photographs that became viral on social media.
The attitude of the musicians is being seen in the region as a trivialization of the Bakama rituals, as the visit to the Tchizo and their appearance (Bakama) in public follows a secret and cultural ritual.
The official added that, according to the ritual, the appearance of the Bakama should only happen in specific ceremonies, fundamentally, in cases of death of a traditional authority and visit to the province of the President and Vice-President of the Republic.
Considered intermediaries between the people and the spirits of the gods and ancestors, the Bakama can also appear in enthronement and funeral ceremonies of traditional authorities, as well as in the reception of protocol entities.
For Ernesto André, the attitude of musicians Jerilson Israel and Tatiana Durão is “condemnable, not at all pleasant and reprehensible”, in addition to being “mercantilist”.
With a view to preventing similar cases from happening again, the provincial secretary for Culture has called a meeting with members of the Bakama to take place in the coming days, to “set goals in their actions”.
“We don’t want to keep registering cases of action (by the Bakama) in ceremonies that they can’t attend. This leaves the people quite indignant, taking into account (…) the uses, customs and protection of the ritual”, defended Ernesto Barros André.
The Bakama, a secret organization whose sanctuary is Morro de Tchizo, are masked people dressed in banana leaves.
They have the power to curse. Few are the people who dare to approach them, especially at the funerals of nobles, rich lords of the land and at important meetings destined to regulate conflicts that affect moral and cultural values.
The Bakama are classified as National Cultural Heritage.
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