Patric Willocq

ASONGWAKA, EDUCATED WALÉ

Ensansa: Walé Njémálá ! nsêmálá, Nkîkìsa ! nsôkìsa, Walé njôkàndé la kíti yéndélé l’énkònji, Walé bó kàlàhi, njôkàndé la búku ndîkàta.
Song: Walé stand! I stand, be seated! I sit, Walé I walk with chair of white people and chiefs, I Walé of school, I walk with book in hand.

Disciplined as a schoolgirl, Walé Asongwaka, ‘‘the beautiful’’, (21 years old, 3 years in seclusion,
mother of Bola, her husband has disappeared) has agreed to go to seclusion against her will, accepting
her father’s decision. She also sings that she went to school and therefore can read and write (which is quite rare as young pygmy girls do not always have access to education):manifests here her superiority over her rivals (she is carried on a ‘‘tipoy’’ chair as indigenous leaders and colonial agents used to be).

Flash to listen to Asongwaka’s song.

WALÉ ASONGWAKA SENTENCED TO JAIL

Ensansa : mpúàmbolé lobélá, bâmâ bôntombi, bòlóko nd’ímònga.
Song: I do not answer calls, mamas take me, jail to main town.

The father of a young primiparous mother decides whether she will follow the Walé ritual or not.
Walé Asongwaka, ‘‘the beautiful’’, (21 years old, 3 years in seclusion, mother of Bola, her husband has disappeared) here sings what she felt when, 3 years ago, immediately after giving birth to her first child, her family imposed a seclusion against her will: she felt she was sentenced to jail. Through this comparison, she also expresses the acute loneliness experienced during her seclusion.

Flash to listen to Asongwaka’s song.

EPANZA MAKITA, BATWALÉ

Ensansa : Bokéngé nyama, bokéngé mpùlú, n’sùname ng’ósunámá, bònkómo w’éngolo.
Song: part animal, part bird, I face upside down, bat the great.

For pygmies, a bat is a very unique creature, half animal, half bird. By comparing herself to a bat, Walé Epanza Makita, ‘‘the trouble maker’’, (19 years old, married, 1 year in seclusion, mother of Lotitia) talks about her superiority. Her rivals (here Walé Lokito) will not be able to copy her because she is unique (the Walé ritual is highly competitive as it’s all about having more prestige and power than your rivals).

Flash to listen to Epanza Makita’s song.

WALÉ OYOMBÉ, NKÚMU

Ensansa : bôpápá boutíka nd’ípoy, mí nyúme nd’ókonda w’élóba, mí ngóyé, basómi báyânkùmá l’´ndóki nd’âpèke.
Song: papas tipoy put me in, me I go into eloba forest, me I come, all assistants with rifles on shoulders.

Traditionally a native chief (nkúmu) would move about on a ‘‘tipoy’’ accompanied by his army. Walé Oyombé, ‘‘the singer’’, (22 years old, married, five years in seclusion, mother of Angela) sings that she is proud to be compared to a patriarch because she kept the sexual taboo during her long seclusion (discrediting other Walé, as she assumes, broke the ban). Similar to a native chief, she too is carried on a tipoy. She compares her assistants to soldiers as they too ensure her daily survival and safety.

Flash to listen to Oyombé’s song.

WALÉ ASONGWAKA TAKES OFF

Ensansa : Avìo êkînó bèndélé, walé áyôlí ndé bókòma, w’ilàka.
Song: plane your white, Walé goes on hanging, from the fence.

On the day of her seclusion-ending festival, Walé Asongwaka, ‘‘the beautiful’’, (21 years old, 3 years in seclusion, mother of Bola, her husband has disappeared) will climb a scaffold onto a plane-shaped pod that will free-drop on the ground, marking the end of her seclusion. For Ekondas, the plane, a Western invention, is totally out of reach. Addressing other Walés, Asongwaka sings her superiority as her claims that only her will have the means to fly (the Walé ritual is highly competitive as it’s all about having more prestige and power than your rivals).

Flash to listen to Asongwaka’s song.

WALÉ OYOMBÉ AND POLYGAMY

The prestige and power of a Walé derives from the respect she earns by observing the sex taboo during the period of her reclusion (2 to 5 years), despite her attractiveness and youth. But a direct consequence of the Walé ritual is to encourage polygamy, socially accepted by the community. Here Walé Oyombé, ‘‘the singer’’, (22 years old, married, five years in seclusion, mother of Angela) is with her husband and his second wife. Sometimes a husband would totally abandon his Walé. The burden of financing the seclusion-ending festival is then transferred to her parents or a suitor. This extends her period of confinement, exacerbating her loneliness.

WALÉ EPANZA MAKITA, HONOUR, PRESTIGE AND POWER

Ensansa : Mpúàmbolé lòbélà, nyàmbòle ndé lobùlú, lôlálé nsòmbo.
Song: I not answer calls, I answer on room, boar sleeping.

The prestige and power of a Walé derives from the respect she earns by observing the sex taboo during the period of her seclusion (2 to 5 years), despite her attractiveness and youth. Epanza Makita, ‘‘the trouble maker’’, (19 years old, married, 1 year in seclusion, mother of Lotitia) sings here that when men propose to her, she behaves like the sow that defends and protects her piglet in case of
aggression. By self-praising her attitude, she discredits other Walés who, she assumes, broke the sex taboo.

Flash to listen to Epanza Makita’s song.

THE ARCH OF WALÉ OYOMBÉ

Ensansa : bâpápá lôlende njôyé l’isúà y’okili, nko lá basómí, mí bíòto, iné isómí áyôtùà nd’ôtumbá yôndámbéla bìòmbo, mâ ásôtua nd’ôtumbá yôndámbéla bankondo.
Song: papas see us I come land boat, with assistants, I feathers, this assistant enters hut prepare food, mum enters hut prepare palm.

A Walé spends most of her seclusion in her mother’s hut. There, she is under very special care: her mother initiates her to her new social role, while her assistants take care of her. Walé Oyombé, ‘‘the singer’’, (22 years old, married, five years in seclusion, mother of Angela) compares her seclusion to life on boat a boat, locked up and accompanied by her entourage. With the feathers of her hat in the wind, Oyombé’s boat nears the end of its journey, announcing the end of her seclusion.

Flash to listen to Oyombé’s song.

WALÉ LOKITO, UNFAIR SHARING

Ensansa : bôpápá lôsóló bàbóndo bâpâ nyó bakombe.
Song: papas, review share give your sisters.

A Walé (and child) is regularly served good quality food. With very little physical activity (the Walé ritual imposes various taboos such as going to the fields), she gains weight. Her fatty appearance, a symbol of fertility, is highly valued in society. Walé Lokito, ‘‘the noise maker’’, (17 years old, 2 years in seclusion, mother of Liema, unknown father) sings that she would have preferred to have a husband during her seclusion (as does Walé Epanza Makita): she would have received more food (as he normally bears these costs). She complains to the fathers of the clan as they favour their wives over their unmarried sisters and daughters (as in her case).

Flash to listen to Lokito’s song.

WALÉ LOKITO AND HER BELONGINGS

Ensansa : lòné bóbùlú njôla, lòné bóbùlú njôlùka bìòmba.
Song: I leave this room, this room I look for belongings.

The Walé ritual imposes various taboos onto Lokito, ‘‘the noise maker’’, (17 years old, 2 years in seclusion, mother of Liema, unknown father) like going to the fields and preparing or serving food. So she spends most of her time in her mother’s hut. She takes care of herself and her child, or looks after her belongings accumulated in view of her future release. The seclusion period often extends by lack of means or if her husband disappears (as he normally bears the costs of maintaining a Walé). Traditionally a 2-year period, it is not unusual today for a Walé to spend 5 years or more in seclusion. But the honour of the clan and the Walé is at stake and there is no way she will come out of seclusion without all the required items.

Flash to listen to Lokito’s song.

WALÉ OYOMBÉ AND MPIA, BASKETRY WEAVING

The Walé ritual imposes various taboos on the young mother, such as going to the fields,
preparing or serving food, leaving her plenty of time to pamper herself and her child. The only
authorized work is traditional basketry weaving. Here Walé Oyombé, “the singer”, (22 years old, married, five years in seclusion, mother of Angela) and Walé Mpia, “the stranger”, (20 years old, married, 3 years
in seclusion, mother of Bigael) make all kinds of baskets they then hope to sell to other women in the village, giving them a meager source of income.

WALÉ ASONGWAKA, FINALLY FREE

Immediately after the seclusion-ending festival, Walé Asongwaka, “the beautiful”, (21 years old,
3 years in seclusion, mother of Bola) returned to her husband’s hut. The next day she and her child have flaunted their best set of clothes to the whole community. Her husband disappeared three years ago immediately after childbirth. He surprisingly returned the day of her release. Asongwaka took him back without hesitation.