Investiture of the customary chief of Nkala, a teke village of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Chronicles of the Northern Bateke, Bolobo territory, DRCThat day of August 2019, the village of Nkala in the Democratic Republic of Congo (province of Mai-Ndombe) receives the customary chiefs of the Northern Bateke chiefdom for the investiture of Gaspard Kindzoma, promoted chief following the death of his brother few years before. Among the Tio people (belonging to the Teke ethnolinguistic family), the customary chiefs (chefs de terre or mfumu), as the moral and political authority are the guardiens of the customs (la coutume), and also have a strong bond with the invisible world.
The ceremony takes place in the company of Teke notables, old men respected for their knowledge. The investiture begins with a ritual in a forest space, where the chief is dressed in his most beautiful red clothes, the color of the teke chiefs. The Nzimi, a kind of griot, begins a song that praises the life of the leader and his ancestors.
Camera, sound, editing : Romain Duda
Special acknowledgment to the NGO Mbou-Mon-Tour and its wonderful work in this area for local development, community conservation and preservation of the bonobos habitats: