BABILA J. MUTIA - University of Yaounde I, Cameroon
Nordic Journal of African Studies 12(3): 387–406 (2003)
ABSTRACT
This article examines and analyses the language of dirges among the Kpe (or Bakweri), a homogenous ethnic group of semi-Bantu stock in the Southwestern region of Cameroon. By so doing, it exposes the fascinating language variety of the Kpe dirge form as poetry. The article is of the view that the structure of the dirges, their chant and antiphonal form, the figurative language employed by the performers (that includes lyrical repetition, personification, symbolism, imagery, apt metaphors, and allusions) constitutes some of the essential components that are utilized in the realization of this funeral poetry.
The article also highlights the use of a free rhythm (that is most often enhanced by the collaboration of a lead singer and chorus) in the performances of Kpe dirges. This rhythm is articulated by dance, the accompaniment of drumming, ringing of bells, and the playing of a host of assorted musical instruments. This employment of rhythm demonstrates how the individual performer has the flexibility to treat the themes in her own way and, in so doing, expressing her emotions in the words and melodies she chooses. The vivid pictures that are conjured from the performers’ imagination as they perform these funeral songs generate emotive feelings that suit the mournful atmosphere of Kpe funerals.
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1. PERFORMANCE OF BAKWERI DIRGES
The performance of dirges among the Bakweri actually begins during the all night wake that lasts till dawn. When the deceased is laid in state, the tempo of the mourning rises, and the performances of the dirges heighten and enhance the mourning. Because of the influence of Christianity, particularly in the more urban towns, it is now fashionable for the deceased’s relatives to invite church choirs (velongi) to sing and dance during the wake. Traditional dance groups too, some of them with masquerades (vekale) playing assorted paraphernalia of musical instruments, show up at some wakes, especially the wakes of very important persons in the community. In the course of the night one can hear isolated wailing; otherwise, the wake is characterised by singing and dancing all night.
The performance of these dirges is mostly a women’s affair in the form of song and dance groups, although in recent years there has been a proliferation of mixed dance groups made up of both women and men, with the men playing musical instruments and constituting the background chorus of voices. Among these dance groups, there exist skilled and professional performers who are formally hired for a fee and, as Okpewho (1992: 156) puts it, “invited by the bereaved family to lend a certain grandeur or fullness to the occasion.” The other less skilled performers, in most cases, are not formally invited but are provided with food and drinks after their performances. Whether the performance is semi-skilled or professional, it usually involves dancing and drumming. In between the group performances, occasional soloists and dual performers also come forward, at times sobbing, sometimes weeping as they lament the departure of the deceased or express a variety of themes on the nature of death. Most of the dirges performed during funerals are well known by the audiences. Moved by the music, singing, and emotion of a performance, it is not unusual that many a member of the audience would leap forward and join the
performers in their song and dance.
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About the author:
Babila J. Mutia lectures in African oral and written literatures, ethnology, and research methodology at the Ecole Normale Superieure (University of Yaounde I) in Yaounde, Cameroon. His research interests are in the domain of post-colonial literature, African cosmology, ethnography, and traditional African religion. He was a visiting fulbright scholar at Western Washington University, USA in 1996/1997 and later a DAAD visiting professor at the Institute of African Studies, Universität Bayreuth in Germany during the academic year 2000/2001.
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