The Two Central African Nations That Are Known As "The Congo" (video & online articles)

Mr. Beat, Jul 31, 2020

**** Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video that provides geographical and contemporary cultural information, drawings, photographs, and brief video clips about the geography and two Central African nations named "the Congo": " Democratic Republic of the Congo" (Congo Kinshasa") and "Republic of the Congo" ("Congo Brazzaville").

This pancocojams post also includes a complete reprint of a article about these two Central African nations along with a brief excerpt of a Wikipedia article about the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a brief excerpt of a Wikipedia article about the Republic of the Congo.

The content of this post is presented for historical and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owner.

Thanks to all who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this embedded YouTube video.

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THE COMPLETE REPRINT OF A 2019 ONLINE ARTICLE ABOUT THE TWO CENTRQL AFRICAN NATIONS REFERRED TO AS "THE CONGO"

https://www.thoughtco.com/which-congo-is-zaire-1434545

Republic of the Congo vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire)

Marine Gauthier / EyeEm / Getty Images

By 

Matt Rosenberg

Updated on July 01, 2019

"On May 17, 1997, the African country of Zaire became known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In 1971 the country and even the huge Congo River were renamed Zaire by former President Sese Seko Mobutu. In 1997 General Laurent Kabila took control of Zaire country and returned it to the name the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which it held prior to 1971. A new flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was also introduced to the world.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the setting for Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," was called "Africa's most unstable country" in 1993. The country is about half Catholic and has 250 different ethnic groups within its borders.

There is inherent geographical confusion in this change due to the fact that the Democratic Republic of the Congo's western neighbor is known as the Republic of the Congo, a name which it has held since 1991.

The Republic of the Congo Vs. The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Major differences exist between the two equatorial Congo neighbors. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is much larger in both population and area. The population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is about 69 million, but the Republic of the Congo has a mere 4 million. The area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is over 905,000 square miles (2.3 million square kilometers) but the Republic of the Congo has 132,000 square miles (342,000 square kilometers). The Democratic Republic of the Congo holds 65 percent of the world's cobalt reserves and both countries rely on oil, sugar, and other natural resources. The official language of both Congos is French.

These two timelines of Congolese history might help sort out the history of their names:

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire)

• 1877 - Henry Stanley explores the region for Belgium
• 1908 - Becomes Belgian Congo
• June 30, 1960 - Independence for the Republic of the Congo
• 1964 - Becomes People's Republic of the Congo
• 1966 - Mobutu takes control and the country becomes the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• October 27, 1971 - Becomes Republic of Zaire
• 1996 - Mobutu is in Europe with prostate cancer so rebels, led by General Laurent Kabila attacked the Zairian army
• March 1997 - Mobutu returns from Europe
• May 17, 1997 - Kabila and his troops take the capital, Kinshasa and Mobutu go into exile. Zaire becomes the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There is worldwide confusion about the change
• September 7, 1997 - Mobutu died in Morocco

Republic of the Congo

• 1885 - Becomes the French territory Middle Congo
• 1910 - The territory of French Equatorial Africa is created, Middle Congo is a district
• 1960 - Independence for the Republic of the Congo
• 1970 - Becomes the People's Republic of the Congo
• 1991 - Name returns to the Republic of the Congo"
  
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  AN EXCERPT FROM THE WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE ABOUT THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo
  (retrieved on October 30, 2024) "DR Congo, officially the Democratic Republic of the Congo,[b] also known as the DRC, Congo-Kinshasa or simply Congo, is a country in Central Africa. By land area the Congo is the second-largest country in Africa and the 11th-largest in the world. With a population of around 109 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populous Francophone country in the world. The national capital and largest city is Kinshasa, which is also the economic center. The country is bordered by the Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania (across Lake Tanganyika), Zambia, Angola, the Cabinda exclave of Angola, and the South Atlantic Ocean.

  Centered on the Congo Basin, the territory of the Congo was first inhabited by Central African foragers around 90,000 years ago and was settled in the Bantu expansion about 3000 to 2000 years ago.[7] In the west, the Kingdom of Kongo ruled around the mouth of the Congo River from the 14th to 19th centuries. In the center and east, the empires of Mwene Muji, Luba, and Lunda ruled from the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. King Leopold II of Belgium formally acquired rights to the Congo territory from the colonial nations of Europe in 1885 and declared the land his private property, naming it the Congo Free State. From 1885 to 1908, his colonial military forced the local population to produce rubber and committed widespread atrocities. In 1908, Leopold ceded the territory, which thus became a Belgian colony.

  Congo achieved independence from Belgium on 30 June 1960 and was immediately confronted by a series of secessionist movements, the assassination of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, and the seizure of power by Mobutu Sese Seko in a 1965 coup d'état. Mobutu renamed the country Zaire in 1971 and imposed a harsh personalist dictatorship until his overthrow in 1997 by the First Congo War.[2] The country then had its name changed back and was confronted by the Second Congo War from 1998 to 2003, which resulted in the deaths of 5.4 million people and the assassination of President Laurent-Désiré Kabila.[8][9][10][11] The war ended under President Joseph Kabila, who governed the country from 2001 to 2019 and under whom human rights in the country remained poor and included frequent abuses such as forced disappearances, torture, arbitrary imprisonment and restrictions on civil liberties.[12]

  Following the 2018 general election, in the country's first peaceful transition of power since independence, Kabila was succeeded as president in a highly contentious election won by Félix Tshisekedi, who has served as president since.[13] Since 2015, eastern Congo has been the site of an ongoing military conflict.

  The Democratic Republic of the Congo is extremely rich in natural resources but has suffered from political instability, a lack of infrastructure, corruption, and centuries of both commercial and colonial extraction and exploitation, followed by more than 60 years of independence, with little widespread development.[14] Besides the capital Kinshasa, the two next largest cities, Lubumbashi and Mbuji-Mayi, are both mining communities. The DRC's largest export is raw minerals, with China accepting over 50% of its exports in 2019.[2] In 2021, DR Congo's level of human development was ranked 179th out of 191 countries by the Human Development Index[15] and is classed as a least developed country by the UN. As of 2018, following two decades of various civil wars and continued internal conflicts, around 600,000 Congolese refugees were still living in neighbouring countries.[16] Two million children risk starvation, and the fighting has displaced 4.5 million people.[17] The country is a member of the United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, African Union, COMESA, Southern African Development Community, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, and Economic Community of Central African States."

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  AN EXCERPT FROM THE WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE ABOUT THE REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_the_Congo 
  
  (Retrieved October 30, 2024)
  
  "Congo, officially the Republic of the Congo or Congo Republic,[a] also known as Congo-Brazzaville, is a country located on the western coast of Central Africa to the west of the Congo River. It is bordered to the west by Gabon, to the northwest by Cameroon, to the northeast by the Central African Republic, to the southeast by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south by the Angolan exclave of Cabinda, and to the southwest by the Atlantic Ocean.

  The region was dominated by Bantu-speaking tribes at least 3,000 years ago, who built trade links leading into the Congo River basin. From the 13th century the present day territory was dominated by a confederation led by Vungu which included Kakongo and Ngoyo. Loango emerged in the 16th century. In the late 19th century France colonised the region and incorporated it into French Equatorial Africa.[3] The Republic of the Congo was established on 28 November 1958 and gained independence from France in 1960. It was a Marxist–Leninist state from 1969 to 1992, under the name People's Republic of the Congo (PRC). The country has had multi-party elections since 1992, but a democratically elected government was ousted in the 1997 Republic of the Congo Civil War. President Denis Sassou Nguesso, who first came to power in 1979, ruled until 1992 and then again since after his reinstatement.

  The Republic of the Congo is a member of the African Union, the United Nations, La Francophonie, the Economic Community of Central African States, and the Non-Aligned Movement. It has become the 4th-largest oil producer in the Gulf of Guinea, providing the country with a degree of prosperity, with political and economic instability in some areas, and unequal distribution of oil revenue nationwide. Its economy is dependent on the oil sector.[13] and economic growth has slowed since the post-2015 drop in oil prices. Christianity is the most widely professed faith in the country."....

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Democratic Republic Of The Congo Tshiluba (Ciluba; Luba-Kasai) Language Names That Begin With The Letters "Tsh"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about traditional Tshiluba (Ciluba; Luba-Kasai) names from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and provides examples of Tshiluba names that begin with the letters "Tsh".

I came across these names in my search for the traditional meaning, if any, for the name "T'Challa" which is the name that was given to the fictional comic book and movie character "Black Panther".

Also while looking for the meaning of the name "T'Challa", I came across what I believe is a very similar [if not the same] sounding Tshiluba name "Tshala". Furthermore, as a result of this online research, I was introduced to the music of the Congolese (Luba) female singer Tshala Muana. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/03/congolese-singer-tshala-muana-lekela.html for the pancocojams post entitled "Congolese Singer Tshala Muana - "Lekela Muadi" (sound file, lyrics, & comments)".

In addition, as a result of my search for the meaning of the name "T'Challa", I also found a very similar [if not the same] sounding Zulu word "tshala". Several online websites give the meaning of the Zulu word "tshala" as "to sow/plant". Many of the websites that I found which include a definition of the Zulu word "tshala" showcase the South African contemporary Gospel song entitled "Tshala" by Joyous Celebration. A pancocojams post that showcases a video of Joyous Celebration singing that song will be published ASAP and its link will also be added here.

While the name of the fictional character "T'Challa" may have no connection whatsoever to the Luba name "Tshala" or the Zulu word "tshala", I've included the information that I cited about that name in a previous pancocojams post in the Addendum to this post.

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The content of this post is presented for cultural and linguistic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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DISCLAIMER
This post is intended to share what I consider to be an interesting feature of a number of Tshiluba names. I don't intend to indicate or imply what, if anything, is the meaning or meanings of the "tsh" letters that are found at the beginning of the names that are compiled in this post.

I'd love to learn if there is any meaning or meaning to the "tsh" beginning letters in these names.

Additions and correction are very welcome.

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INFORMATION ABOUT TSHILUBA LANGUAGE AND NAMES & LISTS OF TSHILUBA NAMES THAT BEGIN WITH "TSH"

Pancocojams Editor's Note:
These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

EXCERPT #1:
From https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/tshiluba

[...]
WHAT DOES TSHILUBA MEAN IN ENGLISH?
"Luba-Kasai language
Tshiluba is a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it is a national language, along with Lingala, Swahili, and Kikongo. It is one of two major Congolese languages called "Luba". The prefix Tshi/ or Ci followed by the suffix Luba, means 'Luba language' or language of the Luba people or even the speaking of the baluba."...

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EXCERPT #2
Tshiluba | Define Tshiluba at Dictionary.com
www.dictionary.com/browse/tshiluba
Tshiluba definition, Luba (def 2). See more. ... [chi-loo-buh]
-snip-
Note that “tsh” appears to be pronounced “chi” which rhymes with English word “we”. Before I happened upon this excerpt, I was pronouncing the word "Tshiluba" "tee-she-loo-bah" based on my American pronunciation, but it appears that the beginning letter “t” is silent. Given the fact that some of the Luba "tsh" names that are found below have a "Ci" spelling in parenthesis, my guess is that the "t" in all of the names that are given below also are pronounced with a silent "t".

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EXCERPT #3
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luba-Kasai_language
"Luba-Kasai, also known as Western Luba, Bena-Lulua, Ciluba/Tshiluba,[4] Luba-Lulua or Luva, is a Bantu language (Zone L) of Central Africa and an official language of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, alongside Lingala, Swahili, and Kikongo.

An eastern dialect is spoken by the Luba people of the East Kasai Region and a western dialect by the Lulua people of the West Kasai Region. The total number of speakers was estimated at 6.3 million in 1991.

Within the Zone L Bantu languages, Luba-Kasai is one of a group of languages which form the "Luba" group, together with Kaonde (L40), Kete (L20), Kanyok, Luba-Katanga (KiLuba), Sanga, Zela and Bangubangu.

[...]

Geographic distribution and dialects
Tshiluba is chiefly spoken in a large area in the Kasaï Occidental and Kasaï Oriental provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, the differences in Tshiluba within this area are minor, consisting mostly of differences in tones and vocabulary, and speakers understand each other without a problem. Both dialects are further made up of sub-dialects. Additionally, there is also a pidginised variety of Tshiluba,[3] especially in cities where the everyday spoken Tshiluba is enriched with French words and even words from other languages such as Lingala or Swahili. Nevertheless, this variety is not a typical form of a pidgin since it is not common to every one, and changes its morphology and the quantity and degree to which words from other languages are used. Its form changes depending on who speaks it and varies from city to city and from one social class to another. However, in general people speak the regular Tshiluba language in their daily lives rather than the pidgin. The failure of the language to be taught at school has resulted in the replacement of native words by French words for the most part. For instance, when people are speaking they generally count in French rather than in Tshiluba; this situation where French and Tshiluba are used simultaneously makes linguists think the language has been pidginised while in reality it has not.

[...]

Tshiluba does not have the phoneme /r/.

The letters q, r and x appear only in loanwords from French and sometimes Swahili. The grapheme r, in loanwords, is pronounced as d or l: maringa to madinga, veranda to velando or balanda.”…

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EXCERPT #4
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=https://myciluba.com/2014/03/21/culture-luba-names/&prev=search
KAABUKÙLÙ | CULTURE , PÀ KÀSAAYÌ | ABOUT KASAYI
[Kaabukùlù] Names and Nicknames Lubas
March 21, 2014; Clarisse
"In Luba culture, children are often named at birth depending on the circumstances, an important event for the family or the clan, to pay homage to an ancestor who has a prestigious history or special importance, or a creature of God as the animals (symbolic of the attributes of the animal chooses). The symbolic value of the name is very important .

Traditionally, there is no family name as it is understood in the West. This concept was imported and imposed by the settlers to standardize the names in order to simplify the census. If you look at your family trees, you will notice that each child has his own name. In the same family, there could very well be ten children, and although all were brothers and sisters with the same father and mother, the ten had different names. That is why traditionally, a Muluba, to present himself, will name his ancestors for example, Mbuyi wa Kasongo wa Kalala (Mbuyi, son of Kasongo, himself son of Kalala), thus going back in his family tree as much as he wants it. Thus, if a person knows all his family tree until the 16th or 17th century, the presentations can last a moment! A Muluba can also use the name of his brother or sister to help identify, especially if the latter is a known person in the community and beyond: Mutombo wa ba Mujinga (Mutombo, brother of Mujinga).

We can differentiate the names according to several categories:
1- dîna dyà cilelelu = final name given at birth by the father ( cilelelu = placenta, date of birth);
2- dina dyà bupangù = name given according to the circumstances of the birth ( bupangù = characteristic);
3- dina dyà mwana = name to give to a child;
4- dîna dyà bukola, bukalanga or bulungu = this name taken towards adolescence, to the transition to adulthood, linked to an event that occurred later in the life of that person or to personal achievements may change several times during the life of the individual;
5- dîna dyà bâna ba mapanga = name of special children

[...]

Tshamba = the one who says, who speaks

Tshambwe = named person, quoted

Tshiabu (Cyabu) = to them, the / their

Tshianza (Cyanza) = the hand

Tshibamba (Cibamba) = wall, fortress

Tshibanda (Cibanda) = what is up, high (in height), someone who rises

Tshibangu (Cibangu) = the scar

Tshibelu (Cibelu) = the leg

Tshibuabua (Cibwabwa) = first child born from multiple birth

Tshidinda Kasapa = the one who protects himself

Tshiela (Makasa) [Cyela makasa] = child coming out of his feet first

Tshiende (a) (Cyende (a)) = his, his (see God)

Tshikala (Cikala) = right hand, substitute of the chief, regent

Tshikudimena (Cikudimena) = child born with the face to the ground

Tshikuta (Cikuta) = born child still wrapped in his fetal membrane

Tshikuatakuata (Cikwatakwata) = the one that disperses in several activities

Tshilanda (Cilanda) = who is poor

Tshilemba (Cilemba) = the observer, sweet person

Tshilobo (Cilobo) = hero, brave, valiant, brave person

Tshilombo (Cilombo) = the leader, the leader, who shows the way

Tshilonga (Cilonga) = the flower

Tshimankinda (Cimankinda) = the hero

Tshimanga (Cimanga) = sheath

Tshimpaka (Cimpaka) = brawler

Tshinabu wa Munda = watch out for the water that sleeps

Tshintu = thing, object

Tshingombe = prey of a wizard

Tshinyama Tshiolola (Cinyama Cyolola) = elongated animal

Tshiomba or Tshomba (Cyomba) = cassava, the protector

Tshiowa (Mashi) [Cyowa mashi] = child whose mother continued menstruating during her pregnancy (literally: bathes in blood)

Tshiowela (Cyowela) = child whose mother continued menstruating during her pregnancy

Tshipamba (Cipamba) = used to the point of not being usable

Tshisekedi (Cisekedi) = place where one laughs, where one laughs

Tshiswabantu (Ciswabantu) = the one who loves others

Tshiswaka (Ciswaka) = who is hidden

Tshituka (Cituka) = the premature

Tshomba (Cyomba) = cassava, the protector

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EXCERPT #5
From https://jlalablog.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/african-congolese-names-or-zairian-names.pdf African Congolese Names or Zairian Names

[Pancocojams Editor: My comments are given in the brackets.]

Tshala...M/F....Tshiluba [language; no meaning given. That website lists a number of other Tshiluba names that begin with “Tsh” as shown below.]

Tshamba [no other information given]

Tshamala...F [no meaning given]

Tshiandanda/Tshianda...M/F...tshiluba...Baby girl/boy who has at least 4 older siblings of
the same gender. E.g: a woman with 4 boys gives birth to a girl. That girl will be named Ngalula or
Tshiandanda or Tshianda for short. Same for a baby boy with 4 older sisters.

Tshibangu...M...Tshiluba [no meaning given]

Tshibelu...M...Tshiluba...Thigh

Tshibola... M/F...Tshiluba... Rotten

Tshibuyi...Tshiluba [no other information given]

Tshilanda...M...Tshiluba [no meaning given]

Tshilobu... M/F....Tshiluba.... Brave

Tshilongo....M....Tshiluba...Flower

Tshimini [no other information given]

Tshimsundu... M [no meaning given]

Tshintu... M/F....Tshiluba... A big object

Tshionza... M ... Tshiluba [no meaning given]

Tshisekedi... M...Tshiluba [no meaning given]

Tshisenga...[no information given]

Tshishimbi...F...Tshiluba [no meaning given]

Tshitenge...M... Tshiluba [no meaning given]

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EXCERPT #6
From https://www.behindthename.com/submit/names/usage/central-african
TSHELA ... m & f... Central African
Western Luba unisex name derived from the phrase cyela makàsà meaning "enfant born feet first".
-snip-
Does the Luba name "Tshala" have the same meaning as "Tshela" as given in that reader submitted "behind the names" website?

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ADDENDUM: POSSIBLE ORIGINS & MEANINGS OF VARIOUS NAMES FROM THE 2018 BLACK PANTHER COMIC BOOK SERIES AND MOVIE: THE NAME "T'CHALLA

The name of the actor playing this role is given first followed by the name in that comic series/movie.

1. Chadwick Boseman - "T'Challa" / Black Panther
I'm not sure what the name "T'Challa" means. However, I've found the following examples of "Challa" in Africa:
a) The name "T'Challa" may have been based on the actual name of a late 19th century "lesser king" in Angola as documented in the book Six Years of a Traveller's Life in Western Africa by Francisco Travassos Valdez, which was published in 1861.

https://books.google.com/books?id=jewMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA172&lpg=PA172&dq=challa+tribe+africa&source=bl&ots=K7Z6KjzPc6&sig=6A793jD4tmnsfZWClT9Q_bRMqyU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjt9pGFxYDZAhVC7FMKHaiDBO04ChDoAQg6MAY#v=onepage&q=challa%20tribe%20africa&f=false

Francisco Travassos Valdez, the Portuguese author of Six Years of a Traveller's Life in Western Africa, writes that his journey in Africa "commenced in 1852". Discussion of King Challa (termed the great king Challa at one point in this book) is found in chapter VI.. Challa's name is given earlier in that chapter, but the main portion that refers to him and his people is found on pages 192-211.

King Challa is also mentioned in the more widely known book The Golden Bough:
Google Books Result
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=162558251X
James Frazer - 2013 - ‎History
"The Matiamvo is a great king or emperor in the interior of Angola. One of the inferior kings of the country, by name Challa, gave to a Portuguese expedition the following account of the manner in which the Matiamvo comes by his end”...
[WARNING: That 1861 book and the passage from that book which is quoted in The Golden Bough contains graphic descriptions of slaughter.]
-snip-
"In the context of this quote "inferior kings " means "lesser kings" who owed submission to the great king" (in that region). That great king and all of his people-including his lesser kings-were formally under the control of the Portuguese, in large part because the Portuguese's guns "vomited death".

b) "Lake Chala, also known as Dschalla,[1] is a crater lake in a caldera[2] on the borders of Kenya and Tanzania on the eastern edge of Mount Kilimanjaro"...
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Chala
-snip-
"Lake Chala" is also given as "Lake Challa"

c) name of an ethnic group in Nigeria's Plateau State
From http://allafrica.com/stories/201306210697.html 21 JUNE 2013
Daily Trust (Abuja)
"Nigeria: Plateau - Fulani, Challa to Form Vigilante Group
Jos — Fulani, Challa and other tribes in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State have resolved to form a joint vigilante group to help restore peace to the area.

This was contained in a communique presented at the end of a stakeholders meeting between the joint security committee and relevant stakeholders from Bokkos Local Government Area in Jos yesterday. The meeting which was chaired by the commander of the Special Task Force (STF), Major General Henry Ayoola, resolved that measures must be put in place to regulate the influx of illegal immigrants into the state for peace to be sustained."..
-snip-
UPDATE March 7, 2018
Here's another African name that is quite similar to the name "TChalla":
From https://www.last.fm/music/Tshala+Muana
"Tshala Muana is a [female] singer from the Democratic Republic of Congo. She began her career as a dancer for the great Zairian singer Abeti Massikini, practising "mutwashi" dances from the Kasai region. In the 80's she began performing as a singer. She has enjoyed success in several West African countries, more so than in her own country."...
-end of quote-
Also, "tshala" is Zulu word that means "sow"/"plant" and is the title of a contemporary South African Gospel song. https://africangospellyrics.com/2013/01/15/tshala-sowplant-by-sphumelele-and-joyous-celebration-16/

I don't know whether any of the information given here had any influence on the selection of the name TChalla as the name for the 1966 Black Panther comic book character (and later the name for the movie character).
-snip-
This section is part of the following pancocojams post "Traditional African Languages, Arabic Languages, & Other Sources For Names In The 2018 Black Panther Movie" http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/possible-origins-meanings-of-names-from.html .
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Seven YouTube Videos Of Traditional Congolese Dancers & Musicians Wearing Dots And/Or Other Face And Body Paint

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases seven videos of traditional Congolese dancers and musicians who are wearing dots and/or other face and body paint.

This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series about traditional and contemporary African face and body painting.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

Thanks to all those who are featured in this post and all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
DISCLAIMER: This post isn't meant to represent all of the different types of face painting or body painting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Nor does this post imply that people performing these dances or playing the music for these dances always wear face or body paint.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENT [Revised on January 7, 2018]
Since at least 2015, there have been a number of YouTube tutorials about "African Face Painting" (also given as "African Tribal Painting)". Many of these videos focus on painting temporary designs made out of dots, lines, swirls, and/or other geometric figures on one's face and/or body or on another person's face/body. One example of these YouTube tutorials is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0mxolHUa-g&t=78s "African face paint tutorial: DOTS" published by Loumingou Night on Mar 10, 2015.

The appropriateness of Black people and other people in the United States and other Western cultures wearing so-called "African tribal" face and body painting has been and continues to be hotly debated. The videographer in the example given above discusses this topic while painting her face. Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/01/young-paris-response-to-zipporah-genes.html for a 2016 pancocojams post on the subject of whether it's culturally appropriate for Black people in the African Diaspora (and other people) to paint dots and other so-called African tribal designs on their face and/or body.

Rather than add to that debate, I've chosen to focus on questions that continue to be asked in a number of discussion threads of YouTube videos of these "African Tribal Painting" tutorials. This post and some other posts in this pancocojams series addresses the question: "Which African ethnic groups* do these painted designs (or designs like this) come from?"

Most of the publishers of these tutorials respond to these questions by saying that their designs are "inspired" by various (usually unnamed) African "ethnic groups"*.

*Note that I've substituted the term "ethnic group" for "tribe" as I consider "tribe" to be a term that's loaded with all sorts of negative European colonial connotations.

In an upcoming pancocojams series I'll provide some information gleaned from the internet that may be extrapolated to help explain what some traditional African face/body painting and scarification designs might mean.

Here's one quote from Young Paris (a contemporary Black male musician who was born to Congolese parents in France, and raised in New York) about the meanings of colors in the Congo:

From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecTm5gYZ5Bc
Young Paris: Afropunk 2015 *
"Good afternoon, this is Young Paris. We’re at the HausOAlt

Oh, AfroPunk is all. I was here last year as a guest. It’s funny, I did some social media stuff and a lot of it kinda went viral and people started following the aesthetic where I was going with this afro futuristic, afro-futuristic, traditional, contemporary concept, And it just started rapidly growing an audience. It’s just down to see the timing when it happened and that they’re able to put me on a platform where I can sharing the information. So that’s how I see it hear. Just the sharing.

Well my father co-founded the Congo ballet. And in their lineage they would use different colors to highlight their features. And so the national ballet had like a distinction within the Congo about how they would present themselves. He was a choreographer at thirteen and he continued this lineage. So I just carry on that tradition.

We wear different colors for different reasons. So with red, it symbolizes the blood of our people. Yellow is the sun that provides life. And green is the grass, It gives us food. And the white is –when we lose our ancestors, we wear white in remembrance of them because we carry on their lineage.

So my father died a couple of years ago, Since then I usually only wear the white.

For me I took the idea of this science and built it into a pop culture aesthetic around it."...
-snip-
*This is my transcription from the video. Additions and corrections are welcome.

Use pancocojams's internal search engine or click the "traditional and contemporary African face and body painting" tag below to find other pancocojams post on this subject.

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: BASOKIN,Basongye a Kinshasa



ngandu a mushinga, Published on Oct 22, 2007

Musique folklorique du Peuple SONGYE de la LOMAMI terribles danses ancestrales royales pleines d'élégance!!Ouhhhh la fierté du MUSONGYE,souche pharaonique pure.....Eyendo Basongye ni m'Bakielengye m'BAKALANGA.Wonderful dancers and Maskers makers.
Votre serviteur
-snip-
Google translation from French to English:
Folk music SONGYE of the LOMAMI terrible royal dances full of elegance !! Ouhhhh the pride of MUSONGYE, pure pharaonic strain ..... Eyendo Basongye ni m'Bakielengye m'BAKALANGA.Wonderful dancers and Maskers makers.
Your humble servant
-snip-
In the context of this comment, the word “terrible” probably means something like “awesome”

Here are three comments from this video's YouTube discussion thread:
DELTA_, 2014
"Story on this band in National Geographic Magazine for September 2013. Congratulations, and best of luck and blessings to keep the values and culture of the Congo alive as Kinshasa evolves. Hold on to your beauty and love for each other and the Earth."

**
NYCBG, 2015
"What's the correct pronunciation of "Songye" or "Basongye"?

**
REPLY
Sarkin Makanda, 2017
"NYCBG both are correct. the ba refers to people so when you refer to the people of songye you say basongye."

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Example #2: Hommage Ngeleka et les Artistes du Congo Kinshasa [sound file with photograph collage]



compukin, Published on Jun 19, 2008

Les artistes ne meurent pas, ils demeurent survivent à travers leurs oeuvres

Google translation from French to English:
Artists do not die, they stay alive through their works

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Example #3: The Best of Congo Kasai Folk Music Allstars



compukin, Published on Mar 15, 2009

Kasaï is one of the richest provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo not only for diamond but also for its culture and Arts. Here we have a compilation of some traditional dance and music. A project to collect information on the Kasaï's master pieces in music, arts and culture is in progress at Heritage Panafrica Centre
-snip-
Scenes that include dancers with face and/or body painting can be found at 3:29-7:15

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Example #4: ballet MBONDA AFRICA



pelengamo tonka, Published on Jan 2, 2013

directeur général TONKA PELENGAMO de ballet mbonda africa dans ...rdc
-snip-
"rdc" = [in English] the Democratic Republic Of The Congo

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Example #5: Traditional Congolese dance - in theatre with Ballet Arumbaya Ndendeli



Ballet Arumbaya Ndendeli, Published on Mar 23, 2014

Ballet Arumbaya Ndendeli performs in theatre in Kinshasa

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Example #6: BIBOC - traditional folk musical assembly of Democratic Republic of Congo



Dr SImon KALOMBO, Published on Jun 16, 2014

Very popular congolese folk assembly, with main goal to promote the african and congolese art and culture. Big performance, percusition, live music and dynamic dance, accompnied of high show. More than 25 young singers, dancors, musicians are able to take you over the wellknown african movings

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Example #7: BAYUDA DU CONGO, KADIYOYO 2015, TSHINTUA NDEMBA



Eugene Jpx, Published on Jan 3, 2015

NOUVEL ALBUM DE KADIYOYO BAYUDA DU CONGO Nouvelle Génération 2015

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The Use Of "Mama" & "Papa" In The Congo To Refer To Non-Parents

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases excerpts of two online articles that provide observations of the use of the referents "mama" and "papa" among people of the Democratic Republic Of The Congo (DRC).

The content of this post is provided for sociological and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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EXCERPT #1
From http://lokoleyacongo.wordpress.com/category/congo-culture/page/3/
Schooling in Congo, July 7, 2010 [written by] erasingborders [Excerpt]
"Nearly everyone here is “Mama” or “Papa”. Children at an early age are acknowledged half wryly but affectionately in this way. Rev. Bonanga is not “Monsieur le President” as the head of the Disciples community; he is “Papa President”. And I have never heard Sandra Gourdet, the Global Ministries Africa Executive, referred to as anything but “Mama Sandra”. There is simply no more respectful honorific the culture can bestow than “Mama” and “Papa”.

While everyone is given the title, both parents and non parents, adults work hard and sacrifice heroically in their role as parent. “Papa Pierre”, one of my night time guardians in the compound, hopes to receive an advance today of $45 on his salary. Tomorrow his daughter graduates from her sixth year of primary school and there must be an appropriate celebration of the milestone. A new dress and shoes at a feast shared with family and friends crown the occasion. The expense projected is more than his monthly salary but is not an unusual outlay for a child even when there are eight or nine in the family, as is typical here.

The other night sentry in our Disciples guest compound “Papa Dominique” has with his wife continued to work a field more than 20 kilometers from the family‘s home in Mbandaka to pay his 9 children’s school fees. Papa Dominique’s wife sometimes spends two or three months away from home cultivating and harvesting before marketing the manioc root and leaves, corn, rice and potatoes. Even parents who have jobs in Equateur, the least developed Province with the highest unemployment, must seek additional income for their children’s education"...
-snip-
If I understand correctly, erasingborders, the author of that post whose excerpt I quoted and hand others in that series, was a missionary worker in the DRC with the Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ.

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EXCERPT #2
From http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2013/07/13-surprising-things-about-parenting-in.html
Monday, July 29, 2013 at 9:56 AM "13 Surprising Things About Parenting in Congo" [Excerpt]
“For our Motherhood Around the World series, our third interview features Sarah ... and Jill .... two American friends who live in the Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa with their husbands and kids....

On hiring nannies and housekeepers: Jill: We had never hired people to work in our homes before moving to Congo. But it’s expected here for families who are relatively well off to use some of that income to provide work for others.

Even Congolese families who aren't well off often hire or ask someone to help with a new baby. For the first three months, babies’ necks are too weak to be carried on their mother’s backs. However, work still must get done, so someone—often a young relative—comes to carry that baby around while the mother works. Then, at three months (usually, on the dot!), babies are tied on their mothers’ backs, where they stay most of every day until age two or so.

On "Mamas": Jill: Our kids are super lucky. They have two biological parents, but also Mama Vida, Mama NouNou, Mama Youyou, and Mamitsho to look out for them, wipe their crusty noses, say "Sorry, sorry" when they fall down, and laugh adoringly when they say something cute. These “mamas” are the Congolese women who help us care for our kids and our homes. Mama Vida is our nanny, who comes every weekday to take care of Loulou while we are at work. Mama NouNou cleans our house three times a week, but her passion is food, and we love it when she makes us a dish to try.

In Congo, all women are called "Mama So-and-So" out of respect, whether you’re a mother or not.* I thought I would be uncomfortable sharing my mama title, but I’m not. It's a strange relationship—that of nanny and parent and child—but one that is less threatening and more loving than I expected. Now it’s hard to imagine raising children without so many mamas."...
-snip-
Italics were added by me to highlight that sentence.

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EDITOR'S COMMENTS
The second sentence in the lokoleyacongo.wordpress.com excerpt that indicates that "Children at an early age are acknowledged half wryly but affectionately [by being called "mama" or "papa"] struck a chord with me because that custom is a familiar one among some populations in the United States. A number of blogs* have posted discussions about this topic.

While some people who posted to those blogs were unfamiliar with that custom and asked if it was a trend, other commenters indicated that it was very normal for some (but not all) people from a number of different racial and ethnic backgrounds -in all socio-economic levels- to use what I call "parent referents" for children. The commenters on those blogs who wrote that they such referents indicated that they or people they knew who used those terms are Latino/Hispanic (in the USA), African Americans**, from South American nations, from Caribbean nations, from the Middle East (Arab; Israeli), from India, Middle Eastern nations, India, and Italian American. The parent referents which were cited were "mama", "mami", "little mama", "mamacita" and/or "mamas" for girls as young as babies and "papa", "papi", "papito", "daddy", "little daddy", and/or "baba" (which means "father" in Arabic) for boys as young as babies. All of those referents were considered to be terms of affection for children which are used by adults, including the children's parents. These terms can also be used as referents or nicknames for specific children by other children. And sometimes people keep those nicknames when they become adults - for example, Boston Red Sox baseball player David Ortiz ("Big Papi") who is from the Dominican Republic.

Given that information, it was interesting to learn from that lokoleyacongo.wordpress.com post that that custom is practiced by Congolese. I wonder how old that custom is and if Central Africa (and probably also West Africa) was the source of that custom for African Americans and Latinos, if not other people throughout the world.

*Here are some links to those discussions about the use of "parent (given in no particular order):
http://community.babycenter.com/post/a22519335/why_do_some_parents_call_their_daughters_mama

http://www.babygaga.com/t-1762367/calling-baby-girls-mama.html

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/326247.page

**For the record, I don't recall hearing "mama", "little mama", "daddy", or "papa" etc. used to refer to children, teens, or young adults who weren't parents when I lived in my home town of Atlantic City, New Jersey, I left my home town when I was sixteen years old, but if those terms were used around me, I'm sure I would still remember that. However, I have heard some Black people use them (particularly "little mama" and "mama" in my adopted city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While I had heard those terms before but never used them myself, I became particularly conscious of the use of those terms (and "little man" and "man" for Black boys, including babies) when I started working in foster care in the early 2000s.)

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RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/07/examples-of-mamacita-little-mama-in.html
"Examples Of "Mamacita" & "Little Mama" In American & Caribbean Records"

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