Songye of the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Book Review,
by Nkamany Kabamba
Book Description
This book is a product of the study of history and culture of the Songye (the word ‘songye' means summit or styled) from an African country, Democratic Republic of Congo. The book attempts to offer and explain the history and culture of the Songye People, also simply known as "The Songye". Historically, The Songye have been portrait and limited to the context of art and music. Little has been said or written about The Songye as a People. The Songye People have a history before the colonial period, and that history is part of the consciousness of Africa. At the turn of the 19th century, Europe started paying close attention to the continent of Africa. At the 1885 Berlin Conference, King Leopold II of Belgium carved out his personal property on the African Continent. Thus, the Belgium Congo was created and the People living within these new boundaries were subjected to the iron fist of the Belgium Monarch. The Songye People were one of many human entities in the Belgium Congo who found their lives scrutinized by European colonial interest. As such, a European perspective began to describe and explain the lives of native groups. The Songye People did not escape this scrutiny and faced many challenges in safeguarding their way of live and identity. In order to rescue the history and culture of the Songye People, there is need to describe and explain their way of life and identity using an African perspective.
About the Author
Dr. Nkamany Kabamba, Medical Doctor, Researcher, Writer, Former International Civil Servant (United Nations) and Member of CICIBA (International Center for Bantu Civilization in Africa) is a native of the Songye People from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa. During his middle age, he had the opportunity to teach at the university level, as well as instructing future nurses. These valuable experiences proved to be beneficial in his work with USAID in Kinshasa; in planning a joint World Health Organization (WHO) United Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nutritional Project in Niger; and ultimately in his status as World Health Organization (WHO) Representative (Ambassador) in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently in his later age, he’s an independent researcher specializing in development projects. He learned different cultures and different languages (French, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, etc.) that have given him the ability to work with and consider different perspectives. Dr. Kabamba is author of numerous books and articles in the field of Health, Nutrition, Ethnicity, Diversity, Aesthetics, Art, Music, and he continues to write articles and books on Education in Democracy because he thinks greatly of Empowerment through Education.
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