Homage to Songye Contemporary Orchestra Basokin & Lusombe
The Democratic Republic of Congo
Extract from Nkamany Kabamba & Alexander Derrick’s forth coming Book (2004)

Introduction
Four thousand years ago, the Songye People of the Democratic Republic of Congo emigrated from Kush, (Nubian Egypt) and settled in the Lomani River Basin.
This region is between the fifth and sixth parallels south at approximately 24 degrees to 27 degrees east. The Sankuru River forms the western border of their lands, the Lwàlàbà River on the east, while the Lomami River cuts close to the territory’s heart.

The Songye people in Democratic Republic of Congo should not be confused with the West African, Songhay Empire of Mali.

An old folktale describing the spread of the Great Luba Families in the Democratic Republic of Congo first makes mention of the Songye as an annex along the path to the Nsanga Necropolis, also known as the Sanga A Lubangu (1996). During the Arab expansion into Africa, the Songye area was a theatre for Arab Islamic incursions. Later the Songye territory would become the subject of Belgian colonization (1885-1960).

Nkamany Kabamba, and other researchers postulate that the History and Culture of the Songye can help to elucidate critical African history, which is so poorly known.

Individuals interested in the genetic or non-accidental relationship between sub-Saharan1 Africa and Ancient Kmt and Kush (Ancient Egypt and Nubia) will find a wealth of information still preserved in traditional African Customs, Culture and History.

To further cultivate this body of knowledge it is imperative to study Songye, Great Zimbabwe, Gala [Sine Delta], Fang, Zulu, Batchuana, Lamba, Yaga [Bayaka], Bakons [Bakongo], Lunda kingdom, Wanyamwezi [M’Siri], Lulua, Bena Konji, Kanyok, Kalundwe, Hemba, Basanga of Katanga, and the First Luba Empire.

Sources of illustrations and Description:
- Maps (Nkamany Kabamba: Author of the Book)
- Authorization from Mi Amor of Basokin & Lusombe orchestra and Samy Lubaki.
- Artist (Alexander Derrick)

UNESCO2 defines culture, in general terms, as ways of living together. Thus, it contemplates both the concrete ways in which coexistence is organized by people and the images and ideas through which a society represents the forms in which coexistence takes place and how it wants it to be. Culture is therefore the practice and the imagination of life in common.

The Contemporary Music and Culture of the Songye People in DRCongo
Orchestra Basokin and Lusombe



In the traditional music of the Songye People, the presentation of music is not simply an auditory event. Song, instrumentation, dress, and dance are all interrelated elements that the entertainers weave together as the fabric of the performance.

In this photo we see three entertainers. On the left is a male performer. He is wearing the traditional dress of the Songye. His face and arms are covered with a white chalk, that the Songye call "Ema3."

The Ema can be mixed with other colors to manipulate the coloration, such as orange, blue, green or red. The colors white and red are sacred colors of the Songye, dating back to the Pharonic period4. He is wearing several necklaces all of which are made from natural materials obtained in the bush. His kilt is made from raffia fibers, and is adorned by a red trimming. His special apron is made from leopard skin.

The performer in the center is also clothed in his traditional costume. His kilt is pink (red), white, black, and sky blue, which reminds us of one of the favorite, colors in Kmt. A raffia kilt is also being worn with the long garment.

The second kilt is adorned with a checkered pattern. He is wearing a headband. A red, black, and a polychromatic beaded necklace and a pouch hang from his neck. In the performers hand is a large "slit drum" which is similar in function to a wooden gong.

This unique traditional instrument produces a pleasing sound. The third performer is wearing his raffia kilt with traditional design.


In this photo we see four performers. In the front we see two performers wearing similar traditional dress. In this photo we have the addition of traditional headdress.


In this photo we have three important figures. In the foreground sits an individual in full traditional garb. He wears a feather headdress, and his body is decorated with Ema [Lupemba], and his face is arranged with a geometric pattern. He is wearing double strands of red beads that cross each other.

In the second row there are two gentlemen. On the left, the performer wears a long skirt, with a raffia kilt, and a wrapped upper garment. He also wears a crossed set of red beads. His face is adorned with the Ema (Lupemba). The gentleman on the right is wearing a raffia kilt with a geometric design. He also wears the feather headdress.

The performers in the background wear traditional dress, and the dancer on the far right is equipped with a special hat fabricated from local materials.

Performer exiting Belgian building in 2000.


Singing and dancing.

Performers must be skilled in the movements and versed in the songs of the tradition. This female performer is wearing the traditional raffia skirt. Her lower legs and chest are covered with the Ema and pearls. In this photo we can make out the white and red markings on her torso. On her right leg is a bell that accentuates the dancers movements, which correspond to the rhythm. Her dance heightens the performance. She is also wearing a red beaded necklace, which is crossed. If we recall the Pharonic tradition, we will see that the concept of crossing was of much importance. For example, the mummified Kings had their arms crossed before they were laid to rest for eternity. The god Osiris sometimes wore a red crossed sash, and some dancers also wore a crossed garment.
Detail of ballerina from tomb of Kha-rw.f
Ballerina wears a knee length skirt, a crossed garment, and an artificial wig.
TT 192, 18th Dynasty.
Photo from author’s collection.


Female performer wears raffia fabric, pearls and traditional beads.


The performers step in time with the music. Dance is used not only for entertainment value, but the lyrics can be given added meaning through gesture and dance. Together dance, instrumentation, and singing help transmit the story of the music.

This performer is wearing his traditional garb. He is painted with the Ema [Lupemba] in a dotted design. He is wearing traditional beaded necklace, and also a beaded belt. The belt supports a leopard skin, which is a totemic animal.

The leopard skin played an important role in Nubian Egyptian religious ceremony of old. Today we see it still is important.

The man’s two close fitting necklaces remind us of the shebyu necklaces worn in Kmt to indicate those of distinguish duties. Again we can see the common African aesthetic. In the background we see the musicians playing their drums and xylophone.

Detail of Sn-Nfr, Mayor of Thebes.
18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep II and Thutmose IV 1427-1391 BCE

The great Sn-Nfr wears honorary shebyu collars, indicating his distinguished character and duties.
Both male and female could equip the shebyu collar(s), and our oldest known example comes from the burial of a 17th Dynasty woman at Qurna.

The mask adds mystery and metaphor to a performance. Here we can see a feathered red and black mask. The masker's performance can sometimes be out of this world!

Entertainers rest. We can see the richness of traditional design.


Performer wearing her red beads of tradition, along with traditional earrings.


The performers add drama to the presentation.



Performers wearing crossed red traditional beads and painted with the Ema [Lupemba]. Both performers hold a ceremonial flywhisk; this sacred use of this whisk dates back to the Pharonic tradition. It is connected with the Egyptian n-khkh.w scepter.


Crooks and Whisks from tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amen
18th Dynasty
Photo Source:
Carter No.: 269e
Burton photograph: p1187

The n-kha-kha scepter is a symbol of authority carried by the king since pre-dynastic times (see reverse face of Narmer Palette). The scepter originally was a flywhisk5, over time it evolved into a more elaborate object resembling the ancient scepter from King Tutankhamen's tomb.


The female singers are wearing their traditional costume. Both singers wear two color Ema designs.

The singer on the right also is wearing a blue ornament, which is prepared from natural materials in the bush. This color blue has the same symbolic connection as the blue that is used on red, white, black, and blue long kilt mentioned above (See illustration number one).

Again, the sky blue jewelry reminds us of the Old African Egyptian and Nubian’s favorite color.


The dancer on the right is wearing a blue vest. The vest was colored with local dies and materials. This dancer also holds the ceremonial axe of the Busongye [Land of the Songye People]. The royalty and special entertainers can only equip this axe.


Two females with the fly Wisk.


On the left is Mi Amor. In the center is the leading lady. On the right is Mposhi. He is wearing a traditional hat of Songye people

Conclusion.
As we can begin to see remnants of the old African traditions of Kmt and Kush are still echoed in modern Songye customs and cultures. It is imperative for the next stage of an indigenous evolution of the modern African aesthetics and cultures to re-evaluate our traditional customs in light of African migrations to and from the Nile Valley. We would like to think that this short paper, serves as an example illustrating how African customs can be used to help penetrate the great African societies of the past, in order to forward the modern generation of Africans living across the globe.

“… The history of Black Africa will remain suspended in air and cannot be written correctly until African historians dare to connect it with the history of Egypt.” C.A. Diop

Footnotes:
1 Anthropologist Shomarka Keita has indicated that “sub-Saharan Africa” can be an artificial racial classification, for we never hear of the supra-Saharan Africa. In ancient times, the people, customs, and culture did not suffer from division.
2 UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was born on November 16, 1945. For this specialized UN agency, it is not enough to build classrooms in devastated countries or to restore world heritage sites (to publish scientific breakthroughs). Education, Social and Natural Science, Culture and Communication are the means to a far more ambitious goal: to build peace in the minds of men.
3 Ema, also known as Lupemba is an obtained from the bush, it is derived from kaolin, a claylike and friable hydrous aluminum silicate.
4 The Ancient Egyptian symbol for divinity was Ntr, a bound pole and flag that was often colored red, white, black, and green. The Egyptian Pharaoh also wore a red and white streamer attached to his crown, signifying political unification. The geography of Egypt was also divided into red and white. Southern Egypt was signified by the color white, Northern Egypt was signified by the color red. Thus, the color symbolism was incorporated into the political regalia.
5 The conclusion that the Osirian scepter is a "flail-like" ladanisterion of Mediterranean origin used in gathering ladunum as proposed by the late P.E. Newberry is highly unlikely. As of yet no clear evidence supports that the Cistus plant ever grew in Egypt during pharonic times!
NEWBERRY, P.E. "The Shepard's crook and the so-called 'flail' or 'scourge' of Osiris." JEA 15 (1929), 84-94.

Further Reading:
ALDRED, C. Jewels of the Pharaohs. Thames and Hudson, 1971.
DIOP, C. African Origins of Civilization, Myth or Reality. Lawrence Hill Books, 1974.
KABAMBA, N. Songye of the Democratic Republic of Congo. 2003.

Barnes And Noble.com ISBN: 1-59427-007-4
MANNICHE, L. Ancient Egyptian Musical Instruments. Deutscher Kunsterverlag, 1975.