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The Akele musical bow, ngongo
Akele is the language of the Akele people from Gabon. It’s a Bantu language, spoken by a population scattered all over the country. The Akele are fishermen and farmers. They live along the Ogooué and Ngounié rivers, and in the lake region around Lambaréné.
During our filming sessions in Gabon, our crew was granted the opportunity to shoot the performance of an Akele musician playing on a musical bow (known as ngongo, in Akele). The ngongo, “musical bow”, is used by this population within an initiatory rite called “bwiti”, which our local contact here comments on and tells us about its origins and different sequences. We also learn about how the musical bow is made, and how it should be played…
The Akele musical bow, ngongo
Linguist: Jean-Marie Hombert
Camera and sound: Luc-Henri Fage
Translation: Hugues Awanhet
Editing : Caroline Laurent