The Njembe (or Niembe; Ndjembe) is a rite executed exclusively by women, in Gabon. It stands in some way as a response to the male-only Mwiri and Bwiti rites. All three basically consist in two versions of the initiation through which a child becomes an adult.

In the Njembe, the initiation takes place under authority of a “spiritual mother”, guardian and defender of the traditions. The instruction handed down aims to help women solve common daily issues, and face possible hardship with wisdom…

The world of ancestral spirits flows at the center of this rite, thus bearing a strong spiritual tone. Spirits first need to be eased and satisfied for human beings to eventually find peace and quiet.

The ceremonies consist in a procession of chants and dances produced by women wearing body paint. The following video features a group of women singing along some of the songs produced during the Njembe, and although they were filmed outside the context of the actual rite, these songs still shed a light on the themes handled by the initiation: transmission from mother to daughter, cooking, the loss of virginity, etc.

One of the songs stands out; the one mentioning scars, as a probable down-to-earth reference to the actual wound inflicted by female circumcision (Do you see any scars upon me? Any wound? Look at me. Nothing wrong. Do you see an abscess ? Look, nothing wrong…).

In addition to these songs by Akele women, you’ll find another video on sorosoro.org showing one of the actual ceremonies of the Njembe rite, only this time, as it is practiced by the Punu, another Gabonese community settled a little further south.

Linguist: Jean-Marie Hombert
Camera and sound: Luc-Henri Fage
Translation: Hugues Awanhet
Editing: Caroline Laurent