TRIBUTE TO KIMBWANDENDE KIA BUNSEKI FU-KIAU - Dikenga dia Kongo-gctid108609

[Mani Kongo]

AbibitumiKasa Kongo Discussion

 Dikenga dia Kongo

 TRIBUTE TO KIMBWANDENDE KIA BUNSEKI FU-KIAU

 
 
Kongo Discussion Overview

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• The life and the work of Kimbwandende kia Bunseki Fu-Kiau
   
  
• The composition of the Kongo Cosmogram and its meaning
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• The Bantu-Kongo Concept of Time and its expression through the Dikenga dia Kongo
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• The life and the work of Kimbwandende kia Bunseki Fu-Kiau  
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Bio :
  Dr. K. Bunseki Fu-Kiau  is one of the most distinguished and insightful scholars of Kmtyw  culture. Born in Manianga, Congo, he was educated in both Western and  Kmtyw systems of thought.

 He is initiated into three major traditional "secret societies",  Lemba, Khimba and Kimpasi. These "secret societies" are in reality  indigenous educational institutions. Lemba, is of particular relevance  because it is the foundation for numerous Kmtyw based religions and  practices in the Americas, including Palo Mayombe in Cuba, Vodou Petro  in Haiti, and Candomble Angola in Brazil; brought about through the  transport of Central Kmt's indigenous people to the new world during  the slave trade.

While teaching in the city of Kinshasa, Dr. Fu-Kiau  decided to return to his home, Manianga located in the countryside.  There, he founded Luyalungunu Lwa Kumba-Nsi Institute, a pioneering  education center dedicated to exploring and documenting traditional  Kongo culture. His research and development work at the Institute laid  bare the Kmtyw philosophy of ancient Bantu educational institutions,  which has had a significant effect on major western scholars including  Drs. Robert F. Thompson, John M. Janzen and Wyatt MacGaffey.  Essentially, the cultural philosophy espoused by President Mobutu of  Zaire on which he firmly established his national programme of  Aughtenticite was based on the works of Fu-Kiau.

Dr. Fu-Kiau came to the United States to  continue his education, and to educate Americans, particularly Kmtyw  Americans, about the complexity and depth of Kmtyw philosophy. Since  his arrival, he as done precisely that by means of various lectures and  presentations. He has published numerous books and articles including Kongo Cosmology, Kumina: A Kongo-based Tradition in the New World, Kindezi: The Kongo Art of Babysitting, and Self-Healing Power and Therapy, Old Teachings from Kmt.  He currently resides in Boston where he works as Director of Library  Services at the Suffolk County House of Correction, and as Visiting  Lecturer at the Tufts University Department of Anthropology and  Sociology. He has also instituted two unique courses at the Suffolk  County House of Correction: The Jail That Changed My Life and The  Kmtyw World and Culture. These courses are currently being turned into  manuscripts for publication.

Dr. Fu-Kiau's academic background includes  degrees in the areas of Cultural Anthropology (B.A.), School  Administration (M.Ed.), Library Science (M.S.), and Education and  Community Development (Ph.D.). An insightful scholar with a profound  knowledge of Central Kmtyw philosophy and Traditions, he is also a  serious and committed educator with a wealth of experience, both in  Kmt and the United States. Dr. Fu-Kiau is a person of character, dedicated to the betterment of human-kind through tradtional Kmtyw ideas and means.
Taken from this thread.
 
 His Books :
 Self-Healing Power and Therapy, Old Teachings from Kmt
 
Self-Healing Power and Therapy is based upon the Bantu-Kongo teachings  on the art of healing, which is devoted to assisting the human being in  understanding the key principles that govern life. Combining ancient  practices with today's sophisticated methods of healing, here then, for  the very first time, is a thorough exploration and explanation of an  ancient art in a modern setting whose efficacy has survived the test of  time. This book is also an excellent to learn the thoughts, words and  concepts of Our ancestors in a language of Our own creation.
 Taken from this thread.
 
  Kmtyw Cosmology of the BÂNTU-KÔNGO, Principles of Life & Living

In the first chapter, "Kongo Cosmology in Graphics", Dr. Bunseki  utilizes an ingenious series of geometric figures/diagrams to outline  the cosmological/linguistic underpinnings of Bantu-Kongo society in the  villages where he grew up and has lived for over 40 years. As in other  Kmtyw societies, so-called societal and ritual categories often  overlap in many different ways - things aren't always as they seem, but  this is why things work so well and are expressive of so much vitality.  Everything interpenetrates with everything else, in numerous ways, and  on numerous levels, and from numberless standpoints.
  Taken from this thread.

 « Simba Simbi », Hold Up That Which Holds You Up

Are you looking to make sense of your world and how you relate to those  around you?  K.kia Bunseki Fu-Kiau presents traditional Kmtyw  philosophy and its order to life-balance seekers in his book: Simba Simbi: Hold Up That Which Holds You Up.  According to this philosophy, Simba Simbi  is the guiding principle of everything in our universe, all things seen  and unseen.  It is a spiritual, key concept to life and living; all  successes and failures depend upon it.  Fu-Kiau asserts that men and  women worldwide can become more satisfied with their lives once they  become in tune with this attitude and perception of life.  Study Simba Simbi by K.kia Bunseki Fu-Kiau to gain consciousness of how you relate to the world around you.

 Mbôngi, An Kmtyw Traditional Political Institution

 From the Introduction...
"Modern Kmt is often a stranger to itself.   Its so-called institutions are also alien to it.  The national economic  disease spreading to many Kmtyw states is not Kmtyw in origin.  It  is a disease generated by alien economic systems blindly adopted or  being adopted by Kmtyw leaders who have never sat inside an Kmtyw  "Mbongi", a truly indigenous political institution."

Kindezi, The Kôngo Art of Babysitting
 
 Kindezi (the art of babysitting) and the ndezi (babysitter) provide  an extensive amount of services for both the society at large and the  idividual child, making for a cohesive, unified community. Kindezi  serves to provide an early education for Kmtyw youth, therapy and  feeling of purpose for the aged, and liberation and independence for  Kmtyw women. In addition, Kindezi develops the moral and intelectual  character of the young, thus ensuring a strong foundation for each new  generation.
Taken from this thread.

   You can get these books at:
http://djelibooks.myshopify.com/collections/books/fukiau

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• The composition of the Kongo Cosmogram and its meaning
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The two worlds :
  Ku mpemba : LW : Lower World, spiritual world, abode of the ancestors : nsi a bafwa : land of the dead
  Ku nseke : UW : Upper World, phisical world : nza yayi : this world
 
 The two lines :
  Kalunga : the balancing plane-line of all energies
  Mukula : to grow, to gain a full understanding of the principles of life (N'kîngu miazîngila)
 
  The intersection :  
  Muntu Muntu Ya kilisu : to grow up in the cross
 
 The four postions/stages :
  The Musoni position is in the Ancestors' world. It is there that everything is first conceived/conceptualize/seeded.
  The Kala position marks the point of « coming out » of the ancestors' world and the « entry » into the physical world.
  The Tukula position marks the point of time where a planet, an individual, a society, kwk... reaches its peak, its mature state.
  The Luvemba position marks the point of « coming out » of the physical world and the « entry » into the ancestors' world.
 
 The « V » zone :
  Lubata lwa Mpângulu : Zone of highest level of creativity : the most critical zone in the success of all biological beings, especially human beings.

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• The Bantu-Kongo Concept of Time and its expression through the Dikenga dia Kongo  
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 COSMIC TIME (Tandu kiayalangana)
 
«Each body (world, planet) in the universe has its own cosmic time, its own formation process.»

 

  Musoni Time (Tandu kia Musoni):
  « Musoni time is the beginning of all time »
  « it is the collision of collisions (the big-bang) »
 
  Kala Time (Tandu kia Kala):
  « During this era the Earth witnessed great changes. Life in its lowest form – microscopic « beings » (zio), algae – began to exist/be (kala) during this period »
 
  Tukula Time (Tandu kia Tukula):
  « During this period of cosmic time, our planet matured (Kula).[...] Animals also occured at one point during this tukula era. »
  « Tukula incorporates the « V » zone »
 
  Luvemba Time (Tandu kia Luvemba):
  « At this point the planet earth became a living whole, complete by itself[...] the circle of cosmic time was completed and a new stage of time began »

 
 
  VITAL TIME (Ntangu a zingu / Ntangu a moyo)
 
  « the vital time of life[...] is cyclical. It begins at a point and ends at that same point to close the cycle, and then, by undergoing transformation, a new cycle begins.[...] All living things, concepts, and systems undergo this temporal cycle.»
 
 

  The four stages :
  Yakwa : conception/pregnancy
  Butwa : birth
  Kula : maturing stage
  Fwa : death
 
  « The Bantu-Kongo concept of death is very clear. Dying is not the end : « tufwanga mu soba » – we die in order to undergo change »
 
  NATURAL TIME (Ntangu yasemuka / Ntangu yamena)
 
  « Natural time[...] is the time that controls earthly things, their movement, growth, blooming, mating, and nesting.[...] Trhough its motion, natural time brings the four natural seasons to life »
 
  The four natural seasons :
  Nsungi a mvula : rainy season
  Nsungi a sivu : cold season
  Nsungi a lakumuka : « fall » season
  Nsungi a mbangala : summer season
 
  SOCIAL TIME (Ntangu amvukanana)
 
  « Social time is the time devoted to all activities of living beings »
 « As with all other arenas of time, social time, in all its divisions, is itself subject to dikenga, the cosmogramic altar, and to its main steps of life[...] »

 
 
  The four principal hours/time periods (lo bianene/biangudi) :
  n'dingu-a-nsi : midnight
  nsekula : sunrise
  mbata : noon
  ndimina : sunset
 
  The four « in-between » hours (lo biandwèlo) :
  makièlo : « the opening of the morning »
  kinsâmina : between sunrise and noon
  nsinsa : between noon and sunset
  malo-ma-tulu : between sunset and midnight
 
  The four Kôngo Market days :
  Bukonso/Konzo
  Mpika
  Nkoyi
  Nkenge/Nsona
  See also the Kikongo Calendar thread.

 Other Links:
 
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• You can find more information on Dikenga in this document: Flying Over Dikenga, The circle of new life
   
  
• 9 parts video of one of his lectures.
   
  
• Capoeira : According to pre-eminent scholar of Bantu culture, Dr. Kibwandende kia  Bunseki Fu-Kiau the word Capoeira itself is Kmtyw and comes from the  Kikongo word Kipura - to flutter around like roosters in cockfights. Taken from this thread.
  
  
• Be-Ing
   
  
• Nkondi
   
  
• Kundu
   
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:Kmt:

[Agya Kwaku]

Meda ase, I look forward to study group:Kmt:

[Agya Kwaku]

http://imixwhatilike.org/2014/03/25/tatafukiauwdrmarkbolden/

[Tenkamenin]

Absolutely pathetic that I haven't read Dr. Fu-Kiau's works, I just ordered 3 of his books, "Simba Simbi", "Self-Healing", and "Mbongi".  I can't wait to get my hands on his books!

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

@Tenkamenin, once you read them, welcome to the family!

[Tenkamenin]

I read "Self Healing Power" in 3hrs and I'm blown away by the depth of the subject.  This book is going to radically change the way I engage the world.

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

When I read it I felt like I was in a womb about to be reborn. One of the most life-changing books I've ever read.

[Agya Kwaku]

A powerful book, it has helped change how I look at things.

[Mani Kongo]

Tenkamenin;143522 wrote: I read "Self Healing Power" in 3hrs and I'm blown away by the depth of the subject.  This book is going to radically change the way I engage the world.

Obadele Kambon;143523 wrote: When I read it I felt like I was in a womb about to be reborn. One of the most life-changing books I've ever read.

Agya Kwaku;143596 wrote: A powerful book, it has helped change how I look at things.

That's a book about healing but that's also a book that heals.
We could regenerate the healing power of this thread by posting our thoughts/ideas/analysis/quotes from the book in it, what y'all think ?
Also I plan on having another Dikenga discussion in the near future as I found out/learned a lot of new info, I hope you'll be able to join and share.

[Tenkamenin]

Manikongo, now that I've read the book I'm going to go through it again and study it. I will post my questions in this thread.

[Mani Kongo]

Tenkamenin;143661 wrote: Manikongo, now that I've read the book I'm going to go through it again and study it. I will post my questions in this thread.

Great. I have questions myself.

[Tenkamenin]

I will start with my comments on this book. First off I just have to say WOW again after reading "Self Healing" for the second time.  I truly believe that "Self Healing" and "Bantu Cosmology" should be the first few books read in every Kmtyw Studies 101 course. Although I'm still learning, I'm going to have to re-read all of my Kmtyw books with this new perspective on life.

On page 8, second paragraph, Dr. Fu-Kiau says,

"The birth of a child is perceived as the rising of a living sun in the upper world, ku nseke, the physical world or the world of the living community. This living sun, depending on the lendo kia tambukusu ("genetic power") passed on to it at the moment of conception, is endowed with or born without the fullness of the self-healing potential, ngolo zandiakina, innate in any human being, which constitutes the healing power, lendo kiandiakina, that generates electricity throughout the human body"

This very passage, now makes me appreciate some of the tips shared in Queen Afua's book "Heal thy Self".  I recall in one section, Queen Afua recommended that before a couple makes love (Kembana), they purify their bodies by eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and drinking purified water to allow the body to detoxify. After all if conception is the aim, we as a couple are in the best health to pass this electricity to our kids. At the time when I read Queen's particular passage on love making preparations, I dismissed it as a burden to the end point, now 2 kids later I'm wondering what I ate.

[Mani Kongo]

I agree with you 1000%, I really was thinking the exact same thing about these two books if it's "Kmtyw Cosmology of the BÂNTU-KÔNGO" that you're speaking of. They really are building blocks. In the intro Marimba Ani writes that Fu-Kiau " puts flesh onto the bones of Kmtyw Nationalist ideology" (p. xii).

Every Kmtyw child should read these at least once a year. And what I like is that the Dikenga dia Kongo is always used and it even gives you a better understanding or overstanding sometimes. This symbol is powerful and a lot of knowledge is hidden inside of it.

I haven't read "Heal thy Self" but that's a good example of the interest in re-reading books with that new perspective/knowledge in mind.

The story of  his mother and Ma Mukènto (p. 34) was deep. I know for a fact that dreams that tell you about the future can happen, but the thing here is that it's the baby in the womb who came to see her in a dream. One of the best stories I ever heard.

[Agya Kwaku]

A couple of things that have stayed with me is that everthing is connected at we are what we are taught if i remember correctly. I wrote down a quote " It is unfortunate that Kmtyws must seek foreign approval for anything it's own son or daughter attempts." I will reread this book and add more thoughts to the thread.

[Mani Kongo]

Inga, i bôbo. We are what we're taught, we are what we eat/consume and we are what we see. He also talks about what we believe in but these are the three.