Mukanda: A New Form of Oral Luba Poetry

The mukàndà/leetrè, a form of heroic Luba-Kasayi poetry that is of relatively recent origin, testifies to the vitality, dynamism, and the adaptive capability of oral literature. Contrary to indications in its name and the name given its producer—leetrè/mukàndà (letter), mubadi/mwedi wa mukàndà (reader, promoter of mukàndà)—this literary form is declaimed rather than read, before a participating public, by a male performer, at events that have their origin in the contact of the Luba/Kasayi with the West, especially First Communion, Ordination, graduation, and Holy Matrimony. During the performance, the poet holds a blank sheet of paper which he occasionally looks at in order to simulate a reading. Beyond the function of praise, the mukànda entertains and instructs.