Aging in a Bakongo Culture

The Bakongo tribe resides in Lower Zaire, the southern part of Congo-Brazzaville and the northern part of Angola. The term mbuta (plural is bambuta) means “old” or “older than oneself.” It is a term of respect. The aging intervene in all the important life situations: marriage, witchcraft, magic, native palavers, etc. They have the authority and represent the tribe. The mbuta is an ideal that everyone likes to realize. Although the youth subscribe to modern western ideas, they still unconsciously fear the authority and the power of the aging.