The Kurova guva is an africain ritual that take places after someone has passed away. This ceremony is performed for those members who died after becoming adults and bearing children (p. 345). The kurova guva is performed for the people who died without any explanation (including suicide) and are in need of cleansing.
The person in charge of the ritual is the sekuru, also known as the eldest member of the family. The elders within the family must consult the deceased immediate family before the process begins. The kurova gata is done in order to understand the wishes of the spirit (p. 345).
The n'anga, the diviner, works as a medium between the living family and the deceased spirit. The n'anga makes the final decision on the kurova guva in order to treat the spirit with respect.
Music and dancing is a requirement for the the kurova guva and acts as part of the entertainment during the ritual. The whole ritual represents "the transition from life to death and back to life" (p. 345).
-Miranda
I do find the use of music something interesting to critically engage in. Western style theater, inspired from Greek theater, used choral chanting and some minimal music. However, interestingly, many different African cultures make chanting and ritualized music at the forefront as a method of cultural solidarity. It then becomes hegemonic that scholars belittle African ritual performances that share the musical roots of Greek theater via choral chanting.
ReplyDelete-Travis L Williams