Death and the Invisible Powers: The World of Kongo Belief [Paperback]

[Bockie's] description of Kongo culture is vivid, beautifully clear, and absolutely authentic, as only a native could make it. . . . I don't know of anything of its kind that is both as good, ethnographically, and as readable. ?Wyatt MacGaffey

Simon Bockie has written an engaging, often personal account of the views and behaviors surrounding death in his own society, the Kongo of Lower Zaire, northern Angola, and the Congo. Cahiers d'Etudes africaines

. . . excellent book of Kongo religious life and thought . . . Religion

It is a book that is remarkably well written, both for its readability and for its explanatory value. . . . the book is a superb starting place for understanding Kongo religion, and will work as an introduction to African religion in general as well. ?International Journal of African Historical Studies

. . . an excellent introduction for anyone seeking to understand Kongo traditional culture and thought. Oshun

Rich in anecdote and case histories,Death and the Invisible Powersis a personal account of the spiritual life of the Kongo people. It describes the ancient traditions that nourish a culture whose name symbolizes the heart of Central Africa.

A vivid, beautifully written account by a native of the spiritual life of the Kongo region of Africa. A study of the reaffirmation of African cultural identity that will be of special interest for African Americans.

SIMON BROCKIE was born in Banza-Lele village, Kivunda District, in the Manianga area of Lower Zaire. He holds a Ph.D. in History and Phenomenology of Religion from the Graduate Theological Union and is a government documents librarian at the University of California, Berkeley.

PREFACE

ONE The Spirituality of a Communal People
Beginning with Community
The Kongo People
The Land of Manianga: Isolation and Rejection
Gender and Community Structure
The Cohesiveness of the Community
Communal Lifl#U