Nkisi Nkondi-Sacred Kongo Sculptures
Byb Kongo Bibene presents Nkisi Nkondi: A Divine Sculpture from Central Africa, a public talk which reveals the not so told functions of the minkisi minkondi, the sacred statues found in the great kingdom of Kongo, central Africa. The minkisi were power figures used by individuals, families, or whole communities to destroy or weaken evil spirits, prevent or cure illnesses, repel bad deeds, solemnize contracts or oath taking, and resolve disputes. A diviner or holy person would activate the statue, using magical substances. In this presentation, Bibene draws a portrait of Central Africa before and after colonization, with social, political, and religious implications. He also mentions the intersectionality between the Kongo Cosmology via the Kongo cosmogram called Dikenga Kia Nza Kongo and the bodily movement in the life cycles. The talk precedes a demonstration of the state of the body while in communion with the physical and metaphysical worlds.
