Abstract
Spirit mediumship and spirit possession are fairly common practices in Sub-Saharan Africa, both in traditional religions and in Christian contexts. Interlacustrine East Africa has long been home to a set of religious practices called kubandwa. Drawing upon a combination of published and unpublished resources as well as new ethnographic fieldwork, this study posits the musical rituals of kubandwa secret societies as markers of broadly shared expressive culture. By comparing various travel accounts, ethnographic descriptions, written historical narratives and oral histories, I argue that kubandwa religious rituals in the Interlacustrine region feature similar spirits, objects, music, expressive techniques and religious concepts.
The cultural continuity apparent in rituals and expressive culture found throughout this region cannot be explored by focusing on a single language group or ‘ethnic’ group. The comparative nature of this study requires a focus on a broad geographic region with multiple related ethnic groups in order to unpack the intra-regional streams of influence apparent in Interlacustrine ritual music. Literature dealing with ritual history and practice, Interlacustrine organology, and Eastern Bantu linguistics does not always expose connections between ritual, music and language. In revealing such connections, this study addresses a major shortcoming of historical, anthropological and musicological literature on the region and promotes a more thorough understanding of recurring Interlacustrine cultural tropes.
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