19
Jul
KASALA (Plural: Tusala) is a heroic Luba chant.
It can be a long poem that lists the names of people, lineage, clans, tribes, rivers, etc.
Kasala praises a person, dead or alive, famous or not (such as your next door neighbor). It can recount the glory of ancestral lineage, the battles of one’s clan against others, the conquests, the courage of a group of people, or simply remind listeners of their ancestors.
Kasala is a genre in traditionnel oral art. Without oral art, there is a danger for ancestral values to be lost and forgotten.
In this video, a Luba elder, Papa Kanyinda Bululu Etienne Marcel gives us a taste of kasala.