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Cuba was the site of the massive importation of enslaved Africans, who
carried their spirituality with them to the New World. Although many
people confuse the variety of religious and cultural traditions that
came from Africa to Cuba, there is an incredible diversity and variety
that continue to be practiced today. This detailed documentary
untangles the ties between the Santería religious practices of the
Yoruba people; the Abakuá sects of the people of the Calabar; and the
Nganga, Mayombe, and Palo Monte religions of the Bantu peoples of
central Africa – known in Cuba as Congo. All of these religions are
very fluid and adherents of one often practice another as well, but
each has a solid core. The Congo religions are based in the power of
Nsambi, the Supreme Being who is also a divine substance that manifests
itself in every thing that exists in the universe. But the more daily
practice of the Congo religions centers on honoring the nganga,
ancestor spirits to whom they pay homage with tobacco, rum, candles,
and animal sacrifice. With gripping footage of Congo ceremonies and
testimony from scholars and practitioners, the film goes on to explain
the incredible aesthetic tradition of Congo design and its influence on
modern Cuban artists such as Wilfredo Lam, and the integral presence of
Congo-derived music in the Afro-Cuban musical expression of rumba.
Lastly, the film documents and explains the role of spirit possession
in the Congo religions, showing how despite its outlandish appearance
to outsiders, it is a powerful and intimate connection to the forces of
life and spirituality. NGANGA KIYANGALA makes an important contribution
toward the understanding of a little phenomenon: Congo religiosity in
Cuba.