Female figure "mbulenga" or "lupingu"

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Description

wood, pokerwork,

These figures of particularly beautiful female form are used by a cult called “bwanga bwa bwimpe”, whose primary task is to promote female fertility and protect the health of newborns.

The term “bwimpe”, sometimes replaced by “(m)bulenga”, denotes physical beauty as a sign of moral integrity, combining the idea of beautiful and good.

For the Lulua, the ideal combination of physical beauty and moral virtue constitutes the best protection against sorcery.

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Comparing literature

Fagaly, William, Ancestors of Congo Square, New Orleans 2011, p. 326 f.

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