Exploring the power of fantasy: Folktale among the Mangbetu
‘See fantasy is what people want but reality is what they need’, words from Lauryn Hill as she introduced her song Adam Lives in a Theory for her Unplugged live album.
Do we spend too much time in fantasy? What makes fantasy so appealing? The fact that we get to control every aspect of it. We determine the heroes and the villains, who makes the cut and who is omitted, more importantly, we can make sure that everything is suited in our favour. Whereas in reality the guarantee of that is not as certain. Facing the unknown in full force means acknowledging that the fantasy may not turn out as we envision, which can be frightening but also freeing. Fantasy helps to build muscles of trust, yet it is important to still relinquish the idea of control. Facilitating a dialogue between fantasy and reality can help in creating a sense of balance in the process of dreaming big whilst remaining grounded and fully aware of external circumstances. An example of how a balance between fantasy and reality can operate can be seen in the history of the Mangbetu people.
The Mangbetu people hail from the north-eastern parts of present-day Congo. In terms of framing the social framework, fantasy played an important role in this process through various cultural outlets in Mangbetu society. This suggests a deep appreciation of the unseen aspects of human experiences, in the form of spirits, dreams and ideas which play a key role in shaping experiences in the external world. Some examples of this include:
Music – Drums were identified by European travellers as part of the “chief items of [Mangbetu] handcraft”, as noted by German botanist and ethnologist Georg Schweinfurth on his travels through the eastern parts of Central Africa. In his memoirs he referenced seeing the presence of drums ranging between two and four feet in each Mangbetu village that he encountered. This instrument was regarded as a talking drum, based on a strong belief among the Mangbetu of the power of drums to transmit messages to people from the spiritual realm. It is an example which shows that beyond the physical surface, the drum had a deeper meaning for people, revealing how fantasy and reality interact. These were drums that served the function of playing music, but also acted as important mechanisms of communication for people to connect to the unseen.
Folktales – Azapane stories were folktales about animals that were told to community members. They offered a chance for a village to come together and hear tales of tricksters from the animal kingdom. In terms of its definition, according to Linguist Robert Mckee, “azapanɛ as the term for the larva of a kind of bagworm moth. This larva builds a cocoon of small lengths of stick and is said to fool people—thus resembling the trickster Azapane—by then not in fact turning into a moth.” The main aim of Azapane was to educate and promote values by highlighting the message that in life it is important to be present and fully aware of our surroundings. The presence of such folktales shows how fantasy was used in Mangbetu society to promote the importance of engaging with reality, a failure to do so could lead to a person being tricked in life.
Spirituality - On his travels through Mangbetu villages, Schweinfurth refers to a Mangbetu belief in “the sovereignty of an invisible power, and its influence upon the destinies of men”. This can be seen through the presence of Naando, which were moral codes for framing society. The essence of Naando celebrates the power of nature and its ability to bless and heal humanity, therefore it must be respected. The spiritual component of this is emphasised through Alolo, a Mangbetu prayer in the form of tree-planting to commemorate ancestry. For the Mangebetu their ancestors were literally and metaphysically among the trees, pointing to a close connection to the spirit world. Therefore, looking after nature also meant looking after family. This is another example showing how reality and fantasy inform each other within Mangbetu society to promote balance and respect.
There is something freeing about realising that existing between fantasy and reality is exactly where to be. Instead of trying to feed an illusion of absolute control over the dense external reality or choosing to remain solely in fantasy why not utilise your energy to create a healthy dialogue between fantasy and reality? The type of dialogue that meets change (both challenging and positive) with grace and humility, promotes awareness, respects surroundings and fuels inspiration to progress. This isn’t a call to stop dreaming, more so a call to engage with reality whilst also tapping into imagination, using the two to provide assistance in the process of growth.
Sources
Spirits of Defiance: The Mangbetu people of Zaire
The heart of Africa: Three years' travels and adventures in the unexplored regions of Central Africa from 1868 to 1871 – Georg Schweinfurth (1873)
Mangbetu Tales of Leopard and Azapane: Trickster as Resistance Hero – Robert G. McKee (2010)
Long-Distance Trade and the Mangbetu - Curtis A. Keim (1983)