Mudanças contemporâneas no ritual da Mukanda do povo Tchokwe de Angola

Abstract

This dissertation presents a study on contemporary changes in the mukanda ritual of the Tchokwe people of Angola. Furthermore, it seeks to understand contemporary reinterpretations of ancestry in ritual. The symbolic representations of these ancestral figures in the Mukanda ceremony constitute the philosophical knowledge of Tchokwe culture, playing a fundamental role in the integration of young Tundanges into society. The Mukanda circumcision initiation ritual is the manifestation of symbolic elements representing knowledge that are present in everyday society, playing a crucial role in the transmission of cultural values and standards. Socially, the ancestral representations that make up the Tchokwe culture remain clear and the same meanings are maintained in the Mukanda ceremony, despite the social changes that have occurred over time. The objective was to identify new ways/practices of carrying out Mukanda. To achieve the desired results in the research, an approach based on theories of social representations was adopted, focusing on the group/collective. Furthermore, it was possible to understand and analyze cultural webs online using the theory of virtual ethnography, based on the interviewees' narratives, obtained through open conversations using digital tools. This allowed us to understand the social approaches of the Tchokwe. In short, the elements of social representation of the Tchokwe, such as mukanda, the masks that represent ancestors, encompass the culture and cognition of individuals belonging to that society, taking into account the transmission of knowledge.