Time and Space inAngolan Cultural Tradition1

The tribal people in Lubango, in the province of Huila, south west of the country, in the context of representation of time and space in Angola.

One cannot look at time/space in Angola without including the

relation with god and ancestors, and how they see themselves in

relation to the culture, religion and natural environment.

Therefore, time/space is a difficult area to define, and it

1 In the title I outline in this paper which I am investigation timeand space in the context of Angolan cultural tradition is not myintention to general the Angolan the many traditions, habits andcustoms; but my idea here is to give an account and to frame how thispractice is utilized in the context of Angola situated in theLusophone world.

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becomes even more difficult in the context of Angola traditional

life and history.2

In Angola each member of the community is immersed in the making

of the social activities that are inhibited from the ancestral

traditions through religious and philosophical believes. Angola

concept of time/space is silence and indifferent. This means that,

the future is virtually non-existent as actual time/space; the

future has not importance in their daily life, but the past and

present. Therefore, time/space is not important, but the event is.

However, this constitutes part of their cultural heritage and

religion practice (Mbiti, 1991: 2-3).

Alto Hama, province de Huambo, Planalto. Réunions des Sabas, autoritéstraditionnelles. Photo by Didier Bregnard, 1991.

2 Writing this paper about time/space in the context of Angolanenvironment and history was not easy, this is to do with the lack ofliterature on Angola particularly in English. However, because of mybackground and the nature of this area of research I used some of myreferences my from African Theatre, Drama and Performance Artsliterature.

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However, I propose in this paper to discuss the concept of

time/space in Angola as the main focus of my analysis that I

intend in this paper to bring to a better general understand on

how Angolan people experience time/space throughout their history.

Moreover, time/space in Angola culture is divided by day, week,

month and year, one’s lifetime/space are divided according to

their specific events, they only talk about the past when

remembering a significant event that occurred in the community.

For example, when they remember an event that occurred before

12.00pm; they remembered as an event that happened in the morning,

without focus on the exact time of the day. This activity presents

their expression of oral, cultural tradition and communication in

relation to environment and sounding (Robinson, 2002: 332).

In fact, ideas of time/space in the Angolan context are closely

linked, and often the same word is used for both. Hence, time is

the content which defines space. In the same way, god and religion

in Angolan culture manifests through the way of being. Thus,

dance, music, prayer and song are the physical expression of

feelings that connects them with the supernatural power of the

ancestors (Oyebade, 2007: 145).

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The two Rock art of Tchitundu Hulu near the town of Namibe, formerly Mocamedes provinceof Angola. 2016.

Furthermore, time and space in Angolan culture is an ontological

phenomenon; it pertains to the question of natural existence in

the physical world, where the body becomes the medium in the

timeless space and environment that communicates with god

religiously. The body navigates in a space without a strict

compromise with time. For people time is meaningless in their

daily life. In other words, time must be created, managed, or

produced; to be realistic they make as much time as they want

without restrictions.

For example Angolan’s in their daily life sit down on the sun

somewhere without doing anything, just for the pleasure of it,

which for many people coming from a Western perspective

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interpreter may as laziness; unproductive or waste of time/space,

by just sitting down laughing throughout the day. Another common

criticism is that Angolan’s are always late. Nonetheless, one must

consider that in villages in most cases there is not a thing such

as an appointment with definite time/space attached to it.

Neither, a fast pace technological world where time/space is a

commodity bought or sold. Contrary to the Western world they live

their lives according to their tradition, history, environment and

religious lifestyle as stated by John Mbiti (1991: 181).

Carnival time in Luanda. Members of the Angolan community met at a local restaurantto dance and mingle. March 2017.

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In this context, sitting down, laying on the sun, in Angolan

culture is never a waste of time/space; in the Angolan context is

a waiting for time or in process of producing time/space. By

sitting down or lay on the sun they are waiting for a spontaneous

event to happen, because there is not a time/space already

compressed, programmed and rehearsed. By the same token, their

daily activities are based in spontaneous feelings, actions and

movements that do not need a rehearsal. In other words, this

cultural methodology of everyday life and being in the world is

visible and it reflects in their art practice and drama (music,

dance, drumming, poetry, vodou ceremonies, ritual, spectacle and

theatre). In the context, Ato Quayson points out that African

culture have a very unique way of expression through creativity

which is a result of “pre-texts and intermedia” of the social and

historical existence of life in the continent (2004: 46-7).

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Mucubal women with body adornments. The Mucubal people are a subgroup of the Hereropeople in southern Angola. Like the Masai, to whom they are said to be related, they aresemi-nomadic, depending on cattle and agriculture, 2012.

In this circumstance, people create meaningful art objects, songs,

dances, drawings, paintings, sculptures, jewelleries, and poetry

that are improvisation without restrictions of time/space.

Further, time/space does not affect their creativity ability to

produce any type of art form.

Nevertheless, all the art in Angola are produced based in the same

principal; the ancestors and the supernatural forces are always

invoked at the very begin of any creative piece of work, so the

creative work can have the blessings of ancestors and the

spiritual underworld, the world of the dead. Because of this I am

arguing that, the spirit in the world of the dead returns, to the

world of the living as a form of reincarnation through art,

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rituals and sacrifices (Thompson, 1984: 107-10). In this light

time/space during the rituals becomes meaningless the environment

suffers a complete transformation where the people in the arena

focus their attention on the ritual/sacrifice rather than

time/space.

Mathematic and writing expressions on the sand of the Chokwe people in theLunda, Angola.

The time/space is not fix and rigid. That is to say, in Angolan

traditional culture quantified time/space does really exist.

Despite of that, in their life they focus on events. Events that

it is about to happen or past events that brings happy and sad

memories. In fact, if the events are not complete, then the

time/space becomes compressed in to all three ‘times’: past,

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present and future. Having said that, there is no doubt,

time/space are socially constructed in their memories and

affections through repeated encounters and complex traditional and

cultural practices based on their relationship with their

ancestors, god the creator and their communal history (Some, 1994:

12).

Notwithstanding, according to traditional concepts in Angolan

ancestral traditions, time/space is a two-dimensional phenomenon,

with a long past, a present and virtually no future. Contrary to

the Western time/space framed, in Angola there is not a linear

concept of time/space. For Angolan people reality is what takes

place now and unfolds the future. For example, when a performance,

sacrifice or ritual has taken place, it is no longer in the

future, but in the present and the past. Actually, time is

therefore what is present and what is past. Within the Angolan

context time/space moves ‘backwards’ rather than ‘forward’, and

people set their minds not on future material things, but

certainly on what has taking place. The distant future is not

easily spoken of, as it does make any sense to discuss it because

it does contain events; it has not been experienced. For example:

in Angolan cultural tradition people speak of the future in terms

of the completion of events that have already begun to take place;

fruits that have been planted will be harvested, cloths that have

been washed will dry, a child who has been conceived will be born,

land that have been bought will have a house constructed on it,

money has been given will buy food; one can reasonable expect

these things to happen.

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Baobab tree in Angola. Photo by Bryce Sitter.

But, of course, these events are already in some sense present; in

fact, anything that can be spoken of in the future is already part

of the present. However, the future can be spoken of only in terms

of past experience which may be expected to occur in the future.

Since there is not events in the future, the future dimension of

time/space is absolutely absent, it does not exist, is not part of

the culture, even in terms of traditional languages, they do not

have a single verb tenses expressing the future dimension of

time/space. According to Esiaba Irobi this demonstrates that

Africans have their own theories, cultural practices, languages

and expressions that are very “...different in conception, method

of translocation, and execution...” in relation to Western

creation and understanding of time/space (2009: 15).

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Bushmen of the Ju/ Hoansi-San stand by the campfire, village near Tsumkwe, Otjozondjuparegion in Angola. Photo by Fabian Von Poser, 2017.

Conversely, the past does not exist apart from events. Every time

Angolans speak of the past it only refers to events and nothing

else. By the same token, time/space is for a concrete and specific

purpose in connection with events. To speak of an abstract past in

which no events known to them took place would make no sense. In

the same way, in Angola, regardless of the ethnic group that an

individual may belong to, everyone is tied to the land. The land

defines how they are and their history. The land and the

environment provide them the roots of existence, as well as

binding them mystically to their departed ancestors. The land

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identifies them in the spiritual and the material world (Oyebade,

2007: 3).

Historically, the traditions of Angolan culture in regard of

religion and philosophy there is little/or not concern about time.

To put simply, time is unquestioned; there is simply a composition

of events that occur throughout one’s life. So, whatever has not

happened or what has no likelihood to immediate occurrence it

falls in the category of no-time. Events that did impacted the

people, culture and society automatically is lost in time. This is

part of the social construction of the society which distinguishes

them as a people according to Cheikh Anta Diop (1991: 212).

Bakongos in Luanda, photo by Luena Nascimento Nunes Pereira. 2017.

On top of that, in Angolan religion tradition time/space plays the

same role; in the people daily life religion is past, present and

future, religion is their way of being in the world. They play

music and dance and pray and read at any giving time and moment

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throughout the day. In other words, time/space does not have any

cultural meaning; it is useless, timeless and pointless (Thomas,

1996: 36).

Finally, time/space is particularly significant to the Angolan

culture, in term of events related, because it is inseparable from

the concept of self or group; it contextualises their daily,

monthly or yearly common experience. Because of this time/space is

intimately bound-up with the entire life of the people, and in

order for one to understand it; one may need to pave the way of

understanding their nature, culture and tradition, in terms of

thinking and acting, habits and costumes, believes and behaviour

(Newitt, 2007: 19-22).3

ReferencesDiop, Cheikh Anta (1991) Civilization or Barbarism: An Authentic Anthropology,

Lawrence Hill Books

Julian, Thomas (1996) Time, Culture and Identity, London: Routledge

Irobi, Esiaba, The Theory of Ase: The Persistence of African

Performance Aesthetics in the North America Diaspora-August

Wilson, Ntozake Shange & Djanet Sears, In: Christine Matzke and

Osita Okagbue, eds., (2009) African Theatre Diasporas, New York: James

Currey, 15-25

3 In the chapter of this book Malyn Newitt gives a comprehensivehistorical account of pre-colonial Angola, considering that theliterature of the history of Angola in Portuguese is non-existent.However, I must stress the fact that the perspectives expressed onhis writing in this instance are arguable because it reflects acolonial framework and composition of history.

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Mbiti, John (1969) African Religion and Philosophy, Ibadan: Heinemann

---- (1991) Introduction to African Religion (2nd edition), Oxford:

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Newitt, Malyn, Angolan in Historical Context, In: Patrick Chabal

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& Company, 19-92

Oyebade, Adebayo (2007) Culture and Customs of Angola, Westport:

Greenwood Press

Quayson, Ato, Pre-Texts and Intermedia: African Theatre and the

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Olaniyan, eds., (2004) African Drama and Performance, Bloomington:

Indiana University Press, 46-52

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Performance Spaces for Survival, In: Paul Harrison, Victor Walker

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Thompson, Robert (1984) Flash of the Spirit, New York: Vintage Books

Chikukwango Cuxima-Zwa

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