Vo zèyi kânda, zèyi Nzâmbi

🎶Tentaram me matar com copo de veneno…

Se quiser matar me mata
que beber eu bebo mesmo🎶

“They tried to kill me with a glass of poison...
If you want to kill me, kill me; 
I’ll drink it anyway.”

Community is something that we co-create, not something we join. If we come to the tradition with our cup overflowing, no amount of sacrifice will allow us to mature as quimbandeiros and we have poisoned ourselves before we’ve even begun. Those whose cup is already full will find contempt in community, projecting their traumas and egotism upon others, poisoning those trying to help. Exu demands brutal self awareness and honesty to walk the road with us in good company. Banda gira wa gira!

For those with eyes to see and ears to hear, wisdom flows from the community, seen and unseen. For those who know how to drink from this cup, there is no sweeter communion.

There is a Kongo proverb, Vo zèyi kânda, zèyi Nzâmbi. If you know the commmunity, you know God. The community we cultivate and keep manifests our God.

Gira é, gira é.
Salve nossa Cabula!

Text: @darknessoftheninthhour
Image: @darknessoftheninthhour
Originally posted on Instagram @cabulamavilekitulakianjila
Reposted on Cabula Mavile Kitula kia Njila