The Kongo Cosmogram
The Kongo cosmogram (also known as the Yowa Cross or Dikenga, in Kikongo - Dikenga dia Kongo or Tendwa Kia Nza-n' Kongo) is a central symbol of the Bakongo religion, representing the physical world (Ku Nseke), the spiritual world (Ku Mpémba), the Kalûnga line that connects the two worlds, the sacred river that circles the two worlds, the four moments of the sun and the four elements
The Kongo cosmogram (also known as the Yowa Cross or Dikenga, in Kikongo - Dikenga dia Kongo or Tendwa Kia Nza-n' Kongo) is a central symbol of the Bakongo religion, representing the physical world (Ku Nseke), the spiritual world (Ku Mpémba), the Kalûnga line that connects the two worlds, the sacred river that circles the two worlds, the four moments of the sun and the four elements
The Kongo Cosmogram represents the human life cycle of death and rebirth of the soul, and the rising and setting of the sun. The Yowa cross is the origins of the crossroads in Hoodoo. Like this cosmogram, my name is Yowa, guardian of my environment, representative of the cycle of life and its forces, life-giving woman.
I have come to introduce you to my city, Kinshasa, and to our sacred rivers, which have been polluted by imported waste and poor waste management, polluting the oceans, clogging drains and causing floods, spreading diseases, increasing respiratory problems due to open burning of rubbish, killing animals and affecting economic development.
Beautiful Kinshasa has become a rubbish Kinshasa. My city is a megalopolis with a population of over 15 million, produces around 10,000 tonnes of solid waste a day, mainly from households, businesses and industry," explains Laetitia Bena Kabamba, the capital's general commissioner for the environment and development.
The rubbish ends up in the city's gutters, streams or rivers, forming non-degradable waste that obstructs the passage of water. In some neighbourhoods, the water is "knee-deep", creating seas of plastic. With the return of the rains, the accumulation of rubbish is causing serious flooding in the Congolese capital.
How can we remain silent, how can we do nothing? I too feel like all the other women who have been given the mission to fight for my environment, to preserve the cycle of life, to respect the use of this cosmogram.
