Banda people

The Banda are a people of the Central African Republic with minorities in the Congo and in Cameroon.

They speak a Niger-Congo language of the Adamawa - Ubangi language group, which is related to the neighboring languages ​​Baya and Ngbandi. It was the turn of the 21st century, about 1.3 million Banda. The Banda have a patrilineal inheritance and live under the rule of a local chairman. Rural Banda grow maize, cassava, peanuts, sweet potatoes and tobacco. Men hunt and fish, while women gather wild fruits and cultivable crops. Banda craftsmen produce Schnitzhölzer for rituals and Nutzwerkzeuge; they are known for their large, carved in the shape of animals slit drums. The polyphonic music of the dialect group Banda Linda were made internationally famous by the ethnomusicologist Simha Arom.

Before she got in touch with the European conquerors, they were living independently and had their States Assou Bang and Rafa; they chose warlords only in times of crisis, after the war, these warriors were ousted again.