Mvet
Stringed musical instrument of the Fang people of Central Africa
The mvet or mvett is a stringed musical instrument, a type of stick zither, Hornbostel-Sachs (311) of the Fang people of Gabon, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, São Tomé and Equatorial Guinea.
Somewhat resembling the Mande kora, but larger and simpler, it consists of a tubular stick of palm-raffia or bamboo, between one and two metres long, with usually three calabash resonators. A central vertical bridge divides four or five gut or metal strings, played both sides of the bridge.
01Origin
The instrument is held horizontally on the chest to close or open the central resonator with a movement of the arms. It may be played solo or may accompany song or poetry that includes epics, battle-songs, ritual, philosophy and knowledge of the world.
Mvet also refers to the tradition of epic song singers, which is extremely rich in its thematic and stylistic diversity, in which the mythological stories and historical events of the Fang and related ethnic groups are described. For the Fang, the mvet tradition is of outstanding importance and includes multiple forms of cultural expression.
In the late twentieth century the mvet became a key instrument of bikutsi music.
02Legend
According to legend, the creation of Mvett is due to a powerful warrior named Oyono Ada Ngone, whose mythology is linked to the migration of the Fang-Béti-Bulu. They were often the target of murderous attacks from the tribes they encountered on their way.
Some of these attackers were identified as belonging to the Mvéle people and the Bassa people, by historians such as Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Pierre Alexandre or Tsira Ndong Ndoutoume.
Tsira Ndong Ndoutoume, in his book Le Mvett : épopée fang, wrote:
"During their escape, one of them, Oyono Ada Ngone, a great musician and warrior, suddenly fainted. His lifeless body was carried for a week. After his coma, Oyono came back to life and announced to the fugitives that he had just discovered a sure way to give himself courage."
Oyono gathered his people and told them that they would take revenge by leading military expeditions against the populations they encountered on their way. He specifies that during his coma he was in contact with a higher entity, named Eyo, who incarnates in the Mvett. Eyo is seen as a “Spirit” who gave him a musical instrument: a chordophone called Mvett. Eyo also transmitted to him the song and the stories of the great deeds of the Ekang which would revive hope among the population.
Upon waking, Oyono Ada Ngone recounted what he had seen and heard. Then he set about making the musical instrument.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Mvet”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Stokciter met 3 snaren TMnr 2538-1.jpg by Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.
