Cannibalism: A Zande Text

Extract

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing for Africa (vol. xxv, no. 2, April 1955) Il Cannibalismo degli Asande by Renzo Carmignani. Since writing that review I have found among my Zande texts one written by my Zande clerk, Reuben Rikita, on the subject of cannibalism. The information was given by Kuagbiaru, a man who was completely honest and was also old enough to have had a reliable memory of what happened before the death of King Gbudwe (1905) and the taking over of Sudan Zandeland by the Anglo-Egyptian Administration. As it is unlikely that accounts of cannibalism by Azande who witnessed it can be collected any more it is useful to have so definite a statement on record. I give a fairly free translation of the text. I am not sure of the correct translation of the three Zande words I have placed in brackets. As the sense of the text is clear there is no need for a commentary.