Chibulu

In Paolo Kaoma’s recorded performance, a corpse tells the child in a pregnant woman’s womb not to speak, so that he can see how cruel the world is. The boy is born and grows up unable to talk. When he joins other children in the bush, his traps catch birds and animals, but his companions take the game home and claim it for themselves. His mother beats him and asks him to stay away; he continues to go with them. Later the children dig game pits. One catches a series of animals, and they still leave Chibulu without credit. Then the chief’s daughter falls into a pit and dies. The boys blame Chibulu, and the crowd threatens his mother while a sword is fetched.

Chibulu finally speaks. He explains that his friends took the birds and animals from his traps, while he had remained silent because of the message before his birth. He asks the group to return to the bush so he can show who dug each pit. The boys identify their own traps, and one is identified as the pit where the chief’s daughter fell. Cancel labels the session Lunda Storytelling 13, while Kaoma’s framing refers to Bemba-speaking people. The performance closes by connecting Chibulu’s story to the saying that the world is cruel.