Epic · A way to begin
Le Mvett
Not translated into English
Tsira Ndong Ndoutoume · 1970
Synopsis
The mvett narratives, the sung epic of the Fang people, transcribed in French: the boundless exploits of great warriors, and first of all those of the Ekang. They unfold in a mythical world of which mortals occupy three quarters, and where the quest for immortality is played out. Each narrative, originally accompanied by the instrument of the same name, pits Fang heroes against one another in their battles.
Context
The first volume appeared in Paris in 1970 from Présence africaine, in one hundred and fifty-nine pages; a second followed in 1975, and two others in 1993 from L'Harmattan, under the title L'Homme, la mort et l'immortalité. The mvett player says he received from the Ancestors the exceptional permission to transcribe a sacred art that he feared would disappear. In 2025, UNESCO inscribes the mvet oyeng on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Who it is for
In French, teeming tales, rich in names and battles, to be read as one listens to an evening gathering.
Prizes and reception
The first published transcription of the mvett by one of its masters, it serves as a reference for studies of the Fang epic.
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