Maroons and Maroonage | ߜ߮ߊ߬ߣߟߐߘߏ߫

Mi ku do bi (greetings to all)

In our reformed Afrikan Vodún calendar, this month, starting 3 days ago, is the second month of the year called Võto (“to restore order” in the Ajã language). For us at the Maroon monarchy of Gànlɔdó, this is National Afrikan Family (hwe) and Clan (akɔ) Month.

The fixed Kpólí Fá (Odù Ifá) is Aklàn Wòlì (Òkànràn Ìwòrì). Gem is pyrite. Help us, in spirit, celebrate National Afrikan Family and Clan Month!

Simple things to do:

Recount as much family and extended family history, memories, stories, kwk as you can. This is not for just ancestors but it is for the living also. Celebrate your family, including friends that are like family. Give gifts and other acts of kindness. Mend familial and friendship relationships that need ammending. Call and visit family you haven’t seen in a while. If you have not done so, create your family and clan crests, symbols, kwk so that upcoming generations will follow this practice; thereby strengthening the family /clan name.

This is an annual event for us so it will be added on to and improved upon each year.

ekaabokilombo@gmail.com

Maroonage as an Approach to Afrikan Spiritual Traditions

The concept of Kilɔmbonu (Maroonage) is simple yet dynamic. In its simplest form, Kilɔmbonu (the Kongo-Ajã combined word we use for Maroonage) is comprised of the concepts and ideas of culture and sovereignty manifested. Hwɛndo (“Culture”) is all aspects of living life – economics, finance, spirituality, defense, language, worldview, marriage, courting, kwk. That’s the ideology. Physically, Maroonage often comes about when those who have such ideas realize they have to separate themselves (in various forms) from those who do not hold such a worldview, and are often directly or indirectly in opposition to those noble sentiments of mɛdésúsínínɔ (sovereignty). Afrikan monarchies have been created from this approach. Many are familiar with the Maroons of Jamaica and the Quilombos (Kilombos) of Brazil. These were communities set up by Afrikans who had escaped from captivity who continued to live their culture, spiritual traditions, and worldview. Unfortunately, some of them, especially many of the Jamaican Maroons, turned their backs on true sovereignty and ended up cooperating with the British putting many escaped Afrikans back into caltivity. Well, we don’t count them as Maroons.

Maroonage is very rarely talked about as an approach to the way we live our Afrikan spiritual traditions. It seems to be a scary topic to broach for the religious minded practitioner. We take Maroonage to be the only viable approach to obtain true cultural, spiritual, economic, and physical sovereignty. It is the true healing, and not the continuous patching up of old wounds that religious thought brings.

A degree of separation will have to come about for the success of Maroonage to manifest. Separation can come physically, mentally, spiritually or all of the above. It’s about sovereign space and that space starts within the Afrikan mind.

By Ayìnɔn Àgɛ̀lɔ̀gbàgàn Fáwensagun Jǐsovì Azàsinkpontín Àgbɔ̀vì I

The Gànlɔdóxɔ́sú

True Maroonage Defined Part 1 – https://youtu.be/Vv87y7fgdmY?si=WdOmLJ6SWTex5DX_

True Maroonage Defined Part 2 https://youtu.be/qeagXJ0jPt4

ekaabokilombo@gmail.com