Bassa

Emmanuel Kombem Ngwainmbi

Within the context of African religion, the term Bassa has strong geopolitical and historical connotations. In historico-geographic terms, the Bassa people have Kemetic origins, having migrated from Egypt following the collapse of the Adbassa Empire in the 6th century to Bassa-ri, Land of the Bassa, which include portions of modern-day Senegal, Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo, and Cameroon. Oral historical accounts indicate that the term Bassa seems to relate to the combination of the words Baab , meaning “father,” and soob , meaning “stone.” Thus, one could derive the name Father Stone from Bassa. Indeed, an important king was given that name in Bassa history. Supposedly European merchants, attempting to negotiate relations with their African counterparts in the 15th century, struggled to pronounce Baab Soob Nyombe , meaning “Father Stone's people.” The people are known as Gboboh, Adbassa, or Bambog-Mbog, an initiate of their patriarch and elder, Mbog , offering ...

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