“Aiiiiiiyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeee aiyeeeeeeeee aiyeeeeeeee!!!” *Cue clashing
of cutlasses and screaming children running down the dirt path, enter stage
left konkoran in full regalia.* Some
of you may have experienced the fear and terror that comes with a konkoran, others of you may have only
heard of such horror, but I am here to tell you not all konkorans are as they appear. In this edition of Myth busters and
Misconceptions I will shed some light on what these bad boys do and the reason
they do what they do.
So you may
be wondering “who can be a konkoran?”
Can anyone put on the regalia and run around the village? The answer is no, all
konkoran’s are male. These men are
usually above the age of 25 and must have knowledge of spiritual-defense and
the power for spirits to fear them. The purpose of the konkoran is mainly to protect people who are circumcised from evil
spirits but they can also protect anyone in the village from malicious spirits
as well. In my village, Besse, we had a konkoran
come around after a mother gave birth. He did so because she had given birth to
stillborn’s only and it was the konkoran’s
job to protect this child from the evil spirits because the baby lived.
Konkoran’s can be
found in many different events such as cultural events, drumming circles,
fundraising, and after a circumcision ceremony is held. Male circumcision goes
along with the Islam faith but the konkoran
is more of a cultural tradition. A konkoran
is present during all male circumcision ceremonies to be the young boys’ body
guard. The konkoran also accompanies
boys back to the village after the ceremony to keep them safe. Not all konkorans are meant to induce fear. A Zimba is the name of the konkoran who wears leaves and must be a
phenomenal dancer; these konkorans
can show their faces. The spiritual konkoran
wears red bark, carries a cutlass, and is required to hide their face. A
spiritual konkoran demands respect
and must be feared by everyone, especially spirits, which is why they carry the
cutlasses.
Women are
not allowed to know all the secrets of the konkoran
and as a white woman, I was lucky to be let in on as much as my people would
share. Ishmaila Ceesay, a friend in village said in this area there is really
no gender equality and there really cannot be. Women must respect the konkoran and fear them more because
there is superiority from men to women. Another reason people fear the konkoran is because they cannot be
prosecuted by law.
When we as
guests in this country encounter a konkoran
we should explain we are on our way somewhere and ask to be forgiven. If we
have a token of some kind such as 5 dalasis or anything we should give a small
token as a form of begging for being in the way of the konkoran. The konkoran is
such a fun way to view this culture. Even when people are afraid and they run
they enjoy the fear and fun that goes along with it. So next time you hear the konkoran’s cry, tighten your running
shoes, and book it to the nearest compound with the rest of your screaming
comrades.
