Discourse on the invisible: Senses as metaphor among the Aruwund (Lunda) [Discours sur l'invisible: Les sens comme métaphore chez les Aruwund (Lunda)]

摘要

This article argues that, in the African contexts analysed, discourse on sorcery, healing, and the so-called 'world of the invisible' should be read as 'theories' or 'philosophies' of knowledge rather than as a set of 'beliefs' in mystical and transcendental powers. Furthermore, it aims to demonstrate that these theories do not follow the Cartesian dualism embedded in much Western philosophical thought (also a legacy of Plato), which mistrusted senses as reliable vehicles of knowledge and frequently opposed the sensible to the intelligible, body to mind, senses to reason. In contrast, the African exegeses analysed here assert that wisdom and power - as well as the accurate use of reason and judgement - depend, in the very first instance, upon the full mastering of one's overall sensorial system. The discussion consists of a cross-cultural examination of data collected in rural and semi-urban settings among the Aruwund (Lunda) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.