The Maroon Way as an Approach to Afrikan Spiritual Traditions

The concept of Kilɔmbonu or Kilɔmbonulí (Maroonage) is simple yet dynamic. In its simplest form, Kilɔmbonu (the Kongo-Ajã combined word we use for Maroonage/Way of the Maroon) 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).

Many 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 captivity. 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 Fáwɛnsagun Jǐsovì Azàsinkpontín Àgbɔ̀vì I

The Gànlɔdóxɔ́sú and Kilɔmbonɔn