BÂNGALA: YAKÃ AYÊ

Of the many definitions of the word Bângala, from the minority language of Bantu to the governor of Angola, the one that most interests us is the one highlighted by Ana Miranda in “Musa Praguejadora – A Vida de Gregório de Matos”, Bângala means a hard-on in the Bunda language. The same applies to Ayê, a word from the Yoruba language, which, amongst various different translations (and every translation is a transcreation) invites us to the think about the meaning of the earth and life. Yakã, perhaps the most accurate of the words, means river in Guarani.  Bângala: Yakã Ayê is thus, far from being a tribute to phallocentrism, an ode to lives lived in a mighty stream. With the peculiarities of each language assured, we have created a situation where these languages touch each other in an operation that is critical of the regime of survival. (Yuri Firmeza and Uirá dos Reis)