COUTUMES AND BELIEFS PELENDE (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Coutumes et Croyances Pelende is a book presenting the customs and beliefs of the Pelende people in Congo Kinshasa. Volume 1, with a preface by Professor Apollinaire Makambu, deals with the daily habits of the Pelende or Bapelende people, handed down from generation to generation: origins, living environment, survival work, marriage - in short, the behavior that expresses kipelendeity in various circumstances.Located some 250 kilometers from Kinshasa, the Pelende Nord chiefdom, the Kingdom of Pelende, is almost twice the size of Luxembourg, one-fifth the size of Rwanda and Burundi, and one-sixth the size of Belgium and Moldavia. Pelende Nord is divided into 25 groupements and currently comprises over 471 villages, all headed by traditional chiefs. The head of this decentralized territorial entity, Kyamvu Pelende, is a great customary chief who reigns for life. Hence the problem of developing this entity, should it continue to be run by a Kyamvu who has no notion of development and no management experience.