Kuba Kingdom
Nestled in the fertile forest and savannah bordered by the Sankuru, Lulua and Kasai rivers, the Kuba kingdom was a conglomerate of several smaller principalities of diverse ethnic origins.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Central African interior witnessed the flourishing of a kingdom that was known for its organisation, architecture, weaving, carving and traditions: the remote Kuba kingdom.
Three or four days of hard travel to reach the remains of this ancient Congolese kingdom.
The famous fabrics and sculptures of the Kuba Kingdom
If the Kingdom of Kuba is known for anything outside the borders of the DRC, it is for its rich artistic production, which can be admired even today. The Kuba people were and are admired for their textiles, whose main raw material is raffia, a fibre produced from the huge leaves of a type of palm tree native to Africa and South America. The leaf facilitates the transformation of its fibres into large fabrics.
These fabrics can take weeks or even months to make, and their geometric embroidery is laden with symbolism. While the "raw" weaving is reserved for men, the embroidery of the cloth is suitable for women.
