Peace, Friendship and Intimacy in Kongo (Congo)

Peaceful Intimacy

In Kongo spoken in the Congo 
"Ngemba" and "Nguba" mean peace
there is a saying
"dia e nguba akuluka omu tulu"
"to eat without fear or anxiety 
is to be in peaceful circumstances

"Ngemba" also means friendship and intimacy
as if when we are at peace 
surrounded by friends
we can experience intimacy
sharing ourselves fully
and taking in food and a world of experiences

Or as my nutrition teacher used to say
"you can get better nutrition from a hot dog with friends
than an organic gourmet meal with people you hate."

Kongo—"Kikœndi" (friendship friendliness intimacy, peace), "Ngemba" (peace, friendship, intimacy), "Bunda e Yongo" (peace), "Bunda e ngemba" (to make peace renew friendship spoken of two or three people only), "Luve" (peace, truce), "Vuvama" (safety tranquillity quiet peace), "Eyangala" (gladness joy contentment peace quiet happiness bliss delight rejoicing comfort), "Eyangi" (a peaceful happy contented joyous), "Lembama" (to be tame meek gentle assuaged appeased demure civil calm quiet docile humble to be at peace to lull abate), "Pi i" (is often much prolonged peace quiet tranquillity silence calm), "Butama" (to be quiet silent to abstain from making a noise or disturbance to be at peace), "Moyo", "Moyou", "Kuluka" or "Bwa" (to be calm free from anxiety at peace at rest in one's mind content resigned be composed), "Nguba" (dia e nguba akuluka omu tulu (Proverb), to eat without fear or anxiety, to be in peaceful circumstances) or "Nlekoko" (a moyo or ntima - the absence of all impatience, patience, peace, to be released) —Congo.

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