Azande

Also called Zande, also spelled Asande. A people of Central Africa who speak a language of the Adamawa-Ubangi branch of the Niger-Congo language family.

They live in the Central African Republic, savanna in the north and rain forest in the south.

Agriculture and hunting, fine craftsmen in iron, clay and wood, and they numbered more than 3.8 million at the end of the 20th century.

Ethnically mixed and can be traced to the 18th century by a people calling themselves Ambomu and living on the Mbomu River. Began under the leadership of the their ruling clan, the Avongara. Conquered vast stretches of territory to the south and east, overpowering many peoples, some of whom preserved their own languages while others have been completely assimilated. This emalem constitutes the modern Zande people.

Polygamy is still practiced; adultery can be heavily punished. Marriage was contracted by a gift of about 20 spears to the family of the bride. Girls were married very young and sometimes affianced just hours after birth.

English anthropologist E.E.Evans-Pritchard documented and published in the early 20th century that the in the not-so-distant past, Zande warriors not only practiced homosexuality and bisexuality, but actually married boys and young men. Zande warriors would select a boy between the ages of 12-20 years old, and go to his parents' house and request his hand in marriage.

The warrior would have to pay a bride price for the boy which would be in the form of spears (which are still valuable today) and other goods. After marriage, the warrior referred to the boy's parents as gbiore and negbiore, "father-in-law" and "mother-in-law." The warrior and the boy addressed one another as badiare, "my love" or "my lover." The boy took on household responsibilities, including fetching water, building fire, and holding the warrior's shield when traveling.

The two slept together at night and the warrior would satisfy his sexual desires between the boy's thighs. And it was the duty of the warrior husband to give his boy-wife a spear and shield when he came of age. He was then trained to become a warrior and joined the warrior company. Once a warrior, he then took on a boy-wife of his own.

This practice wasn't limited to just warriors of the Zande people. If a boy appealed to a Zande prince, the prince would take on the boy as a page or servant. The prince would also offer the boy's family compensation. When the prince died, the boy would also be killed to join him in death because they consumed the "prince's oil" (that means they swallowed cum).

I beg you to look at E.E.Evans-Pritchard's work online for yourself. The photos are super cool. I'll end with another quote from his work that gave me chills of confirming love and melting peace.

"It is widely believed with evidence of the current fossil record that the root of all homosapien life began in Africa. Homosexuality and bisexuality are a part of the overall natural dynamics of human sexuality and has existed for thousands of years, in Africa!"

I want to personally thank octavius@cypheravenue.com for being there for lil' niggas, looking and searching the world for ourselves and finding what our hearts, souls, and bodies already knew existed.

I love you so much right now for posting this lesson for us, and I plan to share it with those that need it the most. Although we found other tribes like the Suraname Mati and others, I added Azande to my name because I asked so many of our so-called African experts if they ever heard of Azande and Zande, and all 50 bazillion of them said no.

And now people can learn Africa just by hearing my name.
—Azande Xzyzst (exist)

Zande, your existence validate me
You predate them all
Your warrior spirit, recalibrate me
You predate them all
You prove their gods wrong
You predate them all
Ancestor, keep us strong
You predate them all
Varying sexual orientation heritage
You predate them all
Same sex marraiges
You predate them all
No toys or cartoon images of you
You predate them all
Real life action figures of my truth
You predate them all
No more forced converts of many nations
You predate them all
No more calling little black children abominations
You predate them all
No more anger, hatred and rage
You predate them all
Azande, Azande, we go forth and proclaim
You predate them all
A new generation of the world's youth
Sharing your name.

—Sniper Azande Xzyzst
[tiny black-and-white picture of Zande tribe. Caption: Zande Warrior tribe]