Kogl-Weogo: The Guardians of the Bush

In the last issue, we researched the Dosso hunter’s society of West Africa; a community of dignified men known as the protectors of their villages who maintain the well-being and health of the people by going into the bush in order to harvest medicines, hunt animals and find important spiritual materials. The Dosso expertise does not only serve in sustaining the nourishment and health of their community members. Their knowledge also serves to protect the opportunity for their community’s spiritual or physical development. They defend the people from negative energies whether human or spiritual. The bravery, stability and strength of the Dosso call loudly for public esteem. 

The Dosso Hunter’s Community, which stretches across Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Togo is one of many hunter societies around the continent of Meritah (Africa). Directly east, there is a society of hunters known as the Kogl-weogo, or “Guardians of the Bush”. In the previous article, we also mentioned the Kamajor, Poro, Mayi Mayi and Karamojong societies of hunters. All of these communities initiate individuals into adhering to the principles of nature. They teach them how to safely go into the bush (raw nature) in order to retrieve what is needed for the well-being of their community. Through their dedication to nature, they contribute to maintaining the harmony between their communities and the natural world around them. 

These institutional structures are extremely important for maintaining the Kemetic culture. And in today’s world that is seemingly dominated by European imperialist powers, they serve as the pride and protection of the children of Kemet. A prime example of this can be seen in the eastern region of Eastern Burkina Faso. 

Since 1987, until just recently, the country of Burkina Faso was under the direction of its President, Blaise Compaore. At the end of his twenty-seven-year term, Compaore attempted to amend the constitution to extend his presidency and all around the country Burkinabe (people of Burkina Faso) protested with riots, demonstrations, civil resistance and disobedience. The Burkina Parliament dissolved and Compaore resigned, fleeing to Cote d’Ivoire. Yacouba Zida, who had served as Compaore’s Deputy Commander of Presidential Security acted as Head of State until a transitional President, Michael Kafando, took over from November 2014 to December 2015. Zida was briefly pushed out of office during a coup d’etat led by the Regiment of Compaore’s Presidential Security in September 2015 but his power was restored in just a week’s time. 

At the end of December 2015, democratic presidential elections were held and Marc Roch Kabore (a former Prime Minister of Blaise Compaore) was elected to office. During the celebrations of his new election, Kafando escaped the country taking much of the country’s economic resources with him. 

In the midst of this chaos, when Burkinabé were supposed to be enjoying the pride of their apparent victory over the tyranny of President Compaore, they were instead, in a place of dangerous instability. With such fragility in the new political regime, crime throughout the country rose. The presence of bandits on the country’s highways made it unsafe to travel the country. This was also at the time religious extremist groups like Boko Haram were pillaging through West Africa. 

In Eastern Burkina, in a city called Fada N’Gourma, an artist, researcher and cultural activist, Moussa “Django” Thiombiano observed the rising climate of danger in his country. That danger had even spread from the big cities into the rural areas. Django is the chief of the Kogl-weogo Hunter society. He is a well-respected traditionalist who descends from the Gulmu Royalty. He is well known in the region for his profound knowledge of traditional culture, having researched the subject for the last forty years. He is adamant about not just presenting the culture but presenting the spiritual power of our Ancestral cultures. 

We are living in a world where we (the Gulmu) don’t need to be hiding our spiritual power anymore. That is something that will let people know that we are still holding things strong here. Even if the modern influences are forcing other people to forget about their Ancestral heritage, or consider it dark or negative, we know that our Ancestral heritage is our identity and I am propagating it and its usefulness proudly! 

After the rise of crime throughout the country, Django was moved to implement his project of ensuring the safety of the Gulmu region. It was something he had been working on for ten years. He would achieve it by using the power of the spiritual traditions. He organized hunters from around the country to defend the people of rural Burkina. He declared the Kogl-Weogo as the enemies of theft and corruption throughout the Eastern region. The hunters quickly made a difference. The spiritual power and traditional sciences of M’TAM and natural medicine that have been preserved by the Gourmantche people provided the hunters a leg up on opportunistic thieves who had been robbing bush taxis and looting livestock and farms. 

Thieves were arriving at their destinations and met by Kogl-Weogo hunters who were waiting on them with a traditional hunter’s rifle and rope. If a thief tried to shoot the hunter, his gun would not work. If he tried to attack him, his knife would not penetrate. Forced to surrender, criminals were tied up and brought back to holding cells in the village. They were later paraded in front of the village in shame during meetings organized by Django and the hunters. Even corrupt police and military officials were apprehended by the Kogl-Weogo. Crime plummeted and entire markets in the city that were secretly being supplied through theft ran dry. 

The government was terrified. Well-known spiritual people around the country were coming together to fight any danger or insecurity existing in their region preventing peace and harmony. The media, controlled by the colonial government started referring to Django and the hunters as bands of vigilantes. They created their own propaganda claiming that the Kogl-Weogo could become like religious extremists and present a danger to the country. What they really meant was that they could challenge the power of the government with a coup d’etat.

Django was arrested and brought to Ouagadougou for imprisonment. Government supporters and citizens who were anti-government came out to witness Django, wondering what his real intentions were. When word got around, villagers from all over the region protested. For them, it was simple; the colonial government that was unable to even take care of itself was now targeting the man who returned their safety and stability. His detainment would do nothing but, once again, leave an opening for the criminals of the country who were now on the run. Burkinabé would not stand for it. 

The authorities were forced to release Django who assured the people of Burkina and the government that he had no intention other than the safety of the people. 

I know what you are worried about, but that is not what we are doing. We are against all bandits, thieves or people bringing insecurity in our cities. You, the government, we are not focused on you... we are not even thinking about you. 

But with such power, the new government was still shaken and unsure. The people of Burkina were listening to Django and what he had to say. When the Prime Minister came to Fada N’Gourma unexpectedly, Django made one phone call and within an hour over three thousand people came out of the bush and mobilized into an audience. President Kabore also travelled for a meeting with Django to find out his true intentions. He was reassured, 

We are just people trying to protect the population. You all in the government stand with France. You answer to the French government and do what they want of you. Us, we are not that. Our concern is our community. 

And his actions followed his words. Even as people outside of Burkina applaud what he has achieved, he maintains his position. When asked for his assistance by the government of Niger, he informed them that he is just an individual; if they as a government institution are asking for his help they will have to go through the Burkina governmental institution. 

Today, he and his initiates are still protecting the people of Burkina. He travels around the country continuing to initiate others and set up the structure of the hunters. He proclaims, “In one year’s time, there will be no bandits in the Eastern region.” 

This example may seem hard to believe for Western eyes and ears but for the Gulmu empire and West Africa as a whole, it is more than believable. There are other cultural figures that have secured the safety of the people by the power of their spirituality. During the time of enslavement, there were the Spiritual Warriors who would work to steal back individuals who were caught by slave raiders. Even if these men were themselves caught in the process by slave raiders they would be mysteriously back in their own bed once the sun rose on another day. Others like Samory Toure, King Behanzin, and the Gulmu King Simadoali (Django’s Ancestor) have exemplified the power and wonder of African spirituality while protecting their right to live how their Ancestors did in the face of violent colonialism and globalism. Throughout the history of the West, even descendants of Africa have shown glimpses of this powerful heritage; giving rise to groups like the Maroons of Jamaica, the warriors of the Haitian Revolution and the members of the Quilombos of Brazil, to name a few. 

A LESSON TO BUILD ON 

Must I remind the reader that West Africa is the Ancestral bank of those now referred to as “Black Americans”? Black Americans have been suffering at the hands of “terrorist” attacks that have lasted for over four hundred years. Though, these acts of terrorism are not referred to as such on major news channels (controlled by colonial European governments) the viciousness of their hate crimes has no match among the current ideas of terrorism. 

The problem is that this viciousness and lack of consideration of the value of life has no social institutions to stand against them. Today, Black America protests the unfair treatment or annihilation of young black men at the hands of the police force. Yet, they call on the same police force and system to defend them and bring them justice. Beyond that, there are only unorganized mobs of protestors who take to the streets, which unfortunately only give nervous, poorly trained policemen another chance to commit hysterical acts of violence against them. 

All of the social structures that Blacks belong to, that present any considerable numbers, are structures that were provided to them by the same governmental system that enslaved and shipped them to the West. Greek fraternities, Masonic lodges, Christian churches, and Islamic communities all provide a culture around which to unify. However, the only education that is disseminated among them is at the source of the very enslavement and torturous treatment that Blacks are trying to escape. In the ‘60s, when freedom movements were taking place around the world, Blacks saw a rise in community groups that were formed to protect and ensure the well-being of their impoverished communities. In turn, mass media retorted by vilifying these groups which today are known as gangs: Black Disciples, Bloods and Crips. However, they too couldn’t answer the question of education. And without an education to provide strong and dignified values to its members, these groups have just become a platform for the criminality they originally sought to resolve. 

The hunters of West Africa are the distant relatives of Black America. This distance is in values, not blood or location. The desperation of the situation of Blacks in America should motivate them to close this gap and return to the structures that have been proven to protect the Kemetic life and identity for millennia. The strength of these structures is in the bank of knowledge that is passed down from generation to generation. This knowledge is not one that was accumulated from the same system of enslavement that one might find in college fraternities. This knowledge is not one that was accumulated from holy books written by political authorities that later served them in enslaving the world. This knowledge was achieved through an investigation of the natural world with the goal of harmonizing with the Divine Order. The power of nature is found in this heritage. The proof has been laid down before us. 

One does not build social structures overnight. It is an investment whose profit is often only truly realized by one’s descendants. The stark reality that the current efforts taken by Black America are not working haunts us every day. It is felt in every news report of another black youth whose life was taken. It is felt in every report of another officer whose arbitrary excuses were found sufficient at proving the life of those youth, meaningless. So, where else should we put our efforts if not into things proven to work, even if they will take us generations to build? 

May the spirit of the hunters like the Dosso and the Kogl-weogo inspire the men of the territories around the globe dominated by colonialism and injustice to turn away from the criminal government institutions and look towards nature. May strong men stop wasting their energies in a useless battle of strength with the devil and instead put it into conquering the self and their Ancestral heritage. By learning about our place in the natural world and what our Ancestors have achieved, we will find that the place they have left us is our only attainable power. It is no mystery, if you know what to do, it is because you listened to someone who has already done it.