Culture of the Guinea-Bissau
The Guinea-Bissau comprises about thirty ethnos groups as many speaking languages and practitioner various religions, for the majority animists. The Islamic religion most widespread, is followed by the religions animists of the majority ethnos groups. The cities comprise a certain percentage of catholics and Protestants.
The ethnos groups best represented are: Swinging S, Mandingues, Fulas, Pepels, Beafadas, Bijagos, Nalus, Mandjak, Sussu, Tanda, Felupes, etc
These ethnos groups subdivide themselves in more or less distinct groups, as for example them Brassa Bungue in the South of the country, which speaks Shaved it. The Balante company shaved is a democratic gérontocratie laminated on the sex and in age groups. In the capacity only the “Great men” and the “Large women take part”, i.e. the initiates. The initiation, accompanied by the Circumcision at the men, takes place towards 30-40 years. Among women, it is the marriage (around 19 years) which marks initiation. The woman becomes really free only after having put at the world its first child. The women thus take part in the decisions earlier than the men. However, a representative of each age group has access to the Council of old for each subject which relates to it.
The swinging ones are famous experts in the rice growing of “bolanha” (grounds recovered on the Mangrove S). They organize important festivals at the time of mournings, of initiations or important harvests. They communicate then remotely or with the spirits in a language coded on the Bombolom S (large drums with slit). A characteristic is to sing while running for rameuter of the public in all the village.
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