©Patrick Willocq, The husband of Walé Besala returns, empty handed « Ensansa : Bôme áyùme nkó Ekángá l’émàngo, bôme áyùme nd’ôngálá l’ákàta. Longalisa njéne nk’ôkùlá mí bàkàta, bàkòto. Longalisa nk’ôlèlá mí bilelo. Bialé lôka ? Bàkálé lôka ?». Song : My husband happily returns from Ekanga. My husband stands at the court empty handed. I Walé Longalisa clap my hands. I Walé Longalisa, start to cry. You listen Walés? You listen rivals? Walé Besala (20 years old, married, four years in seclusion, the mother of Luc Mbokolo) complains about the behavior of her husband who came home from Mbandaka empty handed. Traditionally, the goods needed for the release of a Walé are at the husband’s expense. She also warns other Walés against this kind of husband who does not take his responsibilities.

©Patrick Willocq, The uncle of Walé Ikita flees home « Ensansa : Walé áôkùma bàkáká l’ékolo. Ayôlí nd’ótónga b’ôlàká éyalí nókó. Nókó áôyàbéle lòbángo nd’épòka». Song : Walé starts moving. She went to visit her uncle who lives Bolaka. The uncle went to hide in the forest. In the patrilineal system of Ekondas, the child belongs to the father, which means that when a Walé is in seclusion, the paternal uncle is also responsible to provide for her. Walé Ikita (19 years old, married, three years in seclusion, the mother of Marie) criticizes her uncle who failed to take his responsibilities by hiding in the forest when she visited him.

©Patrick Willocq, Walé Ikita, confident and shameless « Ensansa : Bané báyôkèndé la nsandi. Bané báyôkèndé la ngòló nd’âkàta. Walé émí ániélé mp’ólàngi b’ónéne mí bômèlé mí bàsànga ». Song: Some of them walk with baskets, others walk with lids in hands. Me Walé, I only walk with calabash I drink wine. Walé Ikita (19 years old, married, three years in seclusion, the mother of Marie) sings that she will not be ashamed (as someone who has been drinking wine) to dance and sing in front of the public on her seclusion ending festival. Very confident, she does not need to drink wine to perform. By self-praising her attitude, she discredits other Walés which, she assumes, broke the drinking taboo.

©Patrick Willocq, Walé Bontongu, a darling stone « Ensansa : íbòko y’íkèlí mpólùwú émí lòbèye lóndêlèle ». Song : Stone ikeli I do not uproot myself me darling that one stir. Walé Bontongu (19 years old, married, three years in seclusion, the mother of Falone) compares herself to a big black stone that is found in the forest: time passes by and the stone remains there, of little use. Bontongu expresses her loneliness and boredom (a Walé spends most of her time in seclusion in her mother’s hut) despite the love and respect that she earns by respecting various taboos and the fact that she is seen as a patriarch.

©Patrick Willocq, Walé Bontongu, hung by weavers « Ensansa : Bokóma ndé nkíngó, njôwela bíalè bêbàngákí lòlèke. Song: Hanging on my neck, I suffer Walés who began weaver. At the beginning of the Walé ritual, Ekondas did not have a seclusion ending festival. At some point they introduced the Bobongo songs and Iyaya dances in order to end the ritual with great pomp. Walé Bontongu (19 years old, married, three years in seclusion, the mother of Falone) is forced (hanging) today to dance and sing (as weavers do) because of Walés who once accepted to do so.

©Patrick Willocq, Walé Bakuku hops across the creek « Ensansa : Mpètélé walé nd’âyóló békèli, bòtópe bò ninga, bókôné lòlòko njôtòndìma, walé bonkonji nyâmbòlà nk’aíko nd’âyóló békèli ». Song : I Walé secluded by sources of creeks, rubber ball that today I make hops. I Walé patriarch, I answer only here in creeks’ sources. Walé Bakuku (20 years old, married, four years in seclusion, Benjamin’s mother) lives near the source of a creek. To show her superiority she speaks of several streams and compares her dancing, which she deems unique, to balloons hops (the Walé ritual is highly competitive as it’s all about having more prestige and power than your rivals to boost family honour).

©Patrick Willocq, Walé Bakuku, chimpanzee at sun set « Ensansa : Mâ walé bònkònji wâné bó bìlía, bàkàlé bôntâna bóbétsí mí bàsànja ». Song : Mom Walé patriarch, I am like the sun chimpanzee, rivals find me lying on back. Once, at sunset, the young village children would stretch like chimpanzees in order to grow taller. By comparison, Walé Bakuku (20 years old, married, four years in seclusion, Benjamin’s mother) expresses her superiority because as she grows taller, her rivals remain short (the Walé ritual is highly competitive as it’s all about having more prestige and power than your rivals to boost family honour).

©Patrick Willocq, Walé Besawu’s bed « Ensansa : Lòtsíka mbétàme nd’âbúnja, ntsípétòlo bòmpêmpe. » Song : Let I sleep on leaves, I no fear wind. It is a criticism that Walé Besawu (20 years old, without a husband, three years in seclusion, mother of José Ikongo) makes of her father: he never repaired her seclusion hut, poorly insulated, or made her a suitable bed. So she spent her nights facing the wind, lying on a bed made of leaves.

©Patrick Willocq, Walé Bakuku, generous like palm nuts « Ensansa : Walé njômùkòlé mpòfu nd’íbá, njôlíkèlí boloi ». Song : Walé me I extract palm nuts, I distribute to crowd. The Walé ritual is highly competitive as it’s all about having more prestige and power than your rivals to boost family honour. By handing out palm nuts (a symbol of generosity among Ekondas) Walé Bakuku (20 years old, married, four years in seclusion, Benjamin’s mother) sings her superiority.

©Patrick Willocq, Walé Bakuku, ants dish « Ensansa : Eka mà âmbá la papa Eyenga bàngô ntùkubèla bintòkèlèke boyanga ngéní nd’âbála la baboke la bafumba ». Song: With mom Amba and dad Eyenga they prepare me food, deception there in wedding with packages and ants. Walé Bakuku (20 years old, married, four years in seclusion, Benjamin’s mother) openly criticizes her in-laws. While her parents serve good food, her in-laws offer her food with ants. She expresses the idea that it’s a bad marriage because neither her husband nor her in-laws helped her much while in seclusion.

©Patrick Willocq, Ntembe, sparrowhawk Walé « Ensansa : Njalé nkombé éné yélúá nd’ókili, ntsíbátá íbáko nd’ólògo biàlé». Song : I became sparrowhawk wandering the world. I did not find sitting at court, you understand Walés. Walé Ntembe (18 years old, without a husband, two years in seclusion, the mother of Beane), self-praises her attitude and discredits other Walés that spend too much time walking about in the village (which is dishonourable) while she remains in her hut to care for her child (the Walé ritual is highly competitive as it’s all about having more prestige and power than your rivals to boost family honour).