Le nom propre comme nom de force dans la pensée poïetico-panégyrique africaine

From a contemporary perspective, poetic thought has found one of its most accomplished references in Heidegger’s approach to the thinking poetry of F. Hölderlin. The poetic thought of M. Heidegger, as a meditative deepening of Hölderlin’s thinking poetry, reveals the essence of poetry as a linguistic and discursive act of foundational, appropriating, and historicizing nomination of being in its diversity. Traditional Africa has contributed, particularly through the poetic work of J. Kabuta, a specific type of panegyric poetry based mainly on the use of internal (eponymous) or external circumstantial (teknonymic, nickname) proper names. The Heideggerian approach to Hölderlin serves as our theoretical model in the study we have outlined regarding kasàlà according to J. Kabuta. Kasàlà or self-praise and praise of others is a poetic symbolization built on the amplification and expansion of real or fictitious names, primarily through metaphor and hyperbole. The strength of the proper name or the proper name as force from the perspective of African poetic-panegyric thought, particularly in J. Kabuta’s work, undoubtedly relates to the “ontological speaking” emphasized by P. Tempels in “Bantu Philosophy.” The Bantu ontology is dynamic; being is synonymous with vital force. The kasàlà uses metaphors to amplify names, connecting individuals to cosmic and social forces. The proper name serves as a lever for integral transformation. It allows individuals to claim their identity while remaining connected to their community. Authenticity is built through recognition of one’s roots and ties to ancestors. The initiation process within kasàlà fosters integral transformation by redefining social and ecological relationships, enabling individuals to become their own creators.