“The Kumpo is a traditional mythological figure of the Diola and Manding peoples of Casamance and Gambia whose exact origin is difficult to say. It is both a mask and a moonlight dance to appeal to this spirit which then comes out of the forest where it dwells. The exact etymology of the name cannot be given with certainty: it would be a distortion of the Wolof word Kumpa which means that which is secret because it arouses curiosity; or else what is reserved for initiates and therefore cannot be deciphered by a layman. Others, again, locate the origin of Kumpo with the Kommo, which is said to be an associate of Manding power.”
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