ABSTRACT
The narrative traditions of central Africa offer a grouping united by features of content and performance style that, owing to their length, their poetry, and their importance to the culture, are generally termed epic. Examples would include, from Congo (the former Zaire), the Mwindo epics of the BaNyanga, the Lega epics, and the Lianja cycle of the Mongo; other regions offer the Jeki la Nzambe of the Duala (Cameroon) and Ozidi of the Ijo (Nigeria). The mvett tradition of Cameroon and Gabon is also closely related in style.
