Southwest Cameroon
Vengo

Wood, bamboo, fiber string
Mid 20th Century
Length: 22 in, Width: 10.25 in, Height: 8.25 in
Idiophone – Plucked – Lamellophone

Beautifully large carved sanza with bamboo tongues, from the Vengo (Babungos or Babungo) people of the Northwest Province of Cameroon. They live predominantly in the region of a village which is also called Vengo or “Babungo.”   This sanza is made with bamboo tines (keys).  The wood resonator shows carvings of chameleons on three sides, while the front shows carvings of relief figures representing the spider, symbol of wisdom and link between this world and that of ancestors. These figures also suggest communal support of the Fon (chief).  This sanza, most likely was not used for official functions but was displayed with other paraphernalia in the palace. The earliest thumb pianos in Africa appeared at least 3000 years ago. They had bamboo tines (keys).   Metal (keys/tongues) lamellophones appeared later, around 1,300 years ago in the Zambezi River Valley. Today, according to the regions of their origin, these instruments are known by many different names.  In the Cameroon and Central Africa regions they are often referred to as sanzas (zanzas).