Includes bibliographical references (pages 360-385) and index.
West Central Africa after European contact -- Experiences of enslavement -- Central Africans as individuals in community -- Economic skills and domestic activity -- Interpersonal relationships : courtesies and rites of passage -- Religious cosmology and praxis -- Christianity and associated religions -- Accessing power : ritual war and masquerade -- Pleasurable leisure : games, dance and music -- Speech culture -- Language legacy -- Conclusion.