Antoine Ndinga Oba and User:JASpencer/Masonic ritual: Difference between pages
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'''[[Masonic]] ritual''' refers to the variety of scripted words and actions that have been spoken or performed by millions of people during the degree work in a Masonic Lodge. Each Masonic jurisdiction defines what is contained within its own ritual, and there are significant differences between the rituals of different jurisdictions. |
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'''Antoine Ndinga Oba''' (1941 – 17 May 2005<ref name=Dep>[http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=8924&oldaction=liste®pay_id=0&them_id=0&cat_id=0&ss_cat_id=0&LISTE_FROM=0&select_month=0&select_year=0 "La communauté politique congolaise pleure la mort de l’ambassadeur Antoine Ndinga Oba"], ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 23 May 2005 {{fr icon}}.</ref>) was a [[Republic of the Congo|Congolese]] diplomat, political figure, and linguist. |
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[[Image:DSC019101.JPG|thumb|right|200 px|A Masonic Lodge Room]] |
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Ndinga Oba was born in Biala, near [[Oyo, Congo|Oyo]], located in [[Cuvette Region]].<ref name=Dep/> He was a professor of linguistics at the [[Marien Ngouabi University]] in [[Brazzaville]].<ref name=Dep/><ref name=Who>"Who's Who", ''CONGO BRAZZAVILLE: LES HOMMES DE POUVOIR n°1'', ''Africa Intelligence'', 29 October 2002 {{fr icon}}.</ref> From 1972 to 1973, he was Director of the National Institute of Research and Pedagogy, and from 1973 to 1976 he was Director of INSSED<!--what is this?-->; subsequently he was Rector of the University of Brazzaville (later Marien Ngouabi University) from 1976 to 1977.<ref name=Rejoint>[http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=9027&oldaction=liste®pay_id=0&them_id=0&cat_id=0&ss_cat_id=0&LISTE_FROM=0&select_month=0&select_year=0 "Antoine Ndinga Oba a rejoint sa dernière demeure"], ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 1 June 2005 {{fr icon}}.</ref> |
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In 1972, Ndinga Oba was elected to the Central Committee of the [[Congolese Labour Party]] (PCT), but he was dropped from the Central Committee in 1975.<ref name=Remy>Rémy Bazenguissa-Ganga, ''Les voies du politique au Congo: essai de sociologie historique'' (1997), Karthala Editions, page 440.</ref> He was appointed as Minister of National Education in 1977<ref name=Dep/><ref name=Who/><ref name=Remy/> and returned to the Central Committee in 1979, when [[Denis Sassou Nguesso]] became President.<ref name=Remy/> In August 1984, Ndinga Oba was moved from his post as Minister of National Education to that of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation;<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E07E2DF1538F930A2575BC0A962948260&sec=&spon= "AROUND THE WORLD; Congo Shuffles Cabinet After Politburo Meeting"], Reuters (''The New York Times''), 13 August 1984.</ref><ref name=RemyTwo>Bazenguissa-Ganga, pages 279–280 {{fr icon}}.</ref> in the same year, he was elected to the PCT's expanded 13-member Political Bureau.<ref name=RemyTwo/> Ndinga Oba was removed from the Political Bureau at a plenary session of the Central Committee in November 1986, when the Political Bureau's size was decreased from 13 members to 10 members.<ref>[http://www.keesings.com/search?kssp_selected_tab=article&kssp_a_id=35370n01cog "Sep 1987 - Internal political developments Economic situation-Foreign relations"], Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 33, September, 1987 Congo, Page 35370.</ref> He remained Foreign Minister until 1991,<ref name=Dep/> and from 1991 to 1992 he was the Personal Representative of President Sassou Nguesso.<ref name=Dep/> |
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==Variety== |
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Ndinga Oba became a professor at the Study Center of Congolese Languages in 1992, remaining there until 1998.<ref name=Who/> He was appointed as Congo's Ambassador to [[UNESCO]],<ref name=Dep/><ref name=Who/> located in [[Paris]],<ref name=Who/> on 20 August 1998.<ref name=Dep/> It was believed that he received this posting because he was in poor health and would have access to better medical treatment in Paris.<ref name=Deces>Simon Mavoula, [http://www.congopage.com/article2541.html? "Décès à Paris de l’ancien ministre Antoine Ndinga-Oba"], Congopage.com, 19 May 2005 {{fr icon}}.</ref> On 7 February 2003, Ndinga Oba was elected as President of the African UNESCO Group by African ambassadors meeting at UNESCO's headquarters.<ref>[http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=2726&oldaction=liste®pay_id=0&them_id=0&cat_id=0&ss_cat_id=0&LISTE_FROM=0&select_month=0&select_year=0 "L’ambassadeur Antoine Ndinga Oba élu président du groupe africain de l’Unesco"], ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 10 February 2003 {{fr icon}}.</ref> In this capacity, he was charged with coordinating relations between UNESCO and African countries.<ref name=Dep/> |
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[[Image:Freimaurer Initiation.jpg|thumb|right|200 px|A masonic initiation]] |
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Much like a play, Masonic degrees are conducted from memory, following a script. However, every Masonic jurisdiction is free to standardize (or not standardize) a ritual for its own use. Therefore, a standard ritual for all does not exist. |
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As a linguist, Ndinga Oba wrote extensively on [[Bantu languages]].<ref name=Deces/> In 2004, he published a two-volume linguistic study, ''The Bantu Languages of Congo-Brazzaville: Typological Study of the Languages of Group C20 (Mbosi or Mbochi)'' (''Les langues bantoues du Congo-Brazzaville – Étude typologique des langues du groupe C20 (mbosi ou mbochi)'').<ref>[http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=5527&oldaction=liste®pay_id=0&them_id=0&cat_id=0&ss_cat_id=0&LISTE_FROM=0&select_month=0&select_year=0 "L’ambassadeur Antoine Ndinga Oba publie un ouvrage sur le patrimoine linguistique congolais"], ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 13 April 2004 {{fr icon}}.</ref> Other linguistic books written by Ndinga Oba included ''Lingala and Mounoukoutouba: two variants of Kibangou'' (''Le lingala et le Mounoukoutouba - deux variantes de Kibangou'') and ''Lexical Structures of Lingala'' (''Structures lexicologiques du lingala'').<ref name=Rejoint/> He also wrote on the subject of education; in 1989, he published ''Education in Africa: the Case of Congo'' (''L'Education en Afrique, le cas du Congo'').<ref name=Dep/> Another book by Ndinga Oba, ''On the Banks of the Alima'' (''Sur les rives de l'Alima''), was published in Paris in 2003. ''On the Banks of the Alima'' (its title is a reference to the [[Alima|Alima River]]; Ndinga Oba was born near the Alima) is a philosophical story that takes the form of a dialogue between a father and daughter; it focuses on the need to maintain a connection to the past and preserve cultural heritage, while at the same time looking outward towards the world and embracing a positive form of globalization.<ref>[http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/index.php?action=depeche&dep_id=4250&oldaction=liste®pay_id=0&them_id=0&cat_id=0&ss_cat_id=0&LISTE_FROM=0&select_month=0&select_year=0 "Antoine Ndinga Oba publie à Paris un conte philosophique : « Sur les rives de l’Alima »"], ''Les Dépêches de Brazzaville'', 29 September 2003 {{fr icon}}.</ref> |
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However, there are similarities in conceptual content among jurisdictions. For example, all Masonic ritual for the first three degrees makes use of the [[architecture|architectural]] symbolism of the tools of the [[medieval]] ''operative'' masons (meaning those who were stonemasons by trade). Freemasons, however, consider themselves to be ''speculative'' masons (philosophical rather than actual building), and use symbolism and allegory to teach moral and ethical lessons such as the four cardinal virtues of Fortitude, Prudence, Temperance and Justice, and the principles of "Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth" (commonly found in English language rituals), or "[[Liberté, égalité, fraternité|Liberty, Equality, Fraternity]]" (commonly found in French rituals). |
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While serving as Ambassador to UNESCO, Ndinga Oba died on 17 May 2005 in Paris.<ref name=Dep/><ref name=Deces/> His body was returned to Congo-Brazzaville, and after a tribute at the Palace of the Parliament in [[Brazzaville]], he was buried at his family cemetery in Oyo on 27 May 2005. President Sassou Nguesso and [[Gabon]]ese President [[Omar Bongo]] were present for his funeral.<ref name=Rejoint/> |
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==Degrees== |
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These moral lessons are presented to the candidate through the performance of the ritual. The use of allegory is a common thread. A candidate progresses through three ''degrees'':<ref name="Aims and Relationships"> |
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{{cite book |
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| title = Constitutions of the Antient Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons |
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| url = http://www.grandlodge-england.org/pdf/cr-rule-update2-141205.pdf |
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| format=pdf |
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| accessdate = 2007-05-08 |
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| origyear = 1815 |
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| year = 2005 |
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| author = United Grand Lodge of England |
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| location = London |
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| publisher = Freemason's Hall |
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| chapter = Aims and Relationships of the Craft |
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| pages = pp. x–xii |
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| oclc = 18976592 }}</ref> Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason (thus, allegorically, passing through the stages of a working stonemason's career). With each degree, the candidate gains knowledge and understanding of himself, his relationship with others and his relationship with the Supreme Being (as per his own interpretation). While the philosophical aspects of Freemasonry are intended to be interpreted by each individual Mason for himself, to encourage the candidate to reflect on their possible meanings they are sometimes discussed in Lodges of Instruction or Research, or in informal groups within a lodge. |
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Freemasons, and others, frequently publish — to varying degrees of competence and acceptance — studies on these philosophical aspects that are available to the public. Any mason may speculate on the symbols and purpose of Freemasonry, and indeed all masons are required to some extent to speculate on Masonic meaning as a condition of advancing through the [[#Degrees|degrees]]. There is no one accepted meaning and no one person "speaks" for the whole of Freemasonry.<ref>Hodapp, Christopher. ''Freemasons for Dummies'', Wiley, 2006. p.15 </ref> |
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==Masonic ritual in Literature== |
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[[Image:Freimaurer_Erhebung.jpg|200px|right]] |
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There are a number of references to Masonic ritual in both literature and popular culture. |
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* In Tolstoy's [[War and Peace]], [[Pierre Besouchoff]] joins the Freemasons, with his initiation into the Freemasons represented as being a turning point in his life<ref>[http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/fiction/warandpeace.html Freemasonry in War and Peace] Grand Lodge of British Columbia and the Yukon</ref> |
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* In Robert Heinlein's [["If This Goes On—"]], the protagonists are initiated into the local Masonic lodge which leads the liberal underground<ref>[http://www.heinleinsociety.org/rah/works/novels/ifthisogoeson.html A Study of “IF THIS GOES ON—"], 2000, Bill Patterson</ref> |
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* Rudyard Kipling's [[The Man Who Would Be King]] includes multiple references to and quotes from Masonic ritual. The protagonists of the story become "Kings of Kafiristan" through their knowledge of Masonic ritual.<ref>[http://www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/kipling_r/kipling_notes.html Rudyard Kipling and Freemasonry], Paper by S P Thompson, reproduced on the website of the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and the Yukon</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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==Links== |
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{{start box}} |
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{{succession box|title=[[Foreign Minister of the Republic of the Congo]]|before=[[Pierre Nze]]|after=[[Jean-Blaise Kololo]]|years=1984–1991}} |
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* [http://www.grandlodgemi.org/symbols-in-freemasonry.cfm Masonic Symbols] |
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{{end box}} |
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* [http://www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/symbolism/index.html Symbolism in Freemasonry] |
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[[:Category:Freemasonry]] |
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{{RCongo-bio-stub}} |
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[[:Category:Masonic symbolism]] |
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[[Category:Republic of the Congo politicians|Oyo, Antoine Ndinga]] |
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[[Category:1941 births|Oyo, Antoine Ndinga]] |
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[[Category:2005 deaths|Oyo, Antoine Ndinga]] |
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Revision as of 06:40, 11 October 2008
Masonic ritual refers to the variety of scripted words and actions that have been spoken or performed by millions of people during the degree work in a Masonic Lodge. Each Masonic jurisdiction defines what is contained within its own ritual, and there are significant differences between the rituals of different jurisdictions.
Variety
Much like a play, Masonic degrees are conducted from memory, following a script. However, every Masonic jurisdiction is free to standardize (or not standardize) a ritual for its own use. Therefore, a standard ritual for all does not exist.
However, there are similarities in conceptual content among jurisdictions. For example, all Masonic ritual for the first three degrees makes use of the architectural symbolism of the tools of the medieval operative masons (meaning those who were stonemasons by trade). Freemasons, however, consider themselves to be speculative masons (philosophical rather than actual building), and use symbolism and allegory to teach moral and ethical lessons such as the four cardinal virtues of Fortitude, Prudence, Temperance and Justice, and the principles of "Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth" (commonly found in English language rituals), or "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" (commonly found in French rituals).
Degrees
These moral lessons are presented to the candidate through the performance of the ritual. The use of allegory is a common thread. A candidate progresses through three degrees:[1] Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason (thus, allegorically, passing through the stages of a working stonemason's career). With each degree, the candidate gains knowledge and understanding of himself, his relationship with others and his relationship with the Supreme Being (as per his own interpretation). While the philosophical aspects of Freemasonry are intended to be interpreted by each individual Mason for himself, to encourage the candidate to reflect on their possible meanings they are sometimes discussed in Lodges of Instruction or Research, or in informal groups within a lodge.
Freemasons, and others, frequently publish — to varying degrees of competence and acceptance — studies on these philosophical aspects that are available to the public. Any mason may speculate on the symbols and purpose of Freemasonry, and indeed all masons are required to some extent to speculate on Masonic meaning as a condition of advancing through the degrees. There is no one accepted meaning and no one person "speaks" for the whole of Freemasonry.[2]
Masonic ritual in Literature
There are a number of references to Masonic ritual in both literature and popular culture.
- In Tolstoy's War and Peace, Pierre Besouchoff joins the Freemasons, with his initiation into the Freemasons represented as being a turning point in his life[3]
- In Robert Heinlein's "If This Goes On—", the protagonists are initiated into the local Masonic lodge which leads the liberal underground[4]
- Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King includes multiple references to and quotes from Masonic ritual. The protagonists of the story become "Kings of Kafiristan" through their knowledge of Masonic ritual.[5]
References
- ^
United Grand Lodge of England (2005) [1815]. "Aims and Relationships of the Craft". Constitutions of the Antient Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons (pdf). London: Freemason's Hall. pp. pp. x–xii. OCLC 18976592. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ Hodapp, Christopher. Freemasons for Dummies, Wiley, 2006. p.15
- ^ Freemasonry in War and Peace Grand Lodge of British Columbia and the Yukon
- ^ A Study of “IF THIS GOES ON—", 2000, Bill Patterson
- ^ Rudyard Kipling and Freemasonry, Paper by S P Thompson, reproduced on the website of the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and the Yukon