CONGO CANYON

large submarine canyon incised into the South Atlantic continental shelf and slope of western equatorial Africa. The head of the canyon lies 17 miles (28 km) inland, up the Congo Estuary, and has a depth of 70 feet (21 m). The canyon crosses the entire shelf with a westerly trend to the shelf edge 53 miles (85 km) offshore, continuing down the continental slope, curving to the right and ending at the base of the slope in a fan valley at a depth of 8,700 feet (2,650 m). The total length of the canyon to this point is about 175 miles (280 km). At an axial depth of about 6,000 feet (1,800 m), the walls of the V-shaped canyon are highest, 3,600 feet (1,100 m), and the canyon is about 9 miles (14 km) wide from rim to rim. The Congo Fan Valley is at least 135 miles (220 km) long and has relief diminishing down the fan, from 600 feet (180 m) to about 100 feet (30 m). Congo Canyon is the conduit for sediments from the Congo River and the continental shelf en route to the deep-sea floor. After the sediments are transported to reach the canyon mouth, they are distributed over the fan by the fan valley, which probably migrates laterally with time. Cultural life Precolonial artistic expression emphasized ceremonial music, dance, sculpture, and oral literature. Christianity and colonialism had a great impact on these art forms. The carving of ritual objects became commercialized, and music and dance altered as a result of the introduction of Western instruments and musical styles. In the 1980s the Brazzaville region, along with Kinshasa, across the river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, became a vital centre of contemporary African music. There are two libraries in Brazzaville, and a national museum contains collections of prehistoric objects as well as precolonial and contemporary art. Andr Fu-Kiau kia Bunseki-L Dennis D. Cordell Cultural life Congo's many ethnic groups and regions have developed a mosaic of traditional arts, such as painting, sculpture, music, and dance. There has been a tendency to classify sculpture and carving according to the styles of the areas from which they originate. The South-West Group is represented by the Kongo people and is known for stone and nail-studded statues; the Yaka, also of this group but from the region of the Kwango and Kwilu rivers, produce masks and figurines. The Kuba art form, the Southern Central Group, deals with human themes; there is a tendency to create statues representative of the Kuba royal court. The South-East Group is composed mainly of Luba art, which reflects the strong influence of women in the society through a multitude of statuettes relating to motherhood. North of the Luba region is the area where the Lega masks and ivories are produced. The North Group includes Zande and Mangbetu art; Zande art is characterized by cult statuettes, spear or bow shafts, and anthropomorphic pottery, while Mangbetu art is characterized by stylized elongated heads. Painting, sculpture, and carving are still practiced. The cities, especially Kinshasa, have become the greatest creators, propagators, and promoters of national cultural life and arts. The Academy of Fine Arts in Kinshasa offers training programs in painting, sculpture, carving, architecture, and ceramics. The National Institute of the Arts offers training in classical and some traditional music and drama. The writing of poetry, plays, and novels has been developing rapidly; they are usually written in Lingala and French, but other local languages are also used. The development of scientific literature is supported by the universities, various scientific organizations, and the government. Several publishing houses have been established throughout the country. Surviving national folk traditions are evident in pottery and the weaving of raffia, in ceremonial dress or costumes, in dancing styles, and in songs. Sports include football (soccer), swimming, boxing, basketball, and riverboat racing. Congo's unique popular music results from a mixture of traditional rhythms and instruments borrowed from other cultures, civilizations, and continents. This music, popular all over Africa, has given birth to the great variety of specific dance steps and styles known as the Congolese dance. There are museums and public libraries in most large cities, with national museums in Kananga, Mbandaka, and Lubumbashi. The capital city houses the national archives and the National Theatrical Troupe. There are libraries at all three universities. Ntsomo Payanzo Bernd Michael Wiese