the Bashilenge

Cannabis is not native to Africa. Historians estimate its arrival on the continent took place in the 14th century as Arab trade came to Ethiopia. By 1881, German explorers Hermann Wissman and Dr. Paul Pogge explored areas in what is now theDemocratic Republic of the Congo and found a tribe called the Bashilenge that smoked cannabis as often as possible, attributing to it magical powers. They called themselves Bena-Riamba, or “the sons of hemp” and their greeting moio meant both “life” and “hemp”.

https://prezi.com/tbe50evaczyj/riamba-cult-of-the-bashilenge-tribe-est-1884/