EE MFUMUE

"Ee Mfumue" is a beloved Congolese offertory hymn that has found a vibrant home in Nigerian Catholic parishes. Sung in Kikongo, the song is a humble and rhythmic plea for God to accept the gifts prepared for the Eucharistic sacrifice. The title translates simply to "O Lord," setting the tone for a deeply reverent yet joyful procession to the altar.

During the Offertory, as the bread and wine are brought forward, the choir leads the congregation in this swaying melody. The lyrics express a profound sense of human unworthiness before the divine. In the chorus, the singers cry out, "Tala maboko na mono, ya kele pamba" (Look at my hands, they are empty), acknowledging that we approach God as "nsukami a nene" (greatly poor), with nothing of our own to give.

As the song progresses, the verses name the specific gifts being offered: "makabu" (the general offerings), "mampa" (the bread), "vinu" (the wine), and finally "bapangi" (the people themselves). It is a moving moment in the Mass where the physical gifts of the earth and the spiritual surrender of the congregation become one, carried upward by the choir's harmony.