Nice Kuba sword, Flavio. I think Tim is right concerning the age.
A lot of African weapons were still being produced in the middle of the 20th century. Remember that people used to bring axes and knives back from 'the Congo' when they visited their homeland. This is the case in Belgium.
Most of the African weapons in my collection date from that time.
They 'linger' in the attics until someone discovers them.
When looking at your 'ilwoon', I notice some rust. I would advise you to remove the rust gently. I always use a copper brush fixed to my drill. In this way, the rust is easily removed. Afterwards, I put some oil onto the blade. I usually apply oil used for tools. You'll see, your sword will get its black patina again.
Here's an example :
The first picture shows a Mbanja throwing knife as I bought it. The second one shows the same knife after cleaning
Freddy
