Ngondo Festival

Ngondo Festival

November-December

For the majority of the Sawa, an ethnic group composed of various coastal peoples of Cameroon, guidance comes from the Jengu water spirits. The annual Ngondo Festival is a special occasion for Sawa chiefs to petition these spirits for prophecies and warnings and to communicate those messages to a gathered assembly. The event, which lasts a few weeks, takes place on the banks of the Wouri River in the country's most populous city, Douala. Various cultural activities accompany the discernment process of the festival.
It is possible for the Sawa to receive the same message twice. Such was the case with the 2007 festival, when chiefs announced for the second year in a row that Sawa sons and daughters should focus more intently on joint and constructive action.
Sawa chiefs deliver their messages at the water feast that officially closes the Ngondo Festival. Activities preceding the water feast include traditional wrestling competitions, art exhibitions, choral singing, round table conferences, a trade fair, a canoe race, and a Miss Ngondo pageant.

CONTACTS:
Embassy of the Republic of Cameroon
2349 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
202-265-8790; fax: 202-387-3826
www.ambacam-usa.org