Wikidata links this tradition to UNESCO element RL/02140 · register entry
The Ngondo is an annual water-centered festival held by the Sawa (coastal peoples) in Douala, Cameroon. The highlight of the festival is a ceremony of the jengu.
The Ngondo is an annual water-centered festival held by the Sawa (coastal peoples) in Douala, Cameroon. The highlight of the festival is a ceremony of the jengu. The ceremony is held at a beach on Wouri Bay, during which a devotee enters the water to visit the underwater kingdom of the miengu (plural for jengu). The miengu are believed to be similar to mermaids, and will grant good luck to their worshippers. According to tradition, the devotee can remain underwater for hours, and emerge with his clothing appearing completely dry. Children are not allowed to attend the ceremony. Ngondo was banned by the government of Cameroon in 1981, but reinstated in 1991. The ceremony is held during the first two weeks of December every year.
The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Ngondo”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence.
Ngondo is worship of water oracles and associated cultural traditions among the Sawa, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. 1
The source record links this tradition to 2 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. 1
