Ngondo

Ngondo messenger on Wouri River

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 cult. 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). 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.