Sawa people’s Ngondo Festival inscribed on UNESCO’s heritage list

By Synthia Lateu

The great traditional and ritual festival of the Sawa people, Ngondo, has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. This cultural festival was officially recognized on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, in Asunción, Paraguay, during the 19th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee. According to UNESCO, the practices associated with the Ngondo cult are essential for the transmission of intangible cultural heritage.
In response to this recognition, the Ngondo Executive Bureau issued a communiqué stating that it represents the living expression of their values, traditions, and sacred connection with nature and ancestors. They emphasised that this heritage reflects their collective identity, the richness of their knowledge, and their role in global intercultural dialogue.
The traditional assembly of the Sawa people submitted its application in December 2023, which was validated by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage during its session from December 2 to 7, 2024, in Asunción, Paraguay.
The Ngondo, the water oracle worship of the Sawa, follows the inscription of the Nguon festival of the Bamoun people in 2023. This represents a tribute to Cameroon’s most emblematic cultural events, celebrating ancestral traditions.

About The Ngondo Festival

Established in 1949, the Ngondo festival is celebrated on the banks of the Wouri River. It encompasses the worship of water oracles and associated cultural traditions. This major cultural festival for the Sawa community consists of approximately 5 million people spread along the Cameroonian coast, from Campo to Manfe, and comprises 18 traditional cantons. These ethnic groups, united by the common language of Douala, celebrate this event annually as a central ritual affirming their identity as a people of the water. The festival’s climax is marked by a sacred ritual in which a vase is immersed in the Wouri River, allowing the oracles to transmit spiritual messages to the Sawa and to all communities in Cameroon and around the world.
The 2024 edition of the festival concluded on December 1st, under the theme of “mutual aid,” translated into Douala as “Ja Jongwanele.”
The inclusion of Ngondo on the UNESCO list is expected to promote greater awareness and appreciation of this unique cultural heritage, both locally and internationally