Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, Minister in charge of the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon, personal representative of the Head of State, attended the closing ceremony of the 7th edition of the Madiba Festival on 12 February 2025. This not-to-be-missed event in Cameroon’s cultural calendar took place from 14 to 16 February 2025 in Bona Anja, an emblematic village in the Wouri-Bwélé canton of the Nkam department. The event, held under the patronage of the President of the Republic, was a vibrant tribute to the Wouri River, the source of life and the origin of Cameroon’s very name.
Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, Minister in charge of the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon, personal representative of the Head of State, attended the closing ceremony of the 7th edition of the Madiba Festival on February 12 2025. This not-to-be-missed event in Cameroon’s cultural calendar took place from February 14 to 16 2025 in Bona Anja, an emblematic village in the Wouri-Bwélé canton of the Nkam department. The event, held under the patronage of the President of the Republic, was a vibrant tribute to the Wouri River, the source of life and the origin of Cameroon’s very name.
Excerpt 1 (trans)
Narcisse Mouelle Kombi
Madiba Festival promoter
Cameroon
“This festival is about celebrating the Wouri, the rio dos Camaroes, the moopii we worri, which we have transformed into wouri, meaning the river of the ewoody. As the eponymous river of Cameroon, the original matrix and progenitor of our nation, it is also a question of magnifying water as the dominant element of our nomenclature and the administrative structure of our country.”
A cultural event organised from 14 to 16 February, which the organisers certainly wanted to give a new look this year, but still rooted in the values and traditions of the Sawa region, as the key points of this Sunday’s ceremony attested.
Excerpt 2 (trans)
Espérance FEZEU
Visitor
Cameroon
“It was very interesting to see the expression of different cultures, especially that of the Banga people from Gabon, who are brothers of the people who welcome us, and it proves that we’re all the same, only the borders separate us.”
The organisers have put together a high-quality cultural event comprising a range of activities and festivities characteristic of the way of life, organisation and thinking of the Sawa people, enabling them to perpetuate their ancestral beliefs and rituals as true cultural expressions and symbols.
Excerpt 3 (trans)
Narcisse Mouelle Kombi
Madiba Festival promoter
Cameroon
“The Madiba Festival is intended to be a symbolic place of support for government policy on the promotion and enhancement of the material heritage of communities in terms of the practices of harmonious living together based on the prodigious culture of Cameroon.”
The 2025 edition of the MADIBA festival, will have left its mark by the quality of its affiche and the excitement generated among a varied audience. With an original multi-artistic programme, each joint saw its share of acclaim, celebrating the genius of the Sawa communities.