CultureDuala recognized three levels in their traditional
society: Wonja, Wajili, and Wakomi. These groups
corresponded to the following roles, respectively:
land owners, artisans, and servants. Each class
had its responsibility within Duala society and
could be considered fully integrated into the
Duala culture on the basis of their participation in
the council of Elders or the societies of secrets that
decide the most important collective issues.
Years of involvement with Europe have wiped
out many of the values of the Duala people. For
example, the Duala used to have a form of drum
language for communication over long distances.
The German occupiers who felt that the “secret”
messages of the drummers created problems for
their administration of the territory prohibited the
use of the drums in communication.
Among the Duala, kinship may be from the
mother or father, but inheritance is patrilineal.
The father’s property is divided among his male
heirs upon his death. Nevertheless, there were
other aspects of the Duala society that survived
colonization. For example, intermarriage between
the different strata of society has continued, as
well as polygamy among some rural Duala people.
Religious PracticeThe Duala, like other African people, maintain a
strong connection with their ancestors. They hold
in esteem the founding ancestral spirits of the
Duala people. They also believe that their ances-
tral spirits live in the ocean. In fact, it is believed
that water spirits, Miengu, inhabit the sea and
serve as mediators between humans and the
divine. Indeed, the entire natural environment is
full of spirits, including some that are harmful
who live in the forest and the sea. Prayers, sacri-
fices, and offerings to the Miengu before fishing
or traveling by water are not uncommon. Duala
people also call on the Miengu for healing.
Annual traditional festivals are held to allow
the people to remain connected or to reconnect
with their ancestral beliefs and traditions. The
greatest example of the maintenance of Duala cul-
ture and religion may be seen in the respect the
people still have for the Ngondo Festival held in
December. The Ndongo Festival is the time when
the ancestral rites are performed and the people
demonstrate their piety through pirogue races,
pageants, musical contests, and traditional
wrestling performances. It was first held in 1949.
Sacrifices and offerings are prepared for the
Miengu by initiates one night. The next day, the
gifts are effectively delivered to the spirits during
a public ceremony on a beach, not far from
Douala. One initiate will then dive under the
water and return, after a rather prolonged stay
under the water, with messages from the Miengu
to the living regarding the year to come.
Other forms of the culture have evolved into
modern expressions such as the music of Manu
Dibango and others. Based on the traditional
marriage of the guitar with object percussion and
combining Makossa, a central African form of
music, with Soul and Jazz, the popular entertainer
and composer created “Soul Makossa,” a music
with a strong flavor of traditional rhythms. One
sees such convergence in the dance creation of
Salle John, who took the Abele dances to another
level of sophistication and execution for weddings
and festive occasions.Ama MazamaSeealsoDiola; DioulaFurther Readings
Derrick, J. (1990). Colonial Elitism in Cameroon: The
Case of the Duala in the 1930s. In M. Njeuma (Ed.),
Introduction to the History of Cameroon in the
Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries(pp. 23–37).
London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Gordon, R. G., Jr. (Ed.). (2005). Duala.Ethnologue:
Languages of the World(15th ed.). Dallas, TX: SIL
International.
Ngoh, V. J. (1996).History of Cameroon Since 1800.
Limbe, Cameroon: Presbook.DWAT
In ancient Egypt, it was believed that the dwat
was the abode of light where the gods dwelled.
The Egyptians had a consistent belief in life after
death so much so that their inscriptions would224 Dwat