#ndowe

Equatorial Guinea 🇬🇶

Basic facts

Official name: République de Guinée équatoriale/Républica da Guiné Equatorial/República de Guinea Ecuatorial (Republic of Equatorial Guinea) (French/English/Portuguese)

Capital city: Malabo

Population: 1.7 million (2023)

Demonym: Equatoguinean

Type of government: unitary presidential republic

Head of state and government: Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (President)

Gross domestic product (purchasing power parity): $28.35 billion (2023)

Gini coefficient of wealth inequality: 58.8% (high) (2022)

Human Development Index: 0.650 (medium) (2022)

Currency: Central African CFA franc (XAF)

Fun fact: It is one of the few countries whose capital city is not on the mainland.

Etymology

The country’s name comes from its geographic location near the Equator and in the African region of Guinea.

Geography

Equatorial Guinea is located in Central Africa and borders Cameroon to the north, Gabon to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

There are four main climates: tropical rainforest in the northernmost part, dry-winter tropical savanna in the southeast, subtropical highland in the center of Bioko Island, and tropical monsoon in the rest. Temperatures range from 20 °C (68 °F) in winter to 31 °C (87.8 °F) in summer. The average annual temperature is 24.2 °C (75.5 °F).

The country is divided into eight provinces (provinces/províncias/provincias). The largest cities in Equatorial Guinea are Bata, Malabo, Ebebiyín, Aconibe, and Añisoc.

History

1472-1778: Portuguese rule

1640-1902: Aro Confederacy

1778-1968: Spanish Guinea

1968-present: Republic of Equatorial Guinea

Economy

Equatorial Guinea mainly imports from Spain, China, and the United States and exports to France, China, and the United States. Its top exports are crude oil, liquefied petroleum gas, and acyclic alcohols.

It has abundant mineral, natural gas, and oil reserves. Industry represents 87.3% of the GDP, followed by services (8.1%) and agriculture (4.6%).

Equatorial Guinea is a member of the African Union, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, la Francophonie, and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Demographics

The Fang are the largest ethnic group (85.7%), followed by the Bubi (6.5%), Ndowe (3.6%), and Annobon (1.6%). The main religion is Christianity, practiced by 88.7% of the population, 83.7% of which is Catholic.

It has a positive net migration rate and a fertility rate of 4.2 children per woman. 74% of the population lives in urban areas. Life expectancy is 63.7 years and the median age is 20.3 years. The literacy rate is 95.3%.

Languages

The official languages of the country are French, Portuguese, and Spanish. The latter is spoken by 88% of the population, while French is not widely spoken. Indigenous languages include Benga, Bube, Fang, and Ndowe.

Culture

Storytelling, traditional music, and witchcraft vertebrate Equatoguinean culture, which has African and Spanish influences.

Men traditionally wear a loose robe or a long shirt and loose pants. Women wear a loose top and a long skirt or a long dress with colorful patterns and a head wrap.

Architecture

Traditional houses in Equatorial Guinea are made of wood and have tin roofs and blue doors and windows.

Cuisine

The Equatoguinean diet is based on fish, meat, rice, sweet potatoes, and vegetables. Typical dishes include akwadu (baked bananas with coconut), bambucha (a stew of cassava leaves with banana or cassava), konkoe ture gbeli (smoked catfish in a spicy sauce with rice), sopa de pescado con cacahuete (a peanut soup with fish, onions, and tomato), and succotash (a dish of green beans, corn, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes).

Holidays and festivals

Like other Christian countries, Equatorial Guinea celebrates Good Friday, Corpus Christi, Immaculate Conception, and Christmas Day. It also commemorates New Year’s Day and Labor Day.

Specific Equatoguinean holidays include President’s Day on June 5, Freedom Day on August 3, Constitution Day on August 15, and Independence Day on October 12.

Independence Day

Other celebrations include the Bodypainting Festival, the Malabo Hip Hop Festival, and the Music Day Festival, which features ballet and traditional dances.

Bodypainting Festival

Landmarks

There is one UNESCO World Heritage Site: Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve.

Other landmarks include the Bantabaré Caves, the Batete Church, the Luba Crater, the Mongomo Basilica, and St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral.

St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral

Famous people

Benjamín Enzema - athlete

Bibiana Olama - athlete

Chupe - soccer player

Emilio Buale - actor

Genoveva Añonma Nze - soccer player

Jan Tomás Ávila Laurel - activist and writer

Joëlle Rivero - actress

Laetitia Ntsame Assoumou - musician

Leandro Mbomio Nsue - sculptor

María Nsué Angüe - writer

Leandro Mbomio Nsue

The Ndowé people, sometimes called playeros, are an Equatorial Guinean ethnic group that lives along the country's coast. Their language, Kombe, has a mere 9,200 estimated speakers in 2011. It is closely related to Yasa. These three songs were translated using Spanish cribs. —DS

  Love Songs

  I’m dying, it’s my bad luck, I’m dying.

I want to die, it’s my bad luck.

  I’m dying, it’s my bad luck.

I want to die, it’s my bad luck, I’m dying.

  My man left me because I’m ugly,

he’s going to marry a mermaid.

  My man left me because I’m dumb,

he’s going to marry a mermaid.

  My man left me because I’m black,

he’s going to marry—to my disgrace—a white woman.

  *

  I won’t go to my wedding,

oh father!

  I won’t go to my wedding,

I won’t go to my wedding

because men have a tail

and the tail appears at night,

oh father, oh father!

I won’t go to my wedding.

  *

  If a man rejects you,

don’t punish your body because of it,