We’re discovering African urban legends this month on the Mythological Africans podcast. In the first episode, we heard the story of the showdown between Nyaminyami (the beloved and fearsome spirit of the Zambezi River revered by the Tonga of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique) and the engineers building the Kariba Dam. In that story, a series of dramatic events which occurred during the dam’s construction challenged the engineer’s belief in their ability to control or maneuver around natural forces. To hear the Tonga people tell it, however, Nyaminyami upset the engineer’s plans. He did this because he was enraged by their project which would restrict the river’s flow and disrupt the lives of the people. These events moved beliefs about Nyaminyami from the realm of indigenous oral traditions to the realm of popular culture.
This phenomenon of urban legends mediating the transition of indigenous oral traditions and metaphysical beliefs into popular culture occurs across the world. It is, in a sense, a means by which people diffuse the tension that arises from the cognitive dissonance of witnessing the inevitable transformation of revered traditions after their encounter with the forces of industrialization and globalization.
In this week’s episode, we continue our examination of African urban legends with the case of Efasa Moto, the Mountain God of Cameroon’s Bakweri people, and the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope.
Correction: Point of correction: Mount Cameroon is the fourth most prominent peak and the 30th highest peak on the African continent.
References
* Lemnyuy, Bongajum & Nalova, Endelly & Ebong, Epiemembong. “A Re-Think of a True Identity in Embracing and Practicing Western Culture(s) and Religion as Typical Bakweri, Manyu and Ugare people of the Anglophone Cameroon.” American Journal of Education and Practice (2023) 7. 17-37.
* Monikang, Evelyn Neh. “Phonology of Mokpwe.” Diss. Université de Yaoundé, 1989. p4-5
* Monono, Augustine Ngoni, et al. “The Role of Bakweri Traditional Beliefs in the Management of Mount Cameroon National Park.” Journal of Resources Development and Management (2016) 24.
* Nebasifu, Ayonghe Akonwi, and Ngoindong Majory Atong. “Discourses of cultural continuity among the Bakweri of Mount Cameroon National Park.” Culture and local governance 6.2 (2019): 103-121.
* Neba, Divine Che, “Entry on: The Myth of Efasa-Moto by Alfred Ngoisa Lyonga”, peer-reviewed by Eleanor A. Dasi and Elizabeth Hale. Our Mythical Childhood Survey (Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2018). Link: http://omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl/myth-survey/item/144. Entry version as of August 24, 2025.
* History And Evolution Of Mount Cameroon Race Of Hope by Victorine Ongbehok
* Sarah Etonge: Queen of the Mountain Reflects on Her Legendary Career by By Boris Esono Nwenfor
* 2016 Guinness Mount Cameroon Race of Hope : Simplice Ndungeh Finally Enters Guinness Mount Cameroon Race of Hope Record of Champions By Moki S. Mokondo
* 19 people injured in blast at Cameroon sports event By Edwin Kindzeka Moki
Can’t Get Enough?
* Short documentary with archival videos from the race
* Volcanic Sprint: A Film by Steve Dorst and Dan Evans
* Guinness Mount Cameroon Race Archives
Meanwhile…
The Watkins Book of African Folklore (…or The Mythological Africans Book) is out!
The Watkins Book of African Folklore contains 50 stories, curated from North, South, East, West and Central Africa. The stories are grouped into three sections:
* Creation myths and foundation legends
* Stories about human relationships and the cultural institutions they created
* Animal tales (with a twist…the folktales are about some of the most unlikely animals!)
I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the historical and cultural context out of which the stories, their themes, and protagonists emerge. There is something for everybody!
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