Dear Cameroonians,
I would like to introduce the Morondo (singular for Balondo) to you, especially to the younger generation, to help you understand our unique identity and cultural values. This awareness will protect you from being misled by those who, despite not being Balondo, attempt to distort our reality with the false notion that we belong to the Oroko group. This group was artificially created in 1973 to include the Balondo, Bakweri, and Douala, even though these communities were not involved in its formation.
It is troubling that the creation of this group, intended for the descendants of NGOE, would summarily include the Balondo, Bakweri, and Douala—coastal people who do not trace their genealogies to the hillbilly migrant ancestor that the Oroko share with the Bakossi. Interestingly, they do not claim the Bakossi. Why? Because they aspire to be recognized as coastal maritime people, a birth right that naturally eludes them.
The Oroko group includes Bakundu, Balue, Batanga, Bima, Ngolo, Ngbandi, and Ekombe. Bakundu, Ngbandi, and Ekombe are in the Meme division, while the others are from Ndian. To clarify the key differences between the Morondo and Oroko groups: despite both being from Ndian, the Morondo are distinct from the Oroko. This distinction is important because some West Cameroonians often ask about the differences. As a pure and original Morondo Kpaa, I must emphasize that we are not the same people!

Firstly, the Oroko are a clan whose ancestor is NGOE, aligning with the theory of evolutionism, where people trace their origins to an ancestor, an object (like a tree), or an animal (like a monkey). In contrast, the Balondo civilization was created by Ovase Loba (God) in the wilderness of Congo, specifically in a pond called Morimo. Since the Balondo believe they were created by Ovase Loba (God), this indicates their adherence to the theory of creationism.
Secondly, their modes of habitation reflect their respective evolutions. Oroko oral history recounts that the Ngoe ancestor was a wanderer who eventually settled in the Rumpi and Kupe-Manenguba Hills. These high-altitude, harsh, and barren environments led the Balue and other Ngoe descendants to adopt a migratory lifestyle.
In contrast, the Balondo, created in a pond (Morimo) by their creator, live around the coastal lowlands of the Atlantic Ocean, at an altitude of 50-100 feet above sea level. The environment significantly influences behavior: while the Balue are temperamental and loud, the Balondo are calm, collected, and stable, with no need to relocate from their comfortable, resource-rich settlements.
Thirdly, the Balondo do not share a common history with the Oroko people. During their migrations from the Congo to Calabar (1100-1107) and then to Cameroon (1149-1150), only the pure Balondo-Bakonja were involved. No other tribes were part of these voyages. Notably, there was never an Oroko group presence in Congo, while evidence of Balondo footprints remains in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Fourthly, the environment significantly influences dietary habits. The Balondo, with their fertile forests and abundant water sources, enjoy a rich diet from agriculture and fishing. In contrast, the Oroko, living in a cold and barren mountainous region, rely on a staple diet of “Mukere na Ndonga,” consisting of plantains and raw ground peppers mixed with ground sun-dried frogs.
The rich Balondo gastronomy comprises a variety of traditional meals, including ekpang berembi, ekpang bolingo, ekpang njoki, ekpang coco, pamachop, sarara, and mawumba, which are baked seasoned fish wraps. Additionally, snails, fish eggs, and shrimps are integral to their cuisine and are often consumed with boiled yams, coco yams, and plantains.
Other staple foodsinclude mendo (Malanga) or foo-foo, made from pounded boiled red coco yams, yams, cassava, and befufu (gari or processed cassava flour). Mendo involves swallowing round balls of foo-foo dipped in soup. These are paired with rich Balondo soups like otong, erikaikong, Ofere afang (erung), Ofere iyeke (ogbono), fresh fish, Mawuni (okro), Ofere oa bobe, and mosuku soup, which is served with ekpang njoki.
Fifthly, the Oroko-Ngoe people speak the Oroko dialect, a blend of Balue and Ngbandi (Mbonge), which is distinct from the Balondo language. Hence, it is crucial to clarify this distinction for those unfamiliar with these dialects. The Balondo language is one of the oldest Central-West African languages, extensively studied by European linguists from the 1840s to the 1980s. Notably, Austrian linguist Julianna Kuperus, in collaboration with native Balondo speakers, published the first grammar book of the language, titled “The Londo Word.”
This book vividly illustrates the common properties that the Balondo language shares with other African and Indo-European languages: (1) phonology, which pertains to its sound system; (2) morphology, which involves its rules for word formation; (3) syntax, which encompasses its grammatical rules; (4) semantics, which relates to the meanings and relationships of words; and (5) pragmatics, which concerns its use in various social contexts, including both verbal and nonverbal communication.
In addition to being a legitimate language, it represents knowledge, canons of proof, and structures of truth fundamental to the Balondo-Bakonja world. This language has no linguistic ties to the Oroko dialect, contrary to common assumptions. It is related solely to Lingala, with Swahili and Bakweri/Efik (Calabar) as possible variants or cognates.
Sixthly, the natural environments of the Balondo and Oroko people highlight their differences. The Balondo land and water masses form a semi-circular shape, with hometowns along its circumference facing the Atlantic Ocean. This results in a coastal lowland topography at an altitude of 50-100 feet above sea level. In contrast, the Oroko live on hilltops at an altitude of 8,000 feet above sea level, about one hundred miles east of the Balondo settlement. Here are the Balondo geographical boundaries with other tribes in the Ndian division for further clarification.
The Balondo region is bounded to the north by the Ngolo, Batanga, and Bima peoples; to the south and southwest by the Bakolle and Betika peoples; to the west by the Isangele Rio Del Rey regions, including various fishing towns and creeks; and to the east by the Balue, Mgbandi, Barombi, and Ekombe peoples. To the southeast, it is bordered by the Bomboko, Bimbia, and Bakweri peoples. East of the Calabar River from Ekondo-Titi, the Balondo are bounded by their Efut-Balondo siblings in their primordial home in Calabar (cited from Oro 2015).
After reading this message, it is clear that the Balondo are not brothers to the Oroko. The Oroko should recognize and embrace their distinct identity to address the misconception that the Balondo are their people. I will conclude here, though I have more points to refute Oroko’s unfounded claim, which stems from an innate inferiority complex. Below is the true legacy of the Balondo people who migrated from the Congo in the 1100s.
True legacy of the Balondo people
The emblem on the left symbolizes our Efut Balondo siblings in Calabar. The Emblem on the right, spiritually inspired and created independently of the Efut Balondo Emblem, was introduced to Aja in 1975 in Calabar, Nigeria, by the Bawu-ba-Balondo ancestors. Their objective was to reunite their people, who had been separated since the 1100s due to historical circumstances.
Its artistic depiction materialized after Aja sought the support of his peer at the Hope Waddell Training Institute in Calabar, Nigeria, where the apparition occurred. Lastly, despite being created centuries apart, these emblems demonstrate the resilience of a people and their culture.