The Benga people are an African

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

, members of the

Bantu peoples The Bantu peoples are an Indigenous peoples of Africa, indigenous ethnolinguistic grouping of approximately 400 distinct native Demographics of Africa, African List of ethnic groups of Africa, ethnic groups who speak Bantu languages. The language ...

, who are indigenous to

Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. It has an area of . Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location both near the Equ ...

and

Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...

. Their indigenous language is Benga. They are referred to as Ndowe or ''Playeros'' (Beach People), one of several peoples on the

Río Muni Río Muni (called ''Mbini'' in Fang language, Fang) is the Continental Region (called ''Región Continental'' in Spanish language, Spanish) of Equatorial Guinea, and comprises the mainland geographical region, covering . The name is derived fr ...

coast. Bengas inhabit a small coastal portion of the Cabo de San Juan, suburban enclaves in the coastal municipalities of

Mbini Mbini is a town in Río Muni, Equatorial Guinea, lying at the mouth of the Benito River. ''Mbini'' is the Ndowe language, Ndowe name for Río Muni. It is located 44 km southwest of Bata, Equatorial Guinea, Bata. In 1994, the population was ...

and Bata, and the islands of Corisco, Elobey Grande and Elobey Chico.

History

The Benga people are one of 14 Ndowe tribes of Equatorial Guinea and traditionally have been Fishermen, Sailors and Merchants. They are thought to have historically inhabited the interior of Equatorial Guinea prior to European contact, only making their way to the coast to better trade with European powers. By 1770 the Benga were noted to inhabit the island of Corisco, that had recently been uninhabited prior to their occupation due to over-enslavement on the island by the French. The Benga traditionally practiced slavery in their culture, enslaving neighboring tribes such as the

Fang A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external fangs, ...

and partook in the Trans-atlantic slave trade. By the mid-19th century with Britain outlawing the Trans-atlantic slave trade it began putting pressure via its military to stop in the trafficking of human beings especially in the

Bight of Biafra The Bight of Biafra, also known as the Bight of Bonny, is a bight off the west- central African coast, in the easternmost part of the Gulf of Guinea. This "bight" has also sometimes been erroneously referred to as the "Bight of Africa" because ...

where British military occupation took place in Equatorial Guinea, thus essentially ending the slave trade. By 1857 American missionaries began to set up missions in Corisco, but by 1943 most left due to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After which most Benga left the island in search for better opportunities.

Notable people

* Samuel L. Jackson – American actor, is descended from the Benga people.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benga people Ethnic groups in Equatorial Guinea Ethnic groups in Gabon