The Benga people are an African ethnic group, members of the Bantu peoples, who are indigenous to Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Their indigenous language is Benga, not far from the Bubi language, the language spoken by the Bubi ethnic group on the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea.
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.
Some sources indicate that their ancestral home is Corisco Island, Elobey Grande, the mouth of the enormous Rio Muni estuary, and Equatorial Guinea’s south coast. Corisco Island is a stunning tropical paradise known for its pristine white sand.
By 1770, the Benga were noted to inhabit the island of Corisco, which had recently been uninhabited prior to their occupation due to over-enslavement on the island by the French.
The Benga are powerful warriors and epic storytellers with a centuries-long cultural heritage. Their native language is Benga, which is related to the Bubi language.
It was revealed, according to DNA tests and media, that the American actor, Samuel L. Jackson, partially descends from the Benga people of Gabon, and in 2019, he became a naturalized citizen of Gabon.
The firewood management among the Benga people is also a topic of a 2020 study on the island of Manjdi (Equatorial Guinea). According to the study, “the firewood used in Benga households (called mendodí) is a by-product of the clearing of fields to create new orchards. After cutting down trees and shrubs (pendje), women remove all trunks and branches with a diameter >5–8 cm and pile them up along the borders of the orchards. This activity guarantees a domestic firewood supply until the next season. Wood is brought back to the kitchens on a daily basis when returning from collecting food from the orchards.”
