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BIA SO MENGONG A meaningful return to the roots (part 1)

July 11, 2026 — Ondondo Stadium is packed. Rows of tightly arranged chairs, improvised umbrellas against the midday sun, children perched on shoulders for a better view. The 5th edition of the Bia So Mengong International Festival opens today, and in the eyes of the crowd shines a mix of pride and expectation. The house is familiar, but everyone wants to see if it has grown.

9/28/20261 min read

July 11, 2026 — Ondondo Stadium is packed. Rows of tightly arranged chairs, improvised umbrellas against the midday sun, children perched on shoulders for a better view. The 5th edition of the Bia So Mengong International Festival opens today, and in the eyes of the crowd shines a mix of pride and expectation. The house is familiar, but everyone wants to see if it has grown.

A year ago, Professor Steve Belinga, the festival’s promoter, launched the theme like a challenge issued before witnesses: Return to the Sources. A clear directive for a team that, in twelve months, would have to retrace the path of origins and translate it into concrete gestures. The previous edition in 2025 had focused on pooling knowledge and diverse heritages with Beyond Borders, a theme that already set the tone for a festival refusing to remain local. In the meantime, Bia So Mengong has changed status: from a project carried with sheer determination, it has become a work of public utility. The public has followed suit, raising its expectations year after year.

All Saturday morning, the team of The Belinga Foundation bustles between rows of chairs and backstage corridors. Last-minute instructions whispered, tense smiles, silences that speak volumes. The meal is ready; only the guests’ verdict remains. “The world is watching us,” Professor Belinga repeats throughout the morning, like a rallying cry to his troops.

— Preston Kambou

#TheBelingaFoundation #ACHES #BiasoMengong2026 #Diversalitésmedi