| Group: | Babungo (Vengo) |
| Population: | 14,000 |
| Popplace: | Cameroon |
| Langs: | Babungo (Vengo), Cameroonian Pidgin English, English, French |
| Rels: | Animism, Christianity |
| Related: | Bamessing, Bambalang |
The Vengo, or Babungos, are an ethnic group of about 14,000 people who are resident in the anglophone Northwest Province of Cameroon. They live predominantly in the region of a village which is also called Vengo or "Babungo". This village is located in the Cameroonian Grassfields at the so-called "Ringroad", approximately 50 km West of the province's capital Bamenda. The language of the people is also called Vengo or "Babungo". For the tribe, village and language the spelling "Bamungo" is also often found.
In their own language, the Vengo call their village vengo pronounced as /vəŋóo/ and their language ghang vengo pronounced as /ɣáŋ vəŋóo/; this is why the name of the tribe, village and language is officially also listed under the names "Vengo" or "Vengoo". Other alternative terms are: Vengi, Pengo, Ngo, Nguu, Ngwa, Nge.
Famous Vengo PeopleAccording to Chique Magazine "Golden Globe nominated actor, Producer, Director and six-time winner of the NAACP Awards Blair Underwood's ancestors are Vengo. In 2011, in an episode of the NBC show 'Who do you think you are?' Blair Underwood traced his ancestry to the Vengo people of the Cameroon in Central Africa. He journeyed with his father to his ancestral homeland in Cameroon and reconnected with his family. In an emotionally laden voice, Blair said at the end of the show that, 'What I will share with my children is that we come from a long line of people from these valleys, to actually be able to travel all these long miles and to meet my cousins face to face, it feels like the family has come full circle to reunite a family that was broken. Voids were filled that I didn’t even realize that I had. For me, we are African not because we were born African but because Africa was born in us. Who I thought I was when we started this journey is different from who I know I am today. It has been incredible.'" [1]
Blair Underwood, My African Connection. Chique Magazine. July 19, 2013. http://chiquemagazine.com/blair-underwood-my-african-connection/