Music of Equatorial Guinea

One of the Equatorial Guinea cultures, customs, and etiquette that you should be aware of is music. Atanasio Ndongo Miyone wrote Equatorial Guinea's national anthem, which was adopted in 1968, when the country gained independence from Spain. Equatorial Guinea was formed from three former Spanish colonies: Ro Muni, a strip of land between Cameroon and Gabon; Bioko, an island near Cameroon; and Annobón, an island far from the mainland in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Fang are the largest ethnic group (85.7% (1994 census) of a total population of 704,001 (July 2013 est.)), with 6.5% Bubi and smaller populations of Mdowe (3.6%), Annobonese (1.6%), and Bujeba (1.1%), including smaller groups such as the Ndowe, Bisio, and Combe.

The Fang are famous for their mvet, a hybrid of a zither and a harp. The mvet has a maximum of fifteen strings. The semi-spherical part of this instrument is made of bamboo, and the strings are held together by fibers in the center. Music for the mvet is written in a musical notation that only initiates of the bebom-mvet society can learn. Music is typically call and response, with alternating chorus and drums. Folk styles have been popularized by musicians such as Eyi Moan Ndong.

The many dances in Equatorial Guinea, such as the balélé and the risque ibanga, are accompanied by a three- or four-person orchestra consisting of some arrangement of sanza, xylophone, drums, zithers, and bow harps. The tam-tam, a wooden box covered in animal skin, is another popular instrument. Bamboo keys with complete musical scales are installed in the center. A second type of tam-tam has two different musical key levels. Wooden musical instruments are typically decorated with fauna images and geometric drawings. Animal skins or animal drawings are used to cover drums.