“Hello. I am a Cameroonian citizen. I live in Somié. I divine together with the ŋgam dù, the spider that lives in the ground, using leaves cut out with a series of symbols. So if you have a problem… you call me! I’ll consult the spider, and I’ll ask her your question. I work with a friend, my friend [Iréné Nguea], who films what I do with the spider. He can send you the result of the consultation as a film. So if you want to know more, check out our website: nggamdu.org”—Bollo Pierre ‘Tadios’

Nggamdu.org is a web portal by the spiders and diviners of Somié, Cameroon, made at the request of Bollo Pierre ‘Tadios’ following a visit to Somié in 2019 by Tomás Saraceno and Maximiliano Laina, led by the guidance of anthropologist David Zeitlyn, with contributions by the filmmaker Iréné Nguea, Ollie George, Penny Fraser and Denis Ndeloh.

Request your consultation with the spider via nggamdu.org in exchange for a set fee that goes towards the spider diviners’ practice and their community needs.

VISIT NGGAMDU.ORG

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The project has been made upon the request of Bollo Pierre ‘Tadios’ following a visit to Somié in 2019 by Tomás Saraceno and Maximiliano Laina, led by the guidance of David Zeitlyn. With contributions by Iréné Nguea, Penny Fraser, Ollie George and Denis Ndeloh, this web portal is in constant evolution and transition.

All material published on the website remains the intellectual property of the spider, the diviners and people of Somié. Furthermore, all funds raised through Nggamdu.org are being distributed to the remuneration of divination work, locally-run projects, and the maintenance of this web portal by a local collaborator.

Nggamdu.org finds ways that recognise, support and share other forms of situated and embodied knowledges—both human and non-human—that sit outside hegemonic Western narratives and frameworks for understanding the world. Its intention is not to appropriate objects or ideas, but to preserve and elevate the knowledge and practices that the people of Somié have chosen to share. Crucially: in ways that they would like it to be presented and framed. Our intention is, above all else, to listen; to find ways to work with acute sensitivity, guided by a sense of reciprocity and justice.

The project stresses a consciousness and sensitivity to the violence of historic extractivist and appropriative approaches to encounters with non-European cultures. We advocate a radical change in praxis, enacted both through the methods and modes of interaction, a collective approach to the distribution of funds and of artistic control.