Nzem Berom, the week-long festival of the Berom created about 1980 from older rites such as Mandyeng, was revived in 2016.
- Type
- Festival
- Nature of the record
- Contemporary practice
- Local name
- Nzem Berom
- Category
- Festivals & ceremonies
- When observed
- Annually, a week in March, April or May (first week of April per Wikipedia; May in 2019)
- Season
- Start of the rainy season
- Current status
- Revived
- Scope
- Ethnic group
Nzem Berom is the week-long festival of the Berom. According to Wikipedia, it was first celebrated in 1980 or 1981, bringing together under one umbrella older Berom ceremonies such as Mandyeng, Nshok, Worom Chun and Vwana, so that they would not be lost; it is held in the first week of April, the season of Mandyeng, Nshok and Badu. Mandyeng was the festival that ushered in the rainy season, and with Nshok was held to ensure good farming, hunting and harvest.
In 2016 the Gbong Gwom Jos revived the festival, which had not been held for about ten years because of insecurity on the Plateau (ThisDay, 2016). In 2019 the week included Muslim and Christian prayers and ended with a royal procession from the Gbong Gwom Jos's palace to the Rwang Pam Township Stadium, with traditional dances and costumes; the Gbong Gwom Jos described the festival as a prayer for abundant rain and harvest (Daily Trust, 2019).
- Berom people — Wikipedia · link
- When Plateau's Berom prayed for bountiful harvest — Lami Sadiq, Daily Trust, 2019-06-01 · link
- Gbong Gwon Jos: Nzem Berom Festival Must be Sustained — ThisDay, 2016-05-08 · link
How evidence is graded
- Verified: Supported by an official source, or by two or more independent sources that agree.
- Well documented: Supported by credible sources, but not yet independently confirmed.
- Reported: Found in a credible source; further corroboration is welcome.
- Needs corroboration: The evidence is thin or incomplete; more sources are being sought.
- Disputed: Credible sources or community accounts disagree; the differing accounts are noted.
- Uncertain: There is not yet enough information to classify this responsibly.
Sources are marked official, academic, reference, community or general web. Sources that copy each other count as one. Oral traditions are recorded as traditions, not as proven fact.
Archive ID: CULT-NZEM-BEROM · Last updated 30 September 2026.
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