Captain’s Log 111026 – Abissa: The N’zima New Year

11/10/2026

From 25 October, Grand-Bassam holds Abissa. It is the new year of the N'zima Kôtôkô people, and it is the reason I mentioned the date in the last log.

Abissa is not a lagoon event. Grand-Bassam sits on the coast, about half an hour from Abidjan, and the festival belongs to the town and to the N'zima. It has been kept since the early 1800s. The name comes from an older form that meant asking friends for help, or a call to come together. It still moves between N'zima communities in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Grand-Bassam is one of the places where it closes.

This year it runs from 25 October to 8 November. The theme is "L'Abissa, un creuset de valeurs universelles et de développement durable". The first week is the Siédou, the silent week. The sacred drum, the Edo N'gbolé, is withdrawn. It is a time of quiet and reflection for the N'zima. The second week, from 1 to 8 November, is the public week. That is when the town opens to everyone. Drums, dance, processions, the official pagne, faces marked with kaolin. Thousands of people come. The Place de l'Abissa, near the royal court, is where most of it happens.

What makes Abissa different from a normal festival is the speech. During those days people can say, in song and in public, what has gone wrong in the year. Grievances are aired. The king himself can be criticised. The idea is that the year is cleared before the new one starts. It is renewal, not just a show.

Grand-Bassam itself is worth the trip even without the festival. It was the old colonial capital and is a UNESCO site, with the Quartier France still standing in faded form. During Abissa the town fills. Rooms go quickly. If you are already in Abidjan and want to see it, the public week is the time. Go for the day, watch the dancing, and come back. Ask before you photograph people, especially those in ritual dress.

I have not stood in the Place de l'Abissa myself. I am still here in Ireland. What I know comes from the accounts of people who live there and from the preparations that have been underway for weeks. The crew will be able to tell guests more when the time comes. If you are on the lagoon in late October or early November, it is a short hop to see something that belongs only to this coast.

December to March is still the easier weather for the water. Abissa is the reason October and the first week of November have their own weight.

Would you like help planning a day that includes Grand-Bassam while you are here? Message me.

Captain Murray
The Uncharted Waters – Ébrié Lagoon, Abidjan