About ten kilometres north of Kribi, Londji is the largest artisanal fishing port on this part of the Cameroonian coast. Hundreds of brightly painted pirogues are drawn up on the beach, and the morning catch — barracuda, captain fish, prawns, sometimes shark — is auctioned on the sand directly to traders who drive it up to Douala.
The scene is best at dawn, when the boats come back in, or in the late afternoon, when nets are being repaired and the next crews prepare to set out. Many of the fishermen are not Cameroonian: Nigerians, Ghanaians, Beninese, and Senegalese work this coast under reciprocal fishing agreements, and the bustle of the beach reflects that mix. A few simple bars sell beer and grilled fish straight off the pirogues.