Press Release: Street Manatee Returns in 2026 to Celebrate Culture, Art, Sports and Conservation
AMCO
February 6
Yaoundé, Cameroon, February 6, 2026 — The second edition of Street Manatee will take place from 9 to 11 April 2026 in Dizangué, in Cameroon’s Littoral Region, under the theme: “Colourful Conservation: Protecting the Manatee Through Our Cultures.”In 2026, Street Manatee reached a new milestone by partnering with the Manatee Race, a symbolic run dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity.
Designed as two complementary and inseparable highlights, these events bring together culture, art, science, and sport around a shared goal: protecting the African manatee and preserving Cameroon’s freshwater ecosystems.
An integrated platform for conservation
Held at Lake Ossa in Dizangué, Street Manatee has established itself as a platform for awareness-raising, dialogue, and coordination among institutional stakeholders, scientists, local communities, and technical partners. The event aims to strengthen collaboration for improved management and sustainable monitoring of the Sanaga River basin.“If the manatee disappears, a part of our identity disappears with it,” says a fisherman from Dizangué, recalling the deep cultural bond between local communities and this emblematic species.
Street Manatee 2026 will feature a multidisciplinary programme combining cultural performances, artistic exhibitions, sports and scientific symposia, all dedicated to safeguarding the African manatee and aquatic ecosystems.“This will be a vibrant, colourful event, bringing together participants from around the world at Lake Ossa to celebrate the African manatee,” says Dr Aristide Takoukam Kamla, Founder and President of the African Marine Conservation Organisation (AMCO), an organisation committed to aquatic conservation.
The Manatee Race: running for biodiversity
A major new feature of this edition is the Manatee Race, which is fully embedded in the Street Manatee dynamic. Carried by the slogan “Run for the Manatee,” this symbolic race will bring together runners, families, young people, and conservation actors around a shared commitment to biodiversity. Organised by the African Marine Conservation Organisation in partnership with Light on Africa (LOA), and held under the patronage of the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, the Manatee Race seeks to turn environmental commitment into concrete, participatory action. “The Manatee Race imagines parents and children running together, chanting ‘save the manatee,” explains Naïma Laëtitia Peron, President of Light on Africa. “It embodies a future where local communities become active stewards of nature, with an impact that goes far beyond the starting line.”Each participation thus becomes a powerful symbolic act: “Every race is a step forward for manatee conservation,” she adds.
Tangible results for Lake Ossa
The African manatee, sometimes nicknamed the “sea cow,” plays a vital role in the ecological balance of aquatic environments by regulating vegetation and contributing to water quality. In 2017, the spread of the invasive plant Salvinia molesta severely threatened one of the manatee’s key habitats in Cameroon: Lake Ossa. In response to this ecological emergency, the African Marine Conservation Organisation and its partners introduced salvinia weevils to control the plant biologically. This intervention gradually restored the lake’s ecological health, encouraging the return of manatees and improving the livelihoods of surrounding communities. Today, manatees are once again regularly observed throughout Lake Ossa, demonstrating the success of this coordinated action.“Street Manatee 2026 is a celebration of the manatee’s return through art, sports and culture,” says Dr Aristide. “It is also a recognition of our collective efforts in the face of the threat posed by Salvinia molesta.”
A national challenge
Beyond Lake Ossa, Cameroon’s freshwater ecosystems as a whole—covering approximately 3,960 km² (MINEPIA, 1997)—are under increasing pressure from population growth, urbanisation, agricultural runoff, and infrastructure development. Building on the momentum generated during the first edition in 2024, Street Manatee and the Manatee Race aim to consolidate a national and international movement in support of conservation.“Protecting the manatee and Cameroon’s freshwater ecosystems requires collective, coordinated, and sustained action,” concludes Dr Aristide. “In 2026, we reaffirm more than ever that culture and sports can be powerful levers in the service of biodiversity.”
