Cameroon’s striking, teeming humanity

From the Pygmies seemingly frozen in the ways of the past to the residents of the great metropolises of Yaoundé and Douala resolutely embracing all things modern, Cameroon is a crossroads where the whole of Africa appears to have come together. It is a veritable mosaic of peoples and civilizations sure to stir the interest of many a visitor.

With 250 ethnic groups and as many languages plus English and French in a population of only 16 million, Cameroon exhibits an ethnic diversity rare in Africa and even in the world. Cultural distinctions abound as well, as reflected in customs and mores, as well as in cuisine, clothing, art, music, habitat, and so on. These traditions have all resisted external influences and bestow upon the various ethnic groups a cachet of authenticity. Tourists looking for discovery and unfamiliarity could not ask for more.

The Pygmies, a nomadic minority who hunt and gather for their subsistence, and the Bantu, who live essentially from agriculture and animal husbandry and are more open to the outside world, occupy the southern region of the country and are clearly distinguishable from Cameroonians of Sudanese ancestry living in Cameroon’s north.

For the most part, these tribes subsist on cattle raising, which they do on the plains. They live side by side with mountain peoples who for their part practice agriculture. And other peoples still, are comparable to Arabs.

As with its ethnicities, Cameroon’s religions too run the gamut. Ancestral belief systems have seen the influx of Christianity and Islam, in peaceful coexistence. It is not rare, for instance, particularly in the cities, to happen across a mosque sitting side by side with a church. Here, Muslims and Christians live together in wise fashion.

A land of festivals

Ethnic diversity may explain the multiplicity of cultural manifestations of fairly major standing which take place across the country. The main ethnic groups engage in good-natured rivalry to one-up one another’s exhibition of cultural treasures, a friendly competition practically based on who can organize the biggest festival.

The Sawa people occupy the Atlantic coastline. Each year, the Sawa organize the Ngondo, an impressive cultural festival in which they employ all sorts of practices bordering on mysticism to contact the spirit world of their ancestors—some would say their gods—in order to communicate to them their needs and receive from them visions of the future.

The Sawa’s neighbours, the Bassa-Mpoo, follow in their footsteps, organizing for their part a big festival bringing together all the folds of its people in order to revisit their common heritage.

Elsewhere, the Bamoun, known throughout the world for the strength of their kingdom and their secular civilization, stage the Ngouon, a cultural manifestation in which they display for the world their immense cultural and artistic riches.

Whether it be the Ngondo for the Sawa, the Ngouon for the Bamoun, the Nyem-Nyem for the peoples of the Adamaoua region, the Feo Kague (feast of the cock) for the Toupouri of the mountains in northern Cameroon, the Medumba for the Bangangté in the west, or the Mbam’art and Ening Beti for the peoples of Centre province, everywhere on Cameroonian soil, each and every ethnic group presents on a regular basis a cultural event as its way of contributing to the “give-and-take” which the eulogists of negritude spoke of. Such events present the tourist with an ideal opportunity to discover these little- or poorly known peoples who nonetheless have something to say and a contribution to make to the building of a global society.

Each of Cameroon’s regions has something unique in store for tourists. The palace of the Bamoun sultan and the museum full of bronze and wood sculptures it houses are a fine example of the wealth and majesty of this people, not the least of whose merits is to have invented a form of writing. What is more, their artisanal creations, like those of the neighbouring Tikar, are known around the world and can be viewed in major museums across the globe. Foumban, capital of the Bamoun sultanate founded in the 15^th century, is truly a noteworthy cultural destination.

Alongside the Bamoun sultanate, the Bamileke chiefdoms impress by their immensity and architecture. It is a place where tradition still holds sway, and traditional ceremonies and rites loom large in the daily lives of the people.

To the north, the traditional chiefdoms, or lamibés as they are still known, regularly hold fantasias, or displays of horsemanship, truly enticing spectacles during which one can behold the most bedazzling costumes, the fruit of resourceful and ingenious local artisanry, and all manner of art objects made of leather and textiles. The latter evoke the political and architectural legacy of the ancient Mali Empire. The forest peoples wear the obom, a traditional costume made of most exotic tree bark.

Warm and friendly, Cameroonians engage tourists in the pleasure of discovering other peoples and sharing in both their lifestyle and philosophy. They are proud of the artistic and cultural contributions to the world stage of its native sons such as musician Manu Dibango and well-known sports figures Roger Milla and Yannick Noah. Those who wish to experience adventure through contact with the Cameroonian people will not be disappointed.