This post discusses the culture and tradition of Cameroon, in addition it also list and describes the heritage sites of Cameroon.
Cameroon has a rich and diverse culture made up of a mix of about 250 indigenous populations and just as many languages and customs. The country is nicknamed “Little Africa” as geographically, Cameroon consists of coastline, mountains, grass plains, forest, rainforest and desert, all of the geographical regions in Africa in one country. This also contributes to its cultural diversity as ways of life and traditional food dishes and traditions vary from geographical region to geographical region.
CULTURE AND TRADITION
Cameroon has 250-300 distinct groups, and an estimated 300+ languages. These languages include the Akoose language, the Gbaya languages, the Fula language, the Gyele language, the Koonzime language, the Mundang language, the Ngiemboon language, and the Vengo language. Others include Ewondo, Bassa, Bamileke, Duala and Arabic in the North and Far-North regions.
Cameroon is divided into several provinces, which are dominated by specific ethnic or religious groups. Ethnic divisions often correspond to geography, which is also widely varied. Religious differences often correspond to colonial or other historical influence.
Read: REGIONS OF CAMEROON
Partly through the influence of colonialism, there is a national culture, and two distinct regional cultures: the Anglophone and Francophone regions, which primarily speak English and French and use different legal systems. The national culture is established through public institutions such as school, the multiparty political system, shared history of colonialism and a national love of football. Theatre of Cameroon is also another important aspect of local culture.
HERITAGE SITES OF CAMEROON
The list below is some of the heritage sites discovered:
Dja Faunal Reserve: This is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site inscribed in 1987. Covering the South Eastern part of the country, this national park is one of the largest and best protected rain forests in the country. With about 90% of the area still undisturbed and bordered naturally by the Dja River which almost completely surrounds it, the bio diversity and wide variety of primates from this reserve deserve special mention. Along with 5 threatened species, there are 107 mammal species in this reserve. There are more than 1,500 known plant species in the reserve and more than 320 bird species in the park. The Dja Faunal Reserve covers 5,260 km².
The Bafut chiefdom or Fon Palace: A requested Cultural World Heritage Site, this site is located near Bamenda. This area has about 50 buildings, most of which are terracotta structures, with tiled roofs. The central structure known as “Achum” is architecturally and religiously most important. This count among one of the oldest traditional architectures in Cameroon
Archaeological Remains of Shum Laka: This site under the shelter of a huge rock of 1200 sq m lies close to Bamenda. An archaeological heritage site has remnants of a typical forest land, where skeletal remnants of men living thousands of years ago were unearthed. Belonging to the Community of Baforchu, this site gives a view of how mankind evolved in this part of the world.
The Rupestral Engravings of Bidzar: The Bidzar petroglyphs are located near Bidzar village, on the Maroua-Garoua road toward Guider. An area of marble flagstone extending around the village circa 2.5 km from north to south, and one kilometer from east to west displays around 500 engraved figures in total. The marble is of a calcareous type called cipolin; it has an ideal composition for engraving, having low resistance to friction and breaking easily. Figures were engraved into the marble using a hammer and an engraving tool. The figures are mostly geometrical, consisting of groups of circles, some isolated and some in groups. It has been speculated that the engraving represents concepts or stories from myths, or elaborate a cosmogony.
The age of the engravings has proven difficult to determine. Radiometric dating has produced a range of estimates, dating various carvings to between 300 and 3000 years of age. The petroglyph site was discovered in 1933 by a French researcher named Buisson.
In the twentieth and twenty first centuries, the calcareous marble on which the engravings stand has been extracted for use at nearby cement and marble factories. This activity endangers the engravings, which received provisional protection when the site was included in the Cultural category of the Heritage Tentative List, on April 18th, 2006
The Diy-Gid-Biy of the Mandara Mount: Meaning ‘Eye of the Chief at top’, this archaeological site is made of dry stone. This structure indicates that area had been inhabited more than three centuries ago by some tribes other than the ones which inhabit the land today. It is an architectural heritage.
Falls of the Lobe: 310 km from Yaoundé this falls is characterized by a whole set of small arms progressing in a series of smaller falls, some as high as 15 m and as broad as 100m, directly falling into the mighty Atlantic Ocean. Along the series of falls a large number of tribal populations can be found to reside.
Korup National Park: Created in 1986, this park in located in the southern parts of the country. It is characterized by heavy rainfall. The four types of vegetation particular to this forest are – The Atlantic forest biafrèene, the marshy forest, the forest submontagnarde and the forest of piedmont. It houses 1700 species of plant, 410 species of birds representing 53 families, 480 species of butterflies, 82 reptilian species and 161 species of mammals.
Limbe Botanical and Zoological Garden: Internationally recognized as one of the most active gardens in tropical West and Central Africa, this garden as a natural gateway to the Mount Cameroon region.
Mount Cameroon: Located in Southwest Province of Cameroon, this active volcanic mountain is the highest in the West and Central Africa. Supporting montane tropical forests and about 150,000 hectares of lowland, it is home to vast reserves of biodiversity, hosting more than 1500 different plant species as well as animal species. Its black volcanic soil makes it and the surrounding regions one of the most fertile places in Cameroon.
Babungo Museum: Once the most important iron work centres in Cameroon. It houses very well preserved objects from the rich cultural and artistic heritage of the Babungo tribe of Cameroon in the North West province. The art objects are clear indications of the various aspects of social life and the artistic heritage of the kingdom. Although a whole range of objects were not available for preservation, the remaining ones still talk of the rich tradition and heritage of the Babungos.
Musa Heritage Gallery: Named in the memory of Cameroonian artists Daniel and his son John Musa, this heritage gallery preserves works of the artists and then spread further to cover the arts and crafts of Cameroons westerns Grass fields. Over 400 diverse and varied objects are collected and preserved in the museum.
Mankon Museum: The cultural and artistic production of the Kingdom of Mankon of the high plateaux of Western Cameroon or the Grassland is preserved in this museum. The artefacts and objects demonstrated speak volumes about the culture of the kingdom and how it has contributed to the culture of the country. The objects speak a lot about their users and the usage.
Mefou National Park: Situated about an hour and a half away from the capital city, this national park covers about 1044 hectares of forest land. It houses chimps, gorillas, baboons and various other species of monkeys.
Museum of Bandjoun: Bandjoun was one of the important centres of artistic creation and tradition in the Cameroonian Grassland and the museum exhibits over a hundred important objects depicting this cultural heritage. Rare and wonderful remnants symbolizing African art can be seen in the museum.
Waza National Park: This Park is the most accessible and rewarding wildlife viewing experience of Cameroon. Large numbers of elephants, giraffes, hippos, antelopes, monkeys and abundant bird life welcome the visitors to this natural reserve. With some luck and a very early start, one can even have the good fortune of meeting a lion within the premises of the park.