The Chamber of Commerce in
Douala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport (DLA), it is the com ...
,
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
is a building constructed between 1927 and 1928 under the French mandate, under the umbrella of the League of Nations. This building is in a late
Art Nouveau architectural style.
History
The Chamber of Commerce was built between 1927 and 1928, and meant to host the Chamber of Commerce. It is among the earliest architectural testimonies of the early French era, within the framework of the Mandate, under the umbrella of the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
, after Germany was defeated in September 1918.
Created in 1921, before the Conference and the treaty of Versailles, the Chamber of Commerce is merely an advisory body. Its mission was to give account of the resources dedicated to development, and also to fix the market prices lists for the farmers. The fifteen members of the Chamber were chosen by the Commissioner of the Republic, and appointed for two years through an arrêté. Among them were two natives: a farmer and a trader, a kind of social innovation within this very context of racial segregation.
At the entrance of the edifice, there is a plate that commemorates General
Charles de Gaulle's visit to Cameroon in 1940. He delivered an appeal to the inhabitants to join
Free France
Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...
in front of the building.
Chamber of Commerce
' in ''Douala Ville d'art et d'histoire'', doual'art, Douala, 2006.
References
Further reading
* Jonas Houvounsadi, Marc Pabois (2011). ''Douala, capitale économique: l'architecture''. Lyon: Lieux Dits;
ouala Communauté urbaine de Douala. {{ISBN, 9782362190070.
Buildings and structures in Douala
Art Nouveau architecture in Cameroon
Art Nouveau commercial buildings
Commercial buildings completed in 1928
1928 establishments in the French colonial empire