Lolodorf is a small town-centred region in the south province of the

Republic of 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 ...

, near the western coast of Africa. It is between

Ngoumou Ngoumou is a town and commune in Cameroon. See also *Communes of Cameroon The Arrondissements of Cameroon are the third-level units of administration in Cameroon. The arrondissements are organised by divisions and sub divisions of each provinc ...

and

Bipindi Bipindi is a town and commune in Cameroon. Gallery File:ASC Leiden - van Achterberg Collection - 1 - 016 - Marché à Bipindi - Bipindi, Cameroun - 6-12 février 1997.tif, Market, Bipindi, 1997 File:ASC Leiden - van Achterberg Collection - 1 - 0 ...

, in a zone of the Atlantic Littoral Evergreen Forest. Lolodorf, W

It is notable for being the home of

Pygmy In anthropology, pygmy peoples are ethnic groups whose average height is unusually short. The term pygmyism is used to describe the phenotype of endemic short stature (as opposed to disproportionate dwarfism occurring in isolated cases in a pop ...

clans and their camp settlements and hunting areas, such as those of the

Lala Lala may refer to: Geography * Lala language (disambiguation) Places * Lala (Naples Metro), an underground metro station in Naples, Italy * Lala, Assam, a town in Assam, India * Lala, Ilam, a village in Ilam Province, Iran * Lala, Lanao del ...

and Bakola clans. The Ngumba and Kwassio (speakers of

Makaa–Njem languages The Makaa–Njem languages are a group of Bantu languages spoken in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. They are coded Zone A.80 in Guthrie's classification The 250 or so "Nar ...

) and Bagyeli tribes also reside in the area, the Bagyeli having been forced off their lands by the

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

industry since the 1960s and the effect of the new oil pipeline since 1999. There are also settled

Bantu peoples The Bantu peoples, or Bantu, are an ethnolinguistic grouping of approximately 400 distinct ethnic groups who speak Bantu languages. They are native to 24 countries spread over a vast area from Central Africa to Southeast Africa and into Southern A ...

, who previously 'owned' pygmy clans. The name of Lolodorf is German in origin, and relates to the name of a notable of Bikoui village, Loule-Dorf. In 1897 a Christian mission was opened in Lolodorf. Most of the people in the region are now

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. The Lokoundje River flows through Lolodorf, said to be ''"narrow with fast moving water and numerous waterfalls"'', and there is a temporary bridge over the river.

Malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

and

sleeping sickness African trypanosomiasis, also known as African sleeping sickness or simply sleeping sickness, is an insect-borne parasitic infection of humans and other animals. It is caused by the species ''Trypanosoma brucei''. Humans are infected by two typ ...

are common problems in the humid climate, and there are a variety of natural remedies in which the Pygmy healers are expert. The nearest market is at the coastal

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

& resort town of

Kribi Kribi is a beach resort and sea port in Cameroon. Location The coastal town of Kribi lies on the Gulf of Guinea, in Océan Department, South Province, at the mouth of the Kienké River. This location, lies approximately , by road, south of ...

, and there is a dirt road to it from Lolodorf of about 110 km, usually taking around 6 hours. Farming, tapping

palm wine Palm wine, known by several local names, is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm tree such as the palmyra, date palms, and coconut palms. It is known by various names in different regions and is common in va ...

, gathering fruits and nuts for food, and hunting are the main occupations. There are some

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...

plantations.

Coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

was abandoned as a crop in the mid-1990s. There is said to be little river fishing. There is some limited tourism, arriving from Kribi; to see Pygmy camps, wildlife and local musicians. Eight different languages are spoken in the town. There is a volunteer-run French

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

station at Lolodorf that began broadcasting in 1997. There has been a

weather station A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...

in the town for more than 25 years. Nearby villages are Saballi and Jalalli. There is a seminary at nearby

Bibia Bibia is a municipality in the Amuru District of the Northern Region of Uganda. Location Bibia is in the Acholi sub-region of the Northern Region. It is approximately , by road, north of Atiak, the nearest town in the district. Bibia is approxi ...

which trains Presbyterian ministers. Oil companies aim to run an important pipeline through the area, taking oil from Doba in

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

to an undersea terminal on the sea coast at Kribi. There is a $600,000 'Indigenous Peoples Plan' as compensation to local people, following an intensive study of the area's economy in 1999. Organisations such a
Forest Peoples
have concerns about the management and distribution of such aid. There is thought to be some

illegal mining Illegal mining is mining activity that is undertaken without state permission, in particular in absence of land rights, mining licenses, and exploration or mineral transportation permits. Illegal mining can be a subsistence activity, as is the ca ...

of diamonds and gold in the area.

Further reading