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 ...

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.

Holidays

Religious holidays in

include: * Christian:

Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Holy ...

Easter Sunday Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel P ...

Easter Monday Easter Monday refers to the day after Easter Sunday in either the Eastern or Western Christian traditions. It is a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it marks the second day of the ...

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers ...

Ascension Thursday The Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, also called Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday, commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. It is one of the ecumenical (i.e., shared by ...

and

Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Hol ...

* Muslim:

Eid ul-Fitr , nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast , observedby = Muslims , type = Islamic , longtype = Islamic , significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan , date ...

Eid ul-Adha Eid al-Adha () is the second and the larger of the two main holidays celebrated in Islam (the other being Eid al-Fitr). It honours the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael) as an act of obedience to Allah's co ...

and

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

Politics

Since an amendment was added to the Cameroon Constitution in 1992, Cameroon has been a multi-party state, which means there are multiple parties that have the potential to gain power over the government. Cameroon's first president,

Ahmadou Ahidjo Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo (24 August 192430 November 1989) was a Cameroonian politician who was the first President of Cameroon, holding the office from 1960 until 1982. Ahidjo played a major role in Cameroon's independence from France as well as ...

, was in power from 1960 to 1982. The president holds executive power for seven years, for a maximum of two terms. The president and his cabinet hold the main power at the national level, while at the local level, the ''prefet'' and ''sous-prefet'' hold the most power. Getting a government position can happen several different ways: Regional background, ethical background, party loyalty, and who you know. The national and local levels have been known to work together, even though they have to deal with their own separate issues from each other.

Religion

Cameroon culture consists of numerous religions including

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

(about 79%),

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

(about 21%), and many other

indigenous religions Indigenous religions is a category used in the study of religion to demarcate the religious belief systems of communities described as being " indigenous". This category is often juxtaposed against others such as the " world religions" and "new ...

. The citizens of Cameroon are entitled to

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedo ...

, as it is stated within their constitution. Therefore, citizens are free to practice any religion they choose, without harassment or forceful conversion. The northern part of Cameroon is heavily occupied by the

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...

people ( ff, Fulɓe; french: Peul or ''Peulh''; also known ''

Mbororo The Wodaabe ( ff, Woɗaaɓe, Adlam: ), also known as the Mbororo or Bororo (Adlam: , ), or Pullo, have a name that is designated to those of the Fula ethnic group who are traditionally nomadic and considered to be "ignorant of Islam." For t ...

'', though this has sometimes been seen as pejorative). The Fulani are mainly

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, because Islam is the dominant religion in the northern region. The western region is home of the

Bamum people The Bamum, sometimes called Bamoum, Bamun, Bamoun, or Mum, are a Grassfields ethnic group of Cameroon with around 215,000 members. Religion The Bamum traditional religion placed great emphasis on ancestral spirits which were embodied in the sk ...

, an ethnic group that also practices the Islamic religion. The French-speaking people are often inhabitants of the southern and western regions and the majority of them are

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, while English-speaking citizens more to the west tend to be

Protestants Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Fashion

Cameroon's relatively large and diverse population is also diverse with respect to its contemporary fashion. Climate, religious, ethnic and cultural belief systems as well as influences from colonialism, imperialism and globalization are all reflected in the clothes worn by modern Cameroonians. Notable Cameroonian articles of clothing include: Pagnes, a

sarong A sarong or sarung () is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often has woven plaid ...

s worn by Cameroon women,

Chechia The chechia (Tunisian Arabic: شاشية ) is a traditional headgear worn in Tunisia and Libya. It is considered in Tunisia to be the national headwear. Close relative to the European beret, the chechia is originally a cap-shaped bonnet, colore ...

, a traditional hat, Kwa, a male handbag and Gandura, male custom attire. Wrappers and loincloths are used extensively by both women and men but their use varies by region with influences from

styles more present in the north and Igbo and

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

styles in the south and west.

Imane Ayissi Imane Ayissi (born 1969) is a Cameroonian dancer, performer, model, and haute couture fashion designer. Early life Ayissi is the son of Jean-Baptiste Ayissi Ntsama, a champion boxer, and Julienne Honorine Eyenga Ayissi, the first crowned Miss Ca ...

is one of Cameroon's top fashion designers and has received international recognition.

Culture and traditions

Cameroon has 250-300 distinct groups, and an estimated 300+ languages. These languages include the Akoose language, the

Gbaya languages The Gbaya languages, also known as Gbaya–Manza–Ngbaka, are a family of perhaps a dozen languages spoken mainly in the western Central African Republic and across the border in Cameroon, with one language (Ngbaka) in the Democratic Republic o ...

, the

Fula language Fula ,Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student’s Handbook'', Edinburgh also known as Fulani or Fulah (, , ; Adlam: , , ), is a Senegambian language spoken by around 30 million people as a set of various dialects in a continuum that st ...

, the Gyele language, the

Koonzime language Nzime (''Koonzime'') is a Bantu language of Cameroon, spoken by the Nzime and Dwe'e (''Bajwe'e'') people. Maho (2009) lists these as two languages. It is closely related to Mpo. Demographics Koonzime is spoken in most of the southern part of ...

, the

Mundang language Mundang is an Mbum language of southern Chad and northern Cameroon. The Gelama dialect of Cameroon may be a separate language. Distribution Mundang, spoken in Cameroon by 44,700 speakers (SIL 1982), is mainly spoken in Mayo-Kani Mayo-Kani ...

, the

Ngiemboon language The Ngiemboon (N'Jhamboon) language, ''Ngyɛmbɔɔŋ'', is one of a dozen Bamileke languages spoken in Cameroon. Its speakers are located primarily within the department of Bamboutos Bamboutos is a department of West Region in Cameroon. The ...

, and the

Vengo language Vengo (), or Babungo, is a Grassfields language and the language of the Vengo people from the village of Babungo in the Cameroonian Grassfields. The spelling Bamungo is also often found. In their own language, the Vengo people call their vill ...

. Others include Ewondo, Bassa,

Bamileke The Bamileke are a Central African people who inhabit the Western High Plateau of Cameroon. Languages The Bamileke languages belong to the Grassfields branch of the Niger-Congo language family, which is sometimes labeled as a " Bantuoid lan ...

, Duala and

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

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. Partly through the influence of

colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their reli ...

, 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 Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

.Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg, "Cameroon". In Carol R. Ember and

Melvin Ember Melvin Lawrence Ember (January 13, 1933 – September 27, 2009) was an American cultural anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher with wide-ranging interests who combined an active research career with writing for nonprofessionals. Biography ...

(eds), ''Countries and Their Cultures'', Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001, pp. 384–396. Theatre of Cameroon is also another important aspect of local culture.

Media

Gallery

Traditional dance accessories

South

File:AccessoiresDanse.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse1.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse2.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse3.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse6.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse7.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse8.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse9.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse10.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse11.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse13.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse14.jpg File:ParuresDanse4.jpg

North

File:AccessoiresDanseNord4.jpg File:AccessoiresDanseNord.jpg File:AccessoiresDanseNord1.jpg File:AccessoiresDanseNord2.jpg File:AccessoiresDanseNord3.jpg File:AccessoiresDanseNord6.jpg File:AccessoiresDanseNord8.jpg File:AccessoiresDanseNord7.jpg File:AccessoiresDanseNord9.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse16.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse17.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse19.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse20.jpg

North-West

File:AccessoireDanseNordOuest.jpg File:AccessoiresNordOuest.jpg File:AccessoiresNordOuest2.jpg File:AccessoiresNordOuest4.jpg File:CastagnettesNordOuest.jpg

West

File:AccessoiresOuest.jpg

Littoral

File:Instrument sawa1.jpg

East

File:DanseursPymees1.jpg File:ParuresDanse1.jpg File:ParuresDanse2.jpg

Traditional Dances

Centre

File:DanseurCentre.jpg File:Prestation5.jpg File:GroupeDanse4.jpg

South

File:AccessoiresDanse5.jpg File:AccessoiresDanse12.jpg File:GroupeDanse.jpg File:GroupeDanse5.jpg File:GroupeDanse3.jpg File:Prestation.jpg File:Prestation4.jpg File:Prestation3.jpg File:Prestation1.jpg

North

File:InstrumentistesNord.jpg File:DanseursNord.jpg File:DanseurNord1.jpg File:GroupeDanseNord2.jpg File:DanseurNord2.jpg File:DanseurNord3.jpg File:PrestationNord2.jpg File:DanseuseNord.jpg File:DanseursNord4.jpg File:GroupeDanseNord1.jpg File:PrestationNord.jpg File:PrestationNord3.jpg File:DanseurNord4.jpg File:DanseurNord.jpg File:GroupeDanseNord.jpg File:GroupeDanseNord3.jpg, Danse

Tupuri Tupuri (or Toupouri) is a language mostly spoken in the Mayo-Kebbi Est Region of southern Chad and in small parts of northern Cameroon. It is an Mbum language spoken by the Tupuri people with approximately 300,000 speakers. Tupuri was erron ...

File:GroupeTradionnelNord.jpg, Dance Group File:InstrumentistesNord1.jpg, Tam-tam player

North-West

File:DanseursNordOuest.jpg File:DanseurNordOuest.jpg File:DanseursNordOuest3.jpg File:PrestationNordOuest3.jpg File:DanseursNordOuest4.jpg File:DanseurNordOuest8.jpg File:DanseursNordOuest2.jpg File:DanseurNordOuest4.jpg File:PrestationNordOuest.jpg File:InstrumentisteNordOuest2.jpg File:InstrumentistesNordOuest.jpg File:DanseurNordOuest6.jpg File:DanseurNordOuest3.jpg File:DanseurNordOuest0.jpg File:DanseurNordOuest7.jpg File:PrestationNordOuest2.jpg File:InstrumentistesNordOuest3.jpg File:JoueurSanza.jpg, Joueur de guitare

South-West

File:Groupe danse sud ouest.jpg File:Groupe danse sud ouest1.jpg File:Groupe danse sud ouest5.jpg File:Groupe danse sud ouest6.jpg File:Groupe danse sud ouest3.jpg File:Groupe danse sud ouest4.jpg

Littoral

File:Danse sawa7.jpg File:Danse sawa3.jpg File:Danse sawa8.jpg File:Danse sawa1.jpg File:Danse sawa2.jpg File:Danse sawa4.jpg File:Danse sawa6.jpg File:Danse sawa9.jpg

East

File:DanseursPygmees.jpg File:DanseursPygmees2.jpg File:GroupeDanse1.jpg File:JoueursTamtam1.jpg, Joueur de Tam-tam

West

File:DanseurOuest2.jpg File:PrestationOuest.jpg File:PrestationOuest1.jpg File:InstrumentisteOuest1.jpg, Tam-Tam player File:PrestationOuest2.jpg File:DanseurOuest.jpg File:JoueursTamtamOuest.jpg, Group of Tam-tam players

Traditional musical instruments

South

File:Balafon1.jpg File:Balafons3.jpg File:JoueursBalafons1.jpg File:Calebasse1.jpg File:GuitareTraditionelle.jpg, ''Mvet''

North

File:MusicienNord.jpg File:InstrumentisteNord.jpg File:InstrumentistesNord2.jpg File:InstrumentNord5.jpg File:InstrumentNord2.jpg File:Balafon4.jpg File:TamtamNord.jpg File:TamTamNord.jpg File:InstrumentNord.jpg File:BalafonNord.jpg File:InstrumentNord7.jpg, Tam-tam File:InstrumentNord6.jpg, Guitar File:InstrumentNord4.jpg File:InstrumentNord3.jpg

North-West

File:JoueurBalafon.jpg File:TamtamNordOuest3.jpg File:TamtamNordOuest5.jpg File:TamtamNordOuest1.jpg File:TamtamNordOuest4.jpg File:Castagnettes.jpg File:InstrumentisteNordOuest.jpg File:InstrumentNordOuest.jpg File:InstrumentNordOuest1.jpg File:InstrumentisteNordOuest4.jpg File:InstrumentNordOuest2.jpg File:FluteNordOuest.jpg, Flute File:JoueurSanza1.jpg, ''Sanza'' File:InstrumentNordOuest4.jpg, Tam-tam File:GuitareNordOuest.jpg, Guitar File:GuitareNordOuest1.jpg, Another guitar

Littoral

File:Instrument sawa.jpg File:Danse sawa.jpg File:Danse sawa10.jpg

East

File:Tamtams3.jpg File:Balafon2.jpg

West

File:DanseurOuest3.jpg, Bamileke cowbells File:BalafonOuest3.jpg, Balafon File:BalafonOuest4.jpg, Another balafon File:TamtamNordOuest.jpg, Tam-tam File:JoueurSanzaOuest.jpg, ''Sanza'' File:JoueurSanzaOuest1.jpg, Sanza File:BalafonOuest2.jpg, Balafon File:BalafonOuest1.jpg, Balafon File:InstrumentOuest2.jpg File:InstrumentOuest.jpg

References

External links

* * The portal of Cameroon on the SPLA Sud Planète database managed by

br>KAMERCULTURES
{{DEFAULTSORT:Culture Of Cameroon pt:Camarões#Cultura

Holidays

Politics

Religion

Fashion

Culture and traditions

Media

Gallery

Traditional dance accessories

South

North

North-West

West

Littoral

East

Traditional Dances

Centre

South

North

North-West

South-West

Littoral

East

West

Traditional musical instruments

South

North

North-West

Littoral

East

West

See also

References

Further reading

External links