The Arts from Cameroon and West Africa

  Cameroon Stool. Retrieved from http://www.randafricanart.com/Cameroon_stool.html

Art from Cameroon and the region of West Africa represents the prestige and the power that certain chieftains from the Cameroon and West Africa area.  Renowned around the world, Cameroonian traditional and more modern art have been displayed in various museums all over the globe. Their artifacts vary from pottery, wood carvings, sculptures, face masks, and bead works. The most elaborate are garments, headdresses, and furniture for Cameroon leaders and nobles.  

Bamun Royal Headdress
http://www.hamillgallery.com/EXHIBITIONS/Cameroon1.html
Photograph by John Urban

Some of the most well known artworks are that of the tribes Bamileke, Bamun, Tikar, In particular the Bamileke, Bamun and Tikar civilizations excel at these crafts. The art of pastoral groups such as the Fulani and Hausa symbolize their lifestyle of cattle herding.(1)

Bamileke tribe-Kuosi society, Cameroon Tribes. Retrieved from
www.ForAfricanArt.com/Bamileke

These spectacular costumes which represent the African elephant and leopard Africa’s royal animals are worn by the Kuosi society within the Bamileke tribe which report directly to the king, are responsible for festivals and dances held yearly that represent the kingdoms wealth.(2). Different houses exist within this society, with each one adorning different masks, or different dances.

                                             

                                                                                                     

Music and dance are an essential aspect of Cameroonian culture they are heard at all types of settings such as religious ceremonies, festivals or storytelling. Traditional dances were highly choreographed and separated men and women.  With over some 200 different dances coming from Cameroon.

Mendjang(Balafon). Retrieved from we-are-cameroon.com

Traditional instruments vary from the Mendjang or Balafon which is like a xylophone to drums, shakers or a Cameroonian harp known as an Ngombi.

Ngombi. Retrieved from www.we-are-cameroon.com

Popular music of today is makossa which developed in Douala which combines folk, soul and Congo music. Another popular genre is bikuti with its beginnings as war music amongst the Ewondo tribe. Other styles include ambasse bey from the coastal areas, assiko of the Bassa, tsamassi from the Baileke.(3)

Traditional dance and music from the Mukonge tribe hailing from the northwestern part of Cameroon. 

References:

1. Art and Culture, Cameroon. http://www.123independenceday.com/cameroon/art-and-culture.html

2. Bamileke. http://www.forafricanart.com/Bamileke_ep_38-1.html

3. Art and Culture, Cameroon. http://www.123independenceday.com/cameroon/art-and-culture.html

Cameroon

Cameroon is located in Central Africa. Cameroon shares borders with Central African Republic, Chad, and Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria. Major cities include the capital of Yaounde located at 3º 52 ’N, 11º 31 E, Maroua at 10º 34’ N, 14º 19’ E, and lastly, Ngaondere is located at 7º 19’ N, 13º 35’ E. Cameroon was been called “Africa in miniature” as the country has all the major climates and vegetations on the continent. From marshy coasts to rain forests then onto higher levels such as the Adamawa Plateau where at its highest elevation reach over 4000 ft. In the central and northern parts of the country there are lush rainforests and savannah plains up to Lake Chad. Southwestern Cameroon contains Mount Cameroon an active volcano which is the highest point in West Africa at over 13000 feet. Major rivers include The Dja, Nyong and Sanaga rivers. The Dja River meets the Sangha and flows into the Congo River basin, while the Nyong River drains directly into the Atlantic Ocean. Cameroon’s geography contributed to the large mix of ethnic groups. Over 200 different ethnic groups call Cameroon home. The oldest inhabitants are the Pygmies which inhabited the southern parts of the country which is mostly tropical rainforests which leads to the Pygmies being hunters and gatherers for thousands of years. The northern savanna plateau is inhabited mostly by Arabs which tend to migrate in search of land for grazing. This division is also apparent when it comes to religion where as the north is mostly Muslim and the southern is mostly Christian or African Paganism. Cameroon’s vast variety in climate and terrain also affected agriculture and the harboring of diseases. Rain in the southern Cameroon is much more common as compared to the north and central regions. This contributes to the vast type of vegetations and animals found in the south, some are the mahogany and ebony trees as well as mangroves along the coast. North and central Cameroon goes from semi tropical in the central region to savannas in the north. Agriculture is a major contributor to the economy. Cameroon is one of the world’s leading producers in cocoa beans which are mainly grown in the more humid southern regions whereas the Arabica coffee is grown in the western plateau. Other major crops include plantains, beans, bananas and yams grown in the south and peanuts and cassava in north. While the south has advantages of agriculture due to its tropical climate it comes with a heavy price as rain create breeding grounds for malaria carrying mosquitoes and other disease carrying insects such as the tsetse fly which carry the parasite trypanosomes which causes sleep sickness. Malaria is not as common in the mountainous regions but respiratory and pulmonary diseases are.

Thus says the Lord: “The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you and be yours; they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will plead with you, saying: ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides him.’” (Isaiah 45:14, ESV)

References:

Cameroon. (2016). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from: http://www.britannica.com/place/Cameroon/Health-and-welfare

BBC News. Cameroon country profile. Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13146029

World Atlas. Cameroon Geography. Retrieved from: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/cameroon/cmland.htm#page