Culture of Cameroon
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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.
Holidays
Religious holidays in Cameroon include:
- Christian: Ascension Thursday and Palm Sunday
- Muslim: Eid ul-Adha and Ramadan
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, was in power from 1960 to 1982.[1] 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.[2]
Religion
Cameroon culture consists of numerous religions including
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 sarongs worn by Cameroon women, Chechia, a traditional hat, Kwa, a male handbag and Gandura, male custom attire.[4] Wrappers and
Imane Ayissi is one of Cameroon's top fashion designers and has received international recognition.[6]
Culture and traditions
Cameroon has 250-300 distinct groups, and an estimated 300+ languages. Others include
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.[9]
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.[10]
Theatre of Cameroon is also another important aspect of local culture.
Media
See also
- Cameroon
- Cuisine of Cameroon
- Languages of Cameroon
- Music of Cameroon
- List of writers from Cameroon
References
- ^ "Ahmadou Ahidjo". Encyclopædia Britannica. 28 July 2023.
- ^ "Culture of Cameroon - history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs, family". everyculture.com.
- JSTOR 41336255.
- ^ "Cameroon clothing - A description of the traditional attire of Cameroon". Cameroon-Today.com. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ John Mukum Mbaku, Culture and Customs of Cameroon, 2000, p. 135.
- ^ "Cameroon:Imane Ayissi detremined [sic] to project Cameroon's couture". Journal du Cameroun (in French). July 4, 2020.
- ^ Archived copy from the Ethnologue Database website, archived from the original on 2006-07-11, retrieved 2006-07-12
- ^ "Language of Cameroon: Cameroon language & listing of all Cameroon main languages". Cameroon-Today.com.
- ^ Cameroon. John Middleton and Joseph C. Miller (eds), New Encyclopedia of Africa, Vol. 1. 2nd ed. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2008, pp. 298–307.
- ^ Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg, "Cameroon". In Carol R. Ember and Melvin Ember (eds), Countries and Their Cultures, Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001, pp. 384–396.
Further reading
- "Revue Noire" - Special Issue on Cameroon, n. 13, 1994.
- Cameroun: la culture sacrifiée. Dossier of the magazine "Africultures", n. 60, L'Harmattan, July–September 2004.
External links
- Media related to Culture of Cameroon at Wikimedia Commons
- The portal of Cameroon on the SPLA Sud Planète database managed by Africultures KAMERCULTURES