AN OVERVIEW OF CAMEROON
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Cameroon is a country
that has shown development and persistence throughout its long history in Africa. Its history is deep in its variety of
landscape, languages, unwritten history, people groups, economics, religion,
and influences from European colonization.
The Cameroonians have blended their indigenous history with that of the
culture brought by the Europeans to make their society the way it is
today. The location of Cameroon has made
it a valuable country in regards to trade and for missionaries to do their
work. Making the World Cup in soccer has
been a major claim to fame for Cameroon and brought much attention to the
country, but it is so much more. The
geographic landscapes, unwritten history passed from generation to generation,
religious differences and tolerance, involvement with trade and its resources,
the impact of European colonization on the country, the continued efforts of
missionaries and their work, and politics have shaped and molded Cameroon’s
society and into the amazing country that it is today.
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The geography and landscape of Cameroon is one of great
diversity and beauty. Cameroon is often
referred to as “Mini-Africa” or “Africa in miniature” because within its
borders are all of the major climates and vegetation found on the continent of
Africa. Coastline, rivers, forest,
desert, mountains, and plateaus are all part of what makes Cameroon’s
landscape. There are five major regions
and each of these regions are marked by a different climate and altitude and
allow certain agriculture to take place in these areas.[1]
The highest point in Cameroon is Mount Cameroon, which is an active volcano,
and its lowest point is at the coast and the Atlantic Ocean.[2]
The population of Cameroon is nearly split evenly between urban and rural, but
those that live in the urban areas have many more advantages than those in the
rural areas, such as, clean water. There
is much ethnic diversity in Cameroon and has at times caused a split in the
nation. “…-the division between
Anglophone and Francophone Cameroonians caused by the colonial history of the
state, and the potentially more significant division between North and South
which is a result of pre-colonial, colonial, and post-independence factors.”[3]
The landscape and geographic regions of Cameroon give it great diversity and
allow each region its own separate identity.
As with so many other countries in Africa, Cameroon has a
rich history in unwritten history through myths, dances, music, and the
arts. The use of origin myths and
stories have been passed from generation to generation and tell the stories of
how a group of people grew and arrived in a certain area and their history,
including the Fang, Jeki La Njambe of the Duala, and Bamun Kingdom.[4]
Cameroon also uses dance and music to celebrate special events such as wedding,
funerals, and battles. Unwritten history
is a vital portion of the Cameroonians heritage and this part of their history
is passed down from generation to generation as a way to teach younger
generations about their past and a way to keep their indigenous culture
intact. An example of these rituals are
the Kapsiki located in northern Cameroon.
The dances and rituals used by the Kapsiki allow the individuals to be
part of a society and their rituals pertain to both social and agricultural.[5] Unwritten history is a major aspect of
different people groups lives and they use them as celebration, hope for a good
harvest, and ways to mourn the deceased.
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Religion also plays an important role in Cameroon. Nearly seventy percent of the country is
Christian and these groups are located mainly in southern Cameroon. Close to twenty-one percent are Muslim and
located mainly in northern Cameroon and the remaining nine percent still
practice indigenous religions or do not associate themselves with a particular
religion.[6]
The religious breakdown of modern day Cameroon is mainly a result of three
factors. First, the Muslin trade routes
that went through the northern part of the country. Second, the colonization by Germans and then
the British and the French which brought Christian religions into the
country. Finally, the work of missionaries
has influenced religious beliefs in the country.
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Cameroon is a country that has many resources available
to help boost its economy. Its location
on the Atlantic Ocean has allowed trade to occur from items such as petroleum,
timber, and in the 1800’s slaves. Oil
and timber are the two most important natural resources that Cameroon has
exported. “Theses to commodities
represent more than 90 percent of the revenues generated by the exploitation of
natural resources in the country.”[7]
Much of Cameroon lives in poverty, especially in the rural areas, and this has
been linked to political and social reasons.
Agriculturally the country has exported several products but coffee and
cocoa are the main exports.
Like so many other African countries, Cameroon was
greatly impacted by European colonization.
The Portuguese were the first to arrive in the late 1400’s and actually
gave Cameroon its name, based off of the shrimp found in its rivers. The Germans controlled the colony of Kamerun
from the late nineteenth century until the end of World War I. Great Britain and France then controlled
Cameroon, with France having the majority control. European influences remain in modern day
Cameroon thru language, religion, and education. Cameroon gained its independence in 1960 and
still uses many aspects of French and British law and government.
Missionaries and their continued work are an important
aspect of Cameroon society today. Many
different denominations of Christian missionaries have entered Cameroon and have
come a variety of countries. Catholic,
Baptist, Lutheran, and Mormons are just a few examples of missionaries that
have come to Cameroon. These missions
have provided education, teaching and translations of the Bible, and overall
improvement of society. One unique and
influential group that performed missions in Cameroon were Jamaican
Baptists. In the mid-19th
century these missionaries influenced not only the people, but the history of
the church and future missionary activities.[8] These mission efforts were eventually taken
over by European countries during colonization.
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Cameroon’s political structure is supposed to one of
democracy but only two men have been President since it gained independence in
1960, Ahmadou Ahidjo from 1960 to 1982 and Paul Biya from 1982 until the
present. One concerning aspect of
Cameroon society is the development of elites and non-elites. Obviously, this occurs in most societies, but
the difference between these two groups in Cameroon is large and widening.[9] Modern Cameroon is a country that was marked
by European influences mainly in language, French and English being most
spoken, and religion by the work of missionaries and colonial powers bringing
Christian thoughts and practices to Cameroon.
Bibliography
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“Natural Resources and Capital Flight in
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Accessed August 23, 2016.
Belcher, Stephen. African Myths of Origin. New
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DeLancey, Mark and Mark D. DeLancey. Cameroon. Oxford, England: ABC-CLIO, 1999.
Accessed
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Dronen, Thomas Sundnes. Studies of Religion in Africa:
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Lambi, Mbifung and Ndenecho Neba. Ecology
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CA:
Langaa RPCIG, 2009. Accessed August 24,
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Fokwang. “Entertaining Repression: Music
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Cameroon” African Affairs 104, no.
415. (2005). Accessed August 23, 2016
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In
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Rudin, Harry Rudolph. Germans
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[1]
Mark DeLancey, Cameroon, vol. 63, World Biographical Series (Oxford,
England: ABC-CLIO, 1999), xiv.
[2]
“Cameroon-Geography,” The World Factbook,
accessed August 24, 2016. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cm.html
[3]
DeLancey, Cameroon, xiv.
[4]
Stephen Belcher, African Myths of Origin
(New York: Penguin Classics, 2005)
[5]
Walter E. A. van Beek. The Dancing Dead: Ritual and Religion among
the Kapsiki/Higi of Northern Cameroon and Northeastern Nigeria (New York:
Oxford University Press, 2012). 16.
[6]
“Cameroon-People and Society,” The World
Factbook, accessed August 24, 2016. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cm.html
[7]
H.T. Ayamena Mpenya and C. Metseyem, B. N. Epo. “Natural Resources and Capital
Flight in Cameroon” African Development
Review, 28 (2016). 88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.12183.
[8]
Jaap van Slageren. “Jamaican Missionaries in Cameroon” Exchange 30, no. 2 (2001). 145.
[9]
Rogers Tabe Egbe Orock. “Elites, Culture, and Power: The Moral Politics of
“Development” in Cameroon” Anthropological
Quarterly 88, no. 2 (Spring 2015). 533.
