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ABOUT CAMEROON
“An
oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger” -
Confucius
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Name English:
Republic of Cameroon
French: République du Cameroun
Official languages ENGLISH and FRENCH
Motto
English: Peace - Work - Fatherland
French: Paix - Travail - Patrie
Map
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Statistics
Land
area:
475 442 km²
Population
(2005 estimates):
16,322,000
Population growth rate:
2.6%/an
Urban population:
47.2%
Literacy rate:
60.8%
Life
expectancy:
56.7 for men and 61.3 for women
Growth rate
in
2002/2003: 6
Total GDP
(2005 estimates):
$32.35 billion
Per
capita GDP
(2005 estimates): $2,176
Average rate of inflation
in 2002/2003: 2%
Administrative
capital:
Yaounde
Economic capital:
Douala
Other major towns:
Garoua, Bamenda, Kumba, Bafoussam, Ngoundere, Nkongsamba, Maroua,
Religions:
Secular State – two main religions – Christianity and Islam
It should be noted that a good part of the population remains animist in
their beliefs.
Religious Feasts:
Good Friday, Easter, Pentecost, Assumption,
Christmas, End of Ramadan, Feast of the Ram.
Public holidays:
New Year, Youth Day (11 February), Labour Day (1 May), National Day (20
May)
Business hours:
From
Monday to Friday, between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Currency:
CFA franc
(XAF)
Geography:
The
country is endowed with an extraordinary variety of physical features,
due primarily to its relief. Its general arrangement is original. The
plains form two expanses, one located at the northern tip of the country
on the banks of Lake Chad and the other at the south-western tip, on the
shores of the Atlantic ocean. An arc of highlands made of mountains and
plateaux continues from the coastal plains and stretches in a North-Eastly
direction, taking in its hollow the vast plateau of South Cameroon. In
Cameroon, there are four major relief expanses:
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The isolated plains and mountains of the North;
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The Arc
of the highlands of the Centre and West;
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The South-Cameroon Plateau;
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The coastal plains.
Climate:
Tropical and humid in the South and dry in the North; with an average
temperature of 25°C in the South and 32°C in the North. In the
mountainous regions of the West, the temperature varies depending on the
altitude and becomes colder the higher one goes.
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Flag
This is the national flag of Cameroon. It was adopted in its present
form after Cameroon became a unitary state on May 20, 1975. The color
scheme uses the traditional Pan-African colors, and the tricolor design
is adapted from the flag of France. The center stripe stands for unity:
red is the color of unity, and the star is referred to as "the star of
unity". The yellow stands for the sun, and also the savannas in the
northern part of the country, while the green is for the forests in the
southern part of Cameroon. |
Other flags of Cameroon
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La
République du Cameroun (1960)
This is the flag of La
République du Cameroun (East Cameroon). It was adopted by
Law 46 dated October 29 1957. East Cameroon gained
independence on January 1, 1960 and the flag was confirmed
by the constitution 21 Feb 1960. |
The
Federal Republic of Cameroon (1961)
When
Southern Cameroons joined East Cameroon on October 1, 1961,
the name of the country became the Federal Republic of
Cameroon. The Federation adopted the flag of the former East
Cameroon and two stars where added which signified
the two Cameroons. |
The
United Republic of Cameroon (1975)
Following a referendum on May 20, 1972 on the question of a
federal or unitary state, the country became a unitary
state. Three years later, the two stars on the flag where
replaced with just one (the star of unity). The flag was
officially hoisted on 20 May 1975. |
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Emblem
This is the National Emblem of Cameroon. It consists of
a shield with a banner above and below it. Behind the shield are two
crossed fasces. The shield has the same color pattern as the national
flag. At the center of the shield is the map of the country. The scales
of justice are superimposed on top of the map of the nation.
The banner at the top of the emblem carries the national motto in French
and English while the banner at the bottom carries the name of the
nation also in French and English. The fasces are a symbol of the
Republic's authority. The scales of justice represent justice. Just like
the flag, the star in the red column is the "star of unity".
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Anthem English: O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Forefathers
French: O Caneroun, Berceau de nos Ancêtres
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English Lyrics
O Cameroon, Thou Cradle of our Fathers,
Holy Shrine where in our midst they now repose,
Their tears and blood and sweat thy soil did water,
On thy hills and valleys once their tillage rose.
Dear Fatherland, thy worth no tongue can tell!
How can we ever pay thy due?
Thy welfare we will win in toil and love and peace,
Will be to thy name ever true!
CHORUS:
Land of Promise, land of Glory!
Thou, of life and joy, our only store!
Thine be honour, thine devotion,
And deep endearment, for evermore.
From Shari, from where the Mungo meanders
From along the banks of lowly Boumba Stream,
Muster thy sons in union close around thee,
Mighty as the Buea Mountain be their team;
Instill in them the love of gentle ways,
Regret for errors of the past;
Foster, for Mother Africa, a loyalty
That true shall remain to the last.
CHORUS:
Land of Promise, land of Glory!
Thou, of life and joy, our only store!
Thine be honour, thine devotion,
And deep endearment, for evermore. |
French Lyrics
O Cameroun berceau de nos ancêtres,
Va debout et jaloux de ta liberté,
Comme un soleil ton drapeau fier doit être,
Un symbole ardent de foi et d'unité.
CHORUS:
Chère Patrie, Terre chérie,
Tu es notre seul et vrai bonheur,
Notre joie, notre vie,
En toi l'amour et le grand honneur.
Que tous tes enfants du Nord au Sud,
De l'Est à l'Ouest soient tout amour,
Te servir que ce soit le seul but,
Pour remplir leur devoir toujours.
CHORUS:
Chère Patrie, Terre chérie,
Tu es notre seul et vrai bonheur,
Notre joie, notre vie,
En toi l'amour et le grand honneur.
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Cameroon Culture
Other languages
Major musical genres
Other languages
Over the years,
hundreds of languages have been spoken in Cameroon. Most have become
extinct while other are in the process of extinction (very few people
fluent in them). Besides English and French which are the official
languages, there is an estimated
240
other local languages, corresponding to 240 tribes.
Other languages spoken by a substantial number of people
include the following.
Note that this is not an exclusive list of language currently spoken in
Cameroon and the order of listings does not indicate popularity in any
way.
a)
Cameroonian Pidgin English
is an English-based creole language. About 5% of Cameroonians are native
speakers of the language, while an estimated 50% of the population
speaks it in some form.
b)
Duala
(also known by the French spelling Douala) is the language spoken
by the Duala people of Cameroon. The language belongs to the Bantu
language family.
c)
Fe'fe'
or Fe'efe'e, also known as Nufi and Bafang, is a
Southern Bantoid language spoken in Cameroon, specifically in Bafang and
the surrounding towns.
d)
Basaa
(also spelled Bassa, Basa, Bissa) is a Bantu
language spoken in Cameroon. It is spoken by people in the Center,
Littoral, and South West provinces.
e)
Bamun language is sometimes called the Bamum or
Mum language. It is one of the Benue-Congo languages
of Cameroon. The language is particularly well-known for the writing
system developed by Sultan Njoya around 1895.
f)
Babungo
is the language of the Babungo people originating from a village also
called "Babungo" located in the Cameroonian Grassfields. It is a
Grassfields Bantu language within the Benue-Congo language family. The
spelling Bamungo is also often used.
g)
The
Kom language (native Name: Itaŋikom) is
the language spoken by the Kom people of Cameroon.
h)
Fang
is an African language spoken by the Fang people. It is
related to the Bulu language of southern Cameroon. Fang is spoken in
southern Cameroon, northern Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. There
are many different variants of Fang in Gabon and Cameroon.
i)
Kanuri
is a dialect continuum spoken by a couple million people in Cameroon,
Nigeria, Niger, and Chad as well as small minorities in southern Libya
and by a diaspora in Sudan.
j)
The
Makaa-Njem languages are a group of related
Bantu languages spoken in Cameroon, the Central African Republic,
Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo.
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Major Musical
Genres
Makossa
Makossa
is a type of music which is most popular in urban areas in Cameroon. It
is similar to soukous, except it includes strong bass rhythm and a
prominent horn section. It originated from a type of Duala dance called
kossa, with significant influences from jazz, ambasse bey, Latin music,
highlife, and rhumba. Some makossa artists include Eboa Lotin, Misse
Ngoh, Manu Dibango, Moni Bile, Lapiro de M'Banga, Bebe Manga, Sam Fan
Thomas, etc.
Assiko
Assiko
is a very spectacular and popular dance from the South of Cameroon.
Originally based in the Bassa country, this rhythmed dance takes its
name from two words: ISI, changed into ASSI, which means earth or
ground; and KOO meaning foot. Assiko is in fact danced barefoot,
directly on the ground, by dancers dressed with a simple T-shirt and
fabric wrapped around their waist as a loincloth.
The
choregraphies of Assiko use several lop-sided walks, successive small
close walks that the dancers make at different heights, standing up or
crouching, which makes you feel they float on the stage. There are also
demonstrations of sense of balance, contortions and physical strength.
Assiko is
also a musical style. The band is usually based on a singer accompanied
with a guitar, and a percussionist playing the pulsating rhythm of
Assiko with metal knives and forks on an empty bottle. Double bass,
drums and some brass can complete this base. Assiko artists include
Salle John, etc.
Bend-Skin
Bend-skin
(bend
skin) is a kind of urban/rural Cameroonian popular music.
Kouchoum Mbada is the most well-known group associated with the genre.
Several other artists have over the years contributed to the growth and
popularity of bend skin. It is related to manganbeu, and is played using
only drums and maracas, with a vocalist who both sings and raps.
Bend-skin
developed in 1993 in the New-Bell Banganté, amid a time of economic
depression. Although gaining grounds in most urban settings in Cameroon,
Ben-skin is closely associated with the Western Province of Cameroon
(the Bamileke people), who have been responsible for developing and
promoting this genre of music.
Bikutsi
Bikutsi
is another urba/rural musical genre in Cameroon. It developed from the
traditional styles of the Beti, or Ewondo, people, who live around the
city of Yaounde. The word 'bikutsi' literally means 'beat the earth' or
'let's beat the earth'. The name indicates a dance that is accompanied
by stomping the feet on the ground.
Bikutsi
is characterized by an intense rhythm, and is played at all sorts of
Beti gatherings, including parties, funerals and weddings. Present-day
bikutsi artists include K-Tino, Racine Sagath, and Natascha Bizo.
Bitkusi has been criticized for its perceived sexual content, its
lyrics, and dancing style. In this respect bikutsi resembles mapouka
from Ivory Coast, which is also considered indecent by many Africans.
The main difference is that present day bikutsi is still often performed
by female artists who use it as a means of self-expression in a
traditionally male-dominated society.
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