Cameroon
Motto:
Paix, Travail, Patrie (Peace, Work, Fatherland)
Language:
English and French (official languages) plus 24 African languages
Population:
16.6 million (UN est)
Brief history:
Located in Western Africa, Cameroon is bordered by Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria. Capital of Cameroon is Yaounde.
Cameroon was once a colonized by both French and British until 1961 when both sides merged. Cameroon was ruled for 20 years by repressive government under President Ahmadou Ahidjo, who was eventually succeeded by current leader, Prime Minister Paul Biya. Cameroon has one of the highest literacy rates in Africa but the media is tightly controlled and restricted by government.
Below Unieros friend Aurelien recommends music, film, and shares customs from Cameroon.
Movies:
“Sango Malo” (1990)
by director Bassek Ba Kobhio. Presented at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival and awarded “Special Mention” at Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), one of Africa’s most important film festival that takes place in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.
Books:
Anything from Ferdinand Oyono
Ferdinand Leopold Oyono (born 1929) is a lawyer, diplomat , Cameroon’s cultural embassador and a distinguished author. His works are widely acclaimed in genre of African fiction. His works includes:
ne vie de boy (1956); translated as House Boy (1966) – written in diary form the story criticizes colonialism
World Music:
Genre: Makossa
Artist: Petit Pays
Makossa emerged as the national sound of Cameroon during the 1960s with guitarist Misse Ngoh. The sound combines guitar finger picking and harmonica and is named after a children’s hand clapping game called Kossa.
Food:
Ndole and Miondo, poissons et poulets braises, DG, Taro
Exports:
crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton
Links:
Cameroon News Online - HYPERLINK "http://www.cameroonnews.com/" http://www.cameroonnews.com/
Cameroon Tribune (French, English, state owne) - HYPERLINK "http://www.cameroon-tribune.net" http://www.cameroon-tribune.net
Herald Newspaper – (English, privately owned) http://www.heraldnewspaper.org/
