Culture and Customs of Cameroon

A definitive accessible introduction to modern Cameroon Cameroon has been called Africa in miniature. It is characterized by exceptional social and ethnic diversity, with more than 250 ethnicities now forming five major regional-culture groupings. This volume is the first to encapsulate Cameroon’s rich indigenous and modern customs and traditions in depth. The narrative emphasizes those aspects that define its modern nation, its peoples, the unique societies, their institutions, and various lifestyles. The origins of Cameroon’s diverse culture are traced back to the various ethnic groups and languages as well as the influence of European colonialism, Christianity, Islam, and other external factors, including globalization. In each topical chapter, examples from ethnic groups are presented to give some sense of the variety of experience. Cameroon has had a turbulent and eventful modern history with German, English, and French incursions, and students and general readers will be able to understand the current struggle for democracy. The history colours the substantial coverage of the many topics examined, from education, to marriage and women’s roles, sports, and holidays, daily life, the arts, and much more.. Part of the Culture and Customs of Africa series. The first book of this kind to cover Cameroon