Culture |
||||
Art Culture Music and dance are an important part of religious ceremonies, festivals, oral traditions and social gatherings. Dance is specifically choreographed separating men and women. Often dance is purely for entertainment but sometimes the dance routines are a way to express religious devotion. The tradition in Cameroon has been such that music is only transmitted orally by a singer or group of singers. This emphasis on oral storytelling is part of some of the challenges for Cameroon in terms of adapting to modern mass communication technologies. There are many different music styles present within Cameroon that reflect the different ethnic groups but the role of music in Cameroonian culture is greater than many other African countries. Some of the styles include ambasse bey near the coast, assiko of the Bassa, mangambeu of the Bangangte and tsamassi of the Bamileke. Music in Cameroon is most often characterized as makossa which is a highly popular style that has gained listeners and dancers across Africa. The urbanization of Cameroon has greatly impacted the country’s music culture. The bikutsi music in part gained its popularity because of migrationto Yaounde. In the cities bars were being developed in the 1950’s to deal with resentment about colonialism and cultivate an independent cultural identity for Cameroon. Bikutsi gained popularity through the 1950’s and 1960’s and reflected a culture of folk music with drums and the xylophone and sung by women. Messi Me Nkonda Martin and his band Los Camaroes added modern elements to bikutsi such as electric guitar and have since become popular. Arts and crafts are made throughout Cameroon for commercial, personal and religious purposes. These are typically sculptures, woodcarvings and pottery made from high quality clay in the western highlands. Some other artistic endeavours in Cameroon include basket weaving, beadworking, brass and bronze working, calabash carving and painting, and embroidery. Literature and film in Cameroon has mostly dealt with the issue of colonialism and the process of adaptation Cameroon went through after independence in terms of recovering its cultural identity. Cameroon food varies greatly depending on what part of the country you live in but it is traditional to have a large one-course meal for dinner. Often Cameroonian food is based on cocoyams, maize, cassava, millet, plantains, potatoes or rice. This might be served with a soup, stew and occasionally a piece of meat or fish but these items are expensive. Another interesting aspect of Cameroonian culture is the role of folklore and superstition. One example is that dirge music is played at night to deal with crime and people play on bufallo skin bags and iron bells when they march. Heroic events from their history and legends are narrated while playing a harp. Witchcraft is a very real and feared component of the supernatural in culture. Cameroonians believe it to have been originated from animistic and pagain traditions where non human creatures are worshipped. People who practiced this were considered harmful and turned into witches that cast spells on people. There have been many superstitions that cancer, AIDS, unemployment and political struggles were the result of witchraft. Currently the state is trying to find the legal tools to eliminate witchcraft because witch hunts cause terror within villages and often involve torture or murder. Victims are usually old widows or unwanted children. For people in Cameroon, the owl is seen as a sign of bad luck and the sight of one would mean misfortune. The owl is associated with witchcraft, jealousy and hatred.
|