Cameroon

Francis Ramirez

Trevor Wisniewski

Erik Andersson

Basic Info on Cameroon

• Capital: Yaounde

• Climate: tropical along coast, desert-like and arid inland

• Religions: 40% African religions, 40% Christian, 20% Muslim (Free Religion)

• Government: Republican

Cameroonian History

• 500 A.D- Bornu Empire takes over– Separate kingdoms, tribes, and fondums

• 1520- Portuguese take over and set up banana plantations and slave trade

• 1600- Dutch take over slave trade• 1884- Germans declare Cameroon their protectorate• 1916- British/French forces take over, split it (80%

French, 20% British)• 1960- Independence gained under the new President,

Ahmadou Ahidjo • 1982- New president, Paul Biya, moves toward

Democracy

Cameroon Education

• Children have acess to free, state run schools – School system influenced by British and

French school system– Lessons taught in French and English– Highest school attendance rate in Africa

Cameroon Politics

• President has broad range of powers from creating policies to creating new gov’t agencies. Appoints all government officials, including Prime Minister– Selected by popular vote every 7 years

• Legal system based on French Civil Law– President appoints Supreme court judges

• National Assembly makes legislation– 180 members, majority votes to pass laws

• Local governments run by traditional chiefs

Cameroon Culture

• European Influence– Christian missionaries

bring over European holidays like x-mas.

– Cameroonian films are heavily influenced by European themes such as Assimilation

• African Traditions– Cultures vary for every

ethnic group– Traditional African arts and

crafts like weaving baskets or mud pottery

– Nigerian Music heavily influences Cameroon Music

– Music and Dance huge part in Cameroonian ceremonies. Used for both entertainment and religion

The people of Cameroon

• 250 ethnic groups that form 5 different cultural/religious groups– Western Highlanders include Bamileke people

• Mostly Christian and Traditional African religions

– Coastal people and Southern Tropical people• Major Christian Regions, English Speaking

– Northern, central Highlanders • Muslim majority, French is major language

Work Cited

• http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ad39

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1021488.stm

• http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/cameroon.html