Source: CCTV.com

10-24-2006 17:28

Not long after we entered Cameroon, our cars came to a winding mountain path in a tropical forest.

Located in central West Africa, Cameroon is known for its varied topography. Except for some plains around Chad Lake in the north and those along the coast, most of the territory is highland. The country has almost all the climate types and plant species of Africa and so it is known as "the epitome of Africa".

Among the more than 230 tribes in Cameroon, the largest tribe accounts for only 7% of the population. As many tribes living in the mountains and forests in the west of Cameroon are not within easy access they have maintained their unique customs and habits and even their own languages. Cameroon is also reputed as being 'a window on African tribes'.

Many tribal kingdoms took shape in Cameroon in the 5th century. Today, some of them still retain their systems of kingship as well as their traditional lifestyles. They are a unique part of modern life in the Republic of Cameroon.

We came to the Kingdom of Bamoun, one of the most typical tribal kingdoms in the West Province of Cameroon.

At 6 on Friday morning, Foumban, the capital of the Kingdom of Bamoun, is awakened by the deep and resonant sound of a horn. It tells the people of the town that the weekly ceremony of alms-giving from the King of Bamoun is about to begin and gradually more and more of the king's subjects gather in front of the royal palace.

The King appears when everything is ready.

Many children line up in front of the King's chair, eager to receive gifts from the King. These gifts are deep-fried maize cakes, hot, sour-sweet and tasty. Enough cakes have been prepared for both the children and adults present at the ceremony which is regarded as the bestowal of the King's bounties upon the earth.

His Majesty Ibrahim Mbombo Njoya is the 19th King of Bamoun. He is 66 but only ascended to the throne in 1992. In the 30 years before that, he was Cameroon's minister of posts and telecommunications, minister of youth and sports, minister of information, minister of culture and minister of territorial administration. He is known as 'an evergreen tree in Cameroon's political arena'. He visited China when he was the minister of culture and is very friendly to China.

The alms-giving ceremony lasts 25 minutes. Right now, a traditional 'messenger' is rattling a musical instrument in the square. In the past, such messengers passed on information from other places, telling people if there was a problem in any family or if any enemy was invading the Kingdom.

When the alms-giving ceremony is held, it also means that the King will be receiving his subjects in public. After performing a prayer, King Njoya then handles many affairs.

To a certain degree, the King of Bamoun is the father of all the subjects in his Kingdom. From morning to night every day, he has to solve many real problems for the public, including disputes between neighbours, disputes over inheritance or land and even wedding or funeral ceremonies. Fortunately, certain affairs are now handled by the government of a prefecture in the West Province but disputes over land still have to be settled by the royal family, because all the land of the Kingdom is owned by the King.

After the alms-giving ceremony, the princesses came to the living quarters of the palace. At this time every week, the princesses call on the King's mother who is now over 80. Her position in the royal family is second only to that of the King.

Men outside the royal family are not allowed to enter the living quarters of the palace. With the special permission of King Njoya, however, we put up a video camera there. Obviously the King's mother and princesses look a bit intimidated but to enliven the atmosphere, one of the princesses cracks a joke with the minister in charge of cultural affairs of the royal family who is also accompanying us.

Editor:Wang Ping