Cameroon has a diverse population with over 250 ethnic groups who have distinct cultural traditions. Rituals and ceremonies play an important role in Cameroonian culture, both formally in national holidays and elections, and informally in local festivals, life events, and everyday greetings. Traditional music, dance, masks, and storytelling accompany many rituals. Food is also an important part of culture, with hierarchical eating practices and preference for eating with the right hand. Cameroon's diversity results from its colonial history and variety of climates and landscapes across the country.

1. THE CULTURE OF
CAMEROON
Presented
By
Boyd B., Marcella G., Truc-Linh H., Erica H

2. THE CAMEROONIANS
http://www.bing.com/search?q=cameroon
The goal of this presentation is how to
communication with the Cameroonians by
understanding their traditions in clothing
and what role men and women plays in
Cameroon.

3. Rituals (Formal and informal)
http://www.bing.com/search?q=cameroon
By
Boyd Brathwaite

4. Cameroon is situated by the Gulf of Guinea
on the west coast of Africa. Its area is
179,527 square miles (465,000 square
kilometers). Nigeria lies to the west, Chad
and the Central African Republic to the
east, and the People's Republic of Congo,
Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon to the
south. The climate is hot and humid in the
forested south and west, cooler in the
highland Grassfields region of the West
and Northwest provinces, and hotter and
drier in the savanna and sahel of the north.
The capital, Yaoundé, is in the Center
province,

5. The beginning of traditions and rituals:
(Informal)
but Cameroon has distinct
regional cultural, religious, and
political traditions as well as
ethnic variety. The division of the
country into British- and French-
ruled League of Nations
mandates after World War I
created Anglophone and
Francophone regions. The
English-speaking region is
divided into two cultural regions.
The Grass fields peoples of the
Northwest Province consist of
nearly one hundred chiefdoms
each ruled by a divine king (fon)
.
http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Cameroon.htm

6. Now the peoples
of the Southwest
province had less
hierarchical
systems of
governance and
social
organization. who
live along the
slopes of Mount
Cameroon. The
Bakweri practice
rites of healing and
initiation in
associations of
spirit mediums that
distinguish
between male and
female roles and
between village
and bush.
http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Cameroon.htm

7. http://www.bing.com/search?q=cameroon
In the French-speaking area, the largely the northern region has
Muslim north is culturally distinct from the been culturally dominated
largely Christian and animist south. The by the Fulani. Urban
northern area includes three provinces: Fulani are renowned as
Adamoua, North, and Extreme North. clerics in the Sunni
Since the jihad led by an Islamic cleric in branch of Islam,
1804,
http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Cameroon.htm

8. http://www.bing.com/search?q=cameroon
and most of the southern peoples are
Christian or engage in traditional, animist
religious practices; but ritual communication
extends beyond collective religious
expression. It is an intrinsic part of everyday
interactions, ceremonies, theatrical
performances, shamanic chants, political
demonstrations which involves music and
dance. Almost all occasions and events are
accompanied by music. Generally
transmitted orally, the general For forest hunter groups like Baka,
accompaniments are claps or stomping Medzan and Kola, death is the most
feet. In traditional performances, there is a important ceremony and they believe
chorus baking up a soloist, accompanied by that forest spirits participate in death
traditional instruments like ceremonies by dancing under a ruffia
bells, drums, talking mask.
drums, flutes, horns, rattles, scrapers, whistl
es, xylophones and stringed instruments all
of which varies from one group to another.
In certain cases performers sing by
themselves only with a harp-like instrument.
http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Cameroon.htm

9. Masked dancers, some on stilts, whirl
about at village festivals. Wooden flutes
and xylophones made from gourds fill the
http://www.bing.com/search?q=cameroon
air with music. As a story recites ancient
tale, small audience gathers around.
People from all of Cameroon’s ethnic A man sharing a story with his son
groups take part in these activities.
Pygmies still hunt and grow crops in the
southern rain forest. Fulani herd cattle
in the north, and many Cameroonians
work in oil and shipping industries.
These are just a few examples of the
variety of life in Cameroon. Cameroon is
“Africa in Miniature” (qtd. in Kummer 9). http://www.bing.com/search?q=cameroon
http://www.bing.com/search?q=cameroon

10. * As a sign of respect men often lower their head and avert their eyes when
greeting someone superior to them in age or position.
* Some Muslims will not shake hands across genders.
* Since this is a hierarchical society, elders are greeted first.
* Women tend not to look the other person in the eye even if it is another
woman.
* Greetings should never be rushed. It is important to take time to inquire about
the person’s family and other matters of general interest during the greeting
process.
Gift Giving Etiquette
* If you are invited to a Cameroonian’s home, bring fruit, whiskey, or wine to the
host.
* Do not bring alcohol if the host is Muslim.
* A small gift for the children is always a nice touch. School materials or sweets
are standard.
* Gifts are not always opened when received.
* Gifts are given with two hands or the right hand only; never the left hand.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=cameroon+&view=detail

11. Initiation dance ceremony Eating with right hand
In traditional homes, men eat first, then the women, and finally the children. In each
of these groups, the oldest are serve first. Hand washing is an important ritual
before the meal because food is eat with their fingers. Most food is served from a
common bowl.
This is a practice that is found in many cultures around the world (Kummer 119).
Meeting and Greeting
* Cameroonian greetings vary between the Francophone and Anglophone areas.
* In both areas, men shake hands with each other.
* In the Francophone south, close friends may embrace while brushing cheeks and
kissing the air along with a handshake.
* In the Anglophone north, close friends have a unique handshake in which, as
they pull their hands back they snap the other person’s middle finger with their

12. Cameroon’s wide variety of ethnic groups,
languages, religions, climates, and
vegetation zones has resulted in many
ways of life. Cameroonians eat a great
number of different foods, live in many
types of homes, and wear distinctive,
colorful clothing. Although they celebrate
numerous traditional festivals, their
national independence has added http://www.bing.com/search?q=cameroon
important new holidays (Kummer 119).
Traditions and Rituals: (Formal)
Ethnic groups and villages throughout Cameroon have special celebrations.
Each November, a famous horse racing festival takes place in Kumbo, a
grasslands town of the Banso people. Canoe racing takes place in Limbe’s
costal waters between December and March. During the racing
season, people from nearby villages perform traditional music and dances
onshore. Wrestling tournament are part of the traditional Bakweri culture.
They take place in Fako in the dry season in village, division, and subdivision
levels. Two national holidays are celebrated with parades, speeches, and
other festivities throughout Cameroon (Kummer 126-127).

13. On February 11, the nation celebrates Youth Day. Cameroonian youth in their
schools uniforms parade down the nation’s cities streets. One year the parade
in Yaounde lasted five hours.
On May 20, the nation now celebrates National Day. The paredes and
speeches are held to promote the feeling of national unity (kummer 126-127).
Another formal event in Cameroon is the
presidential election. The president is the
head of the executive branch, as well as
the head of state. The president must be
born in Cameroon and be at least thirty
five years old. The president is directly
elected by all voters in the entire nation
(Kummer 59).

14. According to the new constitution, the term of office is seven years, and the
president can be reelected only once. The president holds most of the political
and governmental power in Cameroon. He appoints the prime minister and has
approval of all the ministers in the Council of Ministers. There are almost thirty
ministries that take care of everything in the country from agriculture to youth
and sports. The president decides what the ministers do and how long they
may do it (Kummer 59-60).
Culture is a learned system of knowledge,
behavior, attitudes, belief, values, and norms
that is shared by group of people from one
generation to the next. Identifying what a
given group of people values or appreciates
can give us insight into the behavior of an
individual raised within that culture. Although
there are considerable differences among the
world’s cultural values. Some researchers
believe that the values of individualism and
collectivism are the most important values of
any culture—they determine the essential
nature of every other facet of how people
behave (Beebe 150-154). It is this that we
see in Cameroon.

15. GENDER ROLES
 Overview
- Cameroon is a very diverse place. Lonely Planet’s Book Africa: 30th
Anniversary Edition (2007) notes that Cameroon is “one of the most
culturally diverse countries on the continent, its people include ancient
tribal kingdoms, Muslim pastoralists and forest-dwelling pygmies” (p.
276)
- That being said the gender roles described are a general impression of
the culture. Some parts of Cameroon may have more or less gender
inequalities. Communication will vary depending on the ethnic group.

16. MEN & WOMEN
Men Women
 Responsible for money/assets  Responsible for home/children
- land ownership (agricultural) -cooking
- main job holder -cleaning
-care-giving/child raising
 Owner of all assets
 May have part-time job along with
household duties
 More dominant than women
 Likely doesn’t own assets
 Controlling
 Less dominant than men
 Strong ideas on women’s role in society
 Controlled

17. INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE
 What is intercultural communication competence?
- According to the book The Blue Book of Communication Studies it is “the
ability to adapt one’s behavior toward another person in ways that are
appropriate to the other person’s culture” ( Beebe, et al., 2011).
 How can we adapt to Cameroon’s culture in relation to gender roles?
- An American may have trouble understanding the gender inequality and roles
of men and women in Cameroon.
- When immersed in Cameroonian culture an individual may have to change
the way they communicate and realize that women won’t be as highly
regarded as men. For example, according to the site Canadian site Centre for
Intercultural Learning (2009), in a work environment “men in managerial
positions are likely be respected more than women”( Gender section, para.
2).

18. INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE-
CONTINUED
- If an American woman moved to Cameroon she may have a hard time
adapting to their gender roles and integrating herself into their society. To
successfully adapt she must realize that most men in Cameroon perceive
women in a certain way and be considerate of this when communicating.
- Knowing the gender roles of men and women also allows an outsider to
know who it’s best to communicate with on certain subjects. For example,
women are the main caregivers in Cameroon society, and so questions on
care-giving would be best answered by a Cameroon women. In some parts
of Cameroon a “woman is totally submissive to the man’s authority”( Local
Perspective section, 2009, para. 1), which means the husband is more highly
regarded in conversation than the wife; what he says goes.
- People must use intercultural communication competence to better
understand, communicate, and interact with different cultures, such as
Cameroon.

19. SOMETIMES YOUR CLOTHING SAYS
MORE THAN YOU DO
Formal Clothing
In Cameroon

20. Have you ever judged a person on how they dress?
Let’s imagine when you enter a room for the first time, it takes a few seconds for people you have
never met to form perceptions about you and your abilities ratify your clothing.
* In Business:
Your formal clothing speaks volume about who you are as person and as a business communicator.
It is the same in Cameroon; however, according to Peace Corps webside, there are difference between a
business man and woman.
Women : Long, nice skirt/shirt combo or dress (not pants).
At least two nice skirts with shirts (button down or other office-wear type shirt).
Appropriate outfits can later be made easily in-country, and many Volunteers choose to wear locally-made
clothing which Cameroonians appreciate.
Man: Nice pants and button down shirt. Have at least two outfits of business casual quality.
Inexpensive second-hand suits can also be found in the market.

21. * In General :
Cameroon’s varied climate and differing religious and social customs have created a diversity in traditional
clothing.
Types of formal clothes in Cameroon:
Pagnes: A long swath of fabric, the pagne is a wrapper-style garment worn by women in Cameroon. The
type of cloth used varies from simple cotton batik prints to heavily embroidered satin fabrics for formal
occasions. Pagnes are beautiful and functional, and may be used in several ways: as a protective head
covering, a skirt, a sling-style baby carrier, or to provide warmth and dryness during the rainy season.
Quartre Pouches: This two-piece men's outfit is found in southern and tribal Cameroon. It consists of a pair
of loose-fitting pants and a shirt, often with square pockets on the front. The pieces are made of cotton in
matching designs, resembling the geometric mud cloth patterns created in Mali, West Africa. The outfit
sometimes is worn with a round, close-fitting hat made from matching fabric.

22. Boubou: Popular in northern Cameroon and common in other areas during special occasions such
as : wedding, the name of a child, a coming of age ceremony, or visit a important person, the "un
boubou avec pantaloon" is a traditional four-piece outfit for men. The ensemble consists of an
undershirt, flowing outer shirt that falls to the hips or longer, loose-fitting pants and a matching hat.
Each piece is made of cotton. The outer shirt is made with multicolored patterns and usually is
embroidered at the neckline, hem or sleeves. The hat matches the pattern of the outer shirt, and the
pants are either solid colored or a complementary print.

23. Do you know that our dress is one type of nonverbal communication signal? Actually, It
can make a communication with out any conversation. Clothing express people’s
personality, taste, standard of choice, and few more basic norms. Individually, a well formal dressed
person expresses his/her confidence, credibility, and competency. Cameroonians usually choose
clothes that fit with the situations that they attend to give a right message to other people.

24. WHAT TO WEAR OR WHAT
NOT TO WEAR. THAT IS THE
QUESTION?
When traveling to another county, we
need to think about that country’s
climate, culture, cloth washing, &
recreation activates.
It’s hard to figure out what to pack &
how much of it to pack.
Research on the country & or talking to
others that have visited Cameroon will
help with these questions.

25. Brief History of Cameroon
Cameroon’s people were divided by the
rulings of the British & the French. The
country was divided by North &
South, Muslim & Christianity, English
language & French language.
Cameroon’s clothing reflex's their religion
& the nation in which once ruled them as
well as the climate of the northern region
& southern region that they live in.
The northern region was ruled by the
French & predominantly Muslim with a
climate being dry & humid.
The southern region was ruled by the
British is predominantly Christian with a
climate of lots of rain & humid.

26. Causal Dress by Cameroon’s
In the northern region where Muslim is the
culture & religion, the rule of thumb for
casual dress for women is that as long as
their clothing covers their body except their
hands & face, is not tight fitting or of sheer
material, bold in color & should not
resemble the man’s clothing. This is so
that women don’t attract men purely for
the sexual nature, but for the beauty with
in. For men a similar attire applies. Men
should always be covered in loose,
unrevealing clothes. No shorts of any kind
that is above the knee.
Think simple, modest, & dignity for dress.

27. CASUAL DRESS BY
CAMEROON’S
In the southern part of Cameroon
because the people are
predominantly Christians and
were ruled by the British, their
casual clothing is based on the
English type of dress. Because
of their climate which is lots of
rain & very humid they tend to
wear earth tone, light weight
clothing. Adults are expected to
wear professional clothing for
work, & not too revealing clothing
after work.

28. PACKING FOR CAMEROON
When packing for your trip to Cameroon, you want to consider the culture & the
climate.
You may want to consider having your shirts or dresses custom made for only
$10.00 there. This will cut down on how many piece of clothing you will bring.
For the most part Cameroon temperature is hot & dry, unless you plan on traveling
up into the higher elevations of the region a light jacket will be fine.
It would be wise to bring clothing that is of earth tone clothes, such as: browns,
beige, whites, greens, yellows etc. This is because of how dry it is, dust & sediments
will get your clothes dirty very quickly & the water that you wash your clothes in
may discolor bright & delicate materials.
Shorts & tang tops are only acceptable for sports & vacation time.

29. References
Adly. Imam., (2010). Masjid al-Muslimiin Retrieved from
http://www.almasjid.com/content/islamic_dress_code
Amela. P., Eldman. F., & Avelsberg. S., (2011). Countries & Their Cultures Cameroon. Retrieved from
http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Cameroon.html
Beebe, S., Beebe, S.J, Ivy, D., Lane, S., Redmond, M. (2011). The Blue Book of Communication Studies.
Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
"Cameroon - Bing Images." Bing. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=cameroon>.
"Cameroon." Bing. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://www.bing.com/search?q=cameroon>.
Cameroon Clothing Traditional Attire and Dress Fashion of Cameroon.web.
http://www.cameroontoday.com/cameroonclothing.html#ixzz1df N6b9Wu
Cameroon-Today. (2010). Welcome to Cameroon Africa. Cameroon Africa
http://www.cameroon-today.com/cameroon-clothing.html
“Cameroon.” Web. 11 Nov. 2011. <http://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-
churches/regions/africa/cameroon.html>.

30. References
Centre for Intercultural Learning. (2009). Cultural Information. Religion, Class, Ethnicity, & Gender.
Retrieved from http://www.intercultures.
Countries and Their Cultures. “Cameroon.” Web. 11 Nov. 2011. <http://www.everyculture.com>.
ca/cil-cai/ci-ic-eng.asp?iso=cm#cn-7
Fitzpatrick. L., (2009). What Type of Clothing Do You Wear to Cameroon? Retrieved from
http://www.ehow.com/way_5591277_type-clothing-do-wear-cameroon_.html
Invitees: What to wear. Peace Corps. Web. http://cameroon.peacecorps.gov/invitees-dress.php
Jacqui & Lars. (web design). (2001). Nake Campsite 1895. [photo] Retrieved from
http://www.soulfulpresence.org/programs-initiatives.php
Kummer Patricia K. (2004). Cameroon Enchantment of the World. Boston, MA: Herman Adler Design.
McManus, M (site designer). (2005). Meeting with Belo Staff Members in 2005. [photo]. Retrieved from
http://cvai.org/about/

31. References
Peace Corps. Retrieved March 18, 2011 from Peace Corps Wiki
http://www.peacecorpswiki.com/Packing_list_for_Cameroon
Pitcher, G., Andrew, D., Armstrong, K., Bainbridge, J., Bewer, T. Carillet, J.,…Wruble, V. (2007). Africa :
30th Anniversary Edition. Hong Kong, China: Lonely Planet . Publications Pty Ltd.
Soulful Presence. (non-profit org.). (2011). [photo]. Retrieved from
http://www.soulfulpresence.org/programs-initiatives.php