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Social Differentiation in Cameroon English investigates the correlation between some extra-linguistic variables (gender, age, level of education, ethnicity, regionality, occupation, and mood) and phonological variables in a New English setting that is sociolinguistically and culturally different from most Western contexts. The investigation reveals that the type of correlation patterns between linguistic and sociolinguistic variables reported in the Western world are lacking in Cameroon because ofcontextual factors and the fact that English Language Teaching (ELT) goals in Cameroon continue to be based on Inner Circle English norms. It is therefore predicted that if mainstream Cameroon English is promoted and standardized and Cameroonian speakers of English are evaluated in terms of their knowledge of Cameroon Standard English, some of the correlation patterns reported in the Western world can equally be observable in Cameroon. ... Read more

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Pratiquant la culture du mil dans les monts du Mandara, au Nord-Cameroun, les Ouldemes appartiennent a des communautes villageoises de langues tchadiques qui ont conserve une grande partie de leur organisation sociale, de leurs croyances et de leurs valeurs. Celles-ci sont notamment le sens de la solidarite, du sacre, de la fete, de l'hospitalite, de la responsabilite personnelle et du travail bien fait. D'un enracinement de nombreux siecles, dans ces zones accidentees, resulte une adaptation fine de l'agriculture a un milieu naturel pauvre. La tradition orale ouldeme comporte des mythes d'origine, une epopee, des recits historiques, des legendes sur les extra-humains, sur les relations homme-esprits, sur la magie et la sorcellerie, et des contes ou recits sur l'humain. Le corpus selectionne, a l'exception de l'epopee qui, elle, retrace l'arrivee et l'installation du heros fondateur, propose, a travers le filtre de l'imaginaire propre au genre conte, des scenes de la vie quotidienne qui nous renseignent sur la culture materielle et l'organisation des relations sociales, ainsi que des messages recevables par des lecteurs etrangers a cette culture. Il a ete evite de selectionner les mythes, recits et legendes qui traitent plus specifiquement des croyances et des histoires locales. Car, si elles temoignent d'une grande richesse culturelle, elles ont moins vocation a l'universel. ... Read more

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Studies the culture and religion of the Chamba, Duru, Gula, and Gbaya of Cameroon.

Discusses attempts of expatriates and Africans to ask questions, to learn, and to interpret what is important in the lives and traditions of African societies in the light of the Christian Church.

Table of contents

Preface by Philip Noss
Acknowledgments
Map
Introduction by Wendell Frerichs

            Culture and Society
            Poem: The Stranger by Philip Noss
            Introduction

1. The Stranger among the Chamba
      by Bouba Bernard
2. Gbaya Proverbs and Hospitality
      by Dala Marcel
3. The Danger of Courtesy
      by Philip Noss
4. Reflections on the Life of the European
      by Bouba Bernard
5. Gbaya Marriage
      by Alice Eastwold
6. The Gbaya Dance of Diang
      by Philip Noss
7. Ordinary and Extraordinary People
      by Kombo Samuel
8. Sickness, Medicine, and Sorcery in Duru Society
      by Kadia Matthiew, Lee Bohnhoff
9. Sickness, Misfortune, and Healing among the Gbaya
      by Cecilia Noss
10. Tradition and Modernism on Horseback
       by Badoma André

Faith and Belief
Poem: Everthing Tries by Haldor Jon Noss

11. The Gbaya and the Sudan Mission: 1924 to the Present
       by Philip Burnham
12. An Interpretation of Gbaya Religious Practice
       by Philip Noss
13. Social Pressure for Religious Conformity in the Fulani Community
       by Ronald Nelson
14. Is God V nεb or Yamma?
       by Bouba Bernard
15. The Chamba Rite of V ma
       by Bouba Bernard
16. LaBi: A Gbaya Initiation Rite
       by Thomas Christensen
17. Rites of Reconciliation in Traditional Gbaya Society
       by Thomas Christensen
18. Wanto and Crocodile: The Story of Joseph
       by Philip Noss
19. A Meeting of Biblical Wisdom with Gbaya Wisdom
       by Thomas Christensen
20. Karnu: Witchdoctor or Prophet?
       by Thomas Christensen

Contributors

Product Description
This work was done in a context where groups for culture revitalization sprang all over Cameroon. By focusing on the actors, means and challenges of culture revival, it aims to describe the outcome of a process of de-tribalisation during which ethnic groups had to relinquish their traditions in order to subscribe to modernization. The revitalization of the Gbaya Culture within the Sirta group, works against this trend; tradition is made relevant and used in the current context as a tool for respectability, social element for identity reconstruction and ethnic cohesion.This study deals with the struggle for adaptation to a changing environment and the (re) invention of tradition. The book also highlights hindrances pertained in that process. By placing this debate in the global context of encounters between civilizations, this book reveals dilemmas that occur in people¿s lives, choices that are to be made, and mainly the state of bewilderment in which members of ethnic groups find themselves in Africa and more specifically in Cameroon. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! TheBaka, also known as Bebayaka, Bebayaga, Bibaya,or Babinga, are an ethnic group inhabiting thesoutheastern rain forests of Cameroon, northernRepublic of Congo, northern Gabon, and southwesternCentral African Republic. They are sometimesmistakenly called a subgroup of the Twa, but the twopeoples are not closely related. Likewise, thename "Baka" is sometimes mistakenly applied to otherarea peoples who, like the Baka and Twa, have beenhistorically called pygmies (the term is no longerconsidered respectful). ... Read more

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This meticulous and comprehensive documentation of Cameroonian Youth Day Messages and leadership discourse on youth from 1949 - 2009 is a gold mine for researchers, historians and anyone interested in studying youth, politics and society in Africa. The book presents and explores themes and content of Youth Day Messages: how these messages tied in with, or veered away from, key events and issues of the time; how they served as a platform for West Cameroon governments, and the Ahidjo and Biya regimes to articulate their political vision, justify their policies, sell their respective ideologies to the youth; and what lessons could be drawn from them on competing, conflicting and complementary perspectives on youth agency in Cameroon and Africa. Churchill links the Youth Day to ongoing discussions in Africa about the role and place of youths as agents of development in Africa. Most significantly, he finally puts Cameroon's controversial Youth Day in its appropriate historical context - not as a political device created by the Francophone politicians to distort Cameroonian history and erase 'plebiscite day' from the collective memory as Anglophone nationalists claim, but as a British Cameroons colonial legacy, successfully sold to the Ahidjo regime as a day to be commemorated throughout the federation, by leaders of the federated state of West Cameroon.Churchill Ewumbue-Monono, a senior career diplomat, is Minister Counsellor in the Cameroon Embassy in Moscow. A graduate of the International Higher School of Journalism, and the International Relations Institute of Cameroon in the University of Yaounde, he was a 1991-92 Fellow in Public Diplomacy in Boston University, USA. He has served in Cameroon in various professional capacities. Ewumbue-Monono has written extensively on Cameroon's political history, and his books include Men of Courage, published in 2005. ... Read more

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Tourism is an activity which cuts across conventional sectors its required inputs of economic, social, cultural and environmental nature (L. Lickorish and C.Jenkins 1997) many countries in the developing world are embracing tourism as a result of economic benefits. It’s a vital source of income for many countries. Hence Cameroon needs to enjoyed this phenomenon and for the past five years the government have lunched a marketing campaign to convert the country into one of Africa’s tourism hot spotsby attracting half a million visitors a year.The southwest province of Cameroon is one of those areas mostly visited by tourists and tourists’ circuit to Cameroon ends here. In other to maintain the products that attracts visitors, understanding the needs and reaction of the locals and balancing the ratio of visitors visiting the country, an impacts study of this province is vital, since this province is the backbone of Cameroon tourism potential ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from African Arts, published by The Regents of the University of California on June 22, 2009. The length of the article is 4525 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Africa in Paris: on expressive cultures from the early twentieth century to the present.(Josephine Baker in Art and Life: The Icon and the Image)(Black France: Colonialism, Immigration, and Transnationalism)(Paris Africain: Rhythms of the African Diaspora)(From Cameroon to Paris: Mousgoum Architecture In and Out of Africa)(Book review)
Author: Victoria L. Rovine
Publication: African Arts (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2009
Publisher: The Regents of the University of California
Volume: 42Issue: 2Page: 92(4)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

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This collection consists of 49 insightful essays by leading Cameroonian blogger Dibussi Tande, which originally appeared on his award-winning blog Scribbles from the Den. These essays tackle some of the most pressing and complex issues facing Cameroon today such as the stalled democratization process, the perennial Anglophone problem, the crisis of higher education, the absence of the rule of law, the lack of leadership renewal, a stifled collective memory, and a continued inability to harness technology for purposes of national development, among others. Scribbles from the Den goes beyond the news headlines to dispassionately analyze and unravel the complexities of Cameroonian politics and society. ... Read more

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Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Culture Du Cameroun, Mythe de La Tortue Chez Les Bafia, Cameroon Radio Television, Ngondo, Assiko, Kongossa. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : La culture camerounaise est caractérisée par une très grande diversité ethnique et une grande influence des cultures francophones et anglophones. Danseurs BamilékéLe Cameroun compte des centaines de royaumes traditionnels (Bodjongo'a Mbèdi, Akwa-Nord,Bali-nyonga, Bafut, Bafoussam, Foumban...) pour la plupart concentrés dans le littoral, le nord et l'ouest du pays. Ce sont de véritables entités indépendantes dont Bodjongo'a Mbèdi dans le littoral fait l'exception car sa dynastie royale remonte au-delà du 10e siècle et la plupart des autres fondées pour certaines au siècle. Organisées autour de la figure emblématique du leader ou du chef qui exerce son pouvoir dans le cadre d'un système très hiérarchisé où gravitent épouses, adjoints, notables qui sensibilisent les enfants aux rites ancestraux, des dignitaires qui récoltent les herbes et racines dans les forêts sacrées pour les sociétés secrètes, des serviteurs dévoués, des artistes peintres, des sculpteurs et des groupes d'adolescents qui constituent des gardes structurées. Ces entités tribales ont un rôle essentiel et fondamental dans la vie culturelle, politique et sociale du pays en soutenant les populations locales pour les créations d'activités, et contre la pauvreté, la maladie, le chômage, sollicitant aux uns et aux autres des capitaux pour la construction d'une école, d'un dispensaire ou d'une pompe à eau. On recense au Cameroun plus de 250 dialectes assimilés aux langues nationales, parmi lesquelles on trouve le franc-Duala, l'Ewodi, le yabassi Bodiman, le Pongo, l'Abo Balimba, le Bamoun, l'Ewondo,...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

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When the Peace Corps sends Susana Herrera to teach English in northern Cameroon, she yearns to embrace her adopted village and its people, to drink deep from the spirit of Mother Africa-and to forget a bitter childhood and painful past. To the villagers, however, she's a rich American tourist, a nasara (white person) who has never known pain or want. They stare at her in silence. The children giggle and run away. At first her only confidant is a miraculously communicative lizard.

Susana fights back with every ounce of heart and humor she possesses, and slowly begins to make a difference. She ventures out to the village well and learns to carry water on her head. In a classroom crowded to suffocation she finds a way to discipline her students without resorting to the beatings they are used to. She makes ice cream in the scorching heat, and learns how to plant millet and kill chickens. She laughs with the villagers, cries with them, works and prays with them, heals and is helped by them.

Village life is hard but magical. Poverty is rampant-yet people sing and share what little they have. The termites that chew up her bed like morning cereal are fried and eaten in their turn ("bite-sized and crunchy like Doritos"). Nobody knows what tomorrow may bring, but even the morning greetings impart a purer sense of being in the moment. Gradually, Susana and the village become part of each other. They will never be the same again. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

A Peace Corp Adventure to Africa
Navajo Indian woman Susana Herrera decides to put her violent childhood and abusive marriage behind by joining the American Peace Corp. Signing on for a two year stint in Cameroon Africa to teach young children, she has no idea just what she has gotten herself into.

Arriving on the West Coast of Africa where temperatures get well over 125 degrees and where the land is as dry as the Sahara,Susana's first struggle is to gain respect and trust from the local villagers of Guidiguis. Peace Corp volunteers are not to interfere with local politics, government rules and regulations, and are not encouraged to attempt trying to change, or improve the lifestyle of the native people. They are to mingle, commune with, and live the life as the locals do, not allowing themselves toomany outside luxuries or comforts in order to achieve acceptanceand gain an accurate picture of a realistic life in their foreign surroundings.

This is a hilarious, yet poignant heartwarming memoir that both humbles and inspires Susana. The reader will laugh out loud as she learns to balance water buckets on her head, eat fried locusts, twist the neck of her dinner time chicken, run for her life as snakes invade the outhouse, and when ravenous termites literally chomp away at her bed leaving her lying one morning, mattress on the ground. You will also cry with her as she witnesses death and disease and the frustration of the villagers who live and breathe to suffer through extreme poverty. Slowly inching her way into the hearts of the local women who teach her to cook local delicacies, she stands up to the men who are used to ordering their wives about, and gains the unconditional love of a classroom full of precious children so eager to learn English. Their goal is to learn enough to someday free themselves from their plight of living in a barren land devoid of enough food and water to keep their families alive.

Susana's tale is so full of love and hope as she becomes one with the Cameroon people. Falling in love with the local Doctor, adopting two teenage sons that teach her the African way and protect her from harm when local uprisings threaten their village, teaching the kids to cook pizza and making home-made banana splits that melt in minutes, are scenes that will have readers enchanted with her story. You too will be smitten with these people who although have nothing, are so rich in the art of loving, giving, and who welcome Susana with open arms.

The author is a very talented writer, the story is beautifully written with lavish descriptive prose. The real treat here is the interjected fun poems that are told through the eyes of a lizard as he watchesSusana's adventures through love and loss and her incredible stamina to recreate her own identity, as well as bring laughter and learning to the people of Africa. This is probably one of the best travel narratives I'm come across yet, I really loved Susana's story!

Mango Elephants in the Sun
I'm applying to the Peace Corps. An older volunteer (if I'm accepted) I've done some solo travel including a year in south and east Africa by bicycle and am wondering about the realities of serving in Africa. Susana Herrera's Mango Elephants in the Sun is a feast of surprises. Important for me, what she doesn't write but one must conclude about Peace Corp's apparently poor preparation of volunteers (or of Herrera, at least# is troubling. For example, Herrera makes much of her initiation into village live through the tradition of carying water #on one's head.# Water for all uses must be fetched from a pump a distance from homes. Herrera tells us it's a difficult skill to master. We're told Cameroonians need to have acquired the skill from childhood. Herrera tries it with help from the women at the well #with a full bucket,# stumbles and badly sprains an ankle...which apparently puts her out of action for several weeks. Wow! I thought. What an introduction to a culture, an introduction I would surely fail. I imagine villagers laughing at me, my acceptance into the village snuffed. But we happen to have some 5 gallon buckets #the kind nut butters come in at the food coop# for watering plants in the attached greenhouse, some full, some not, with water. I went out there and tried it with a half full bucket first--which, when you think about it, is common sense--and one wonders why Peace Corps didn't either give Herrera a quick lesson or at least clue her in to this critical skill and how to approach it--and it turned out to be a piece of cake #!?#. The full, open, wide-mouthed bucket #40 pounds of unstable, slopping water# was harder to get to my shoulders without making a mess and then on to my head but it, too, is relatively easy and I could almost immediately release both hands #one is easy and natural# and walk around the greenhouse, weaving between rows of plants and back and even up a few stairs and down again. Anyone can do this. The skill takes about 10 minutes to master. So what to think of Herrera's presentations of life in her village? What she makes clear is that it is relentlessly hot #even at night?#...and that she is incurabaly afraid of scorpions and snakes.
Always, Herrera's prose is engaging and comfortably spare; the stories move forward, colorfully and apace...just as the delightful cover suggests. In an almost bi-polar way, she is bolder than I, then more shy--painfully so--and does some foolish #I thought, stupid# dangerous things, often without explanation, that Peace Corps would not have advised such as stopping taking her malaria medicine. Maybe one has to be there to understand...but, then, that's what I thought was the point of writing such a book #or,

valuable account of immersion in an african village
I found Herrera's take on the people she met in Cameroon to be compassionate, loving, yet not lacking insight. The material on own life adds to the book, which is after all, a memoir, not a scholarly study, about an individual's response to radically new experiences.I do wish the author had more insight into her own psyche; but generally, her observations and experiences are well worth the read.

Ok read
Overall the book was good.I didn't like the two to four page "chapters" though.At times it seemed like the book was more about the author and her past as opposed to her Peace Corps experiences.But maybe that's what she was going for.Try "Destination Estonia" if you enjoy Peace Corps books.

Heart
Mango Elephants is a book from the heart.Herrera shares her vulnerabilities and strengths, courage and fears, joys and sorrows, all in the jumble of extremes that is so real for any traveler living alone in a culture very different than her own.

The reader becomes inspired, as Herrera was inspired, by many of the villagers she met in Cameroon.What amazing individuals they were, and what deep bonds she formed with them!Mango Elephants leads the reader through a door into their worlds.The presentation is simple, but the feelings are raw, and very human.Ultimately Susana proves to be courageous, reaching out to find mutual meaning and to offer those around her concrete signs of love.
... Read more