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Options for a National Culture Symbol of Cameroon: Can the Bamenda Grassfields Traditional Dress Fit?

DOI : https://doi.org/10.36349/EASJHCS.2020.v02i01.003
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The national symbols of Cameroon like flag, anthem, coat of arms and seal do not in any way reveal her cultural background because of the political inclination of these signs. In global sporting events and gatherings like World Cup and international conferences respectively, participants who appear in traditional costume usually easily reveal their nationalities. The Ghanaian Kente, Kenyan Kitenge, Nigerian Yoruba outfit, Moroccan Djellaba or Indian Dhoti serve as national cultural insignia of their respective countries. The reason why Cameroon is referred in tourist circles as a cultural mosaic is that she harbours numerous strands of culture including indigenous, Gaullist or Francophone and Anglo-Saxon or Anglophone. Although aspects of indigenous culture, which have been grouped into four spheres, namely Fang-Beti, Grassfields, Sawa and Sudano-Sahelian, are dotted all over the country in multiple ways, Cameroon cannot still boast of a national culture emblem. The purpose of this article is to define the major components of a Cameroonian national culture and further identify which of them can be used as an acceptable domestic cultural device. The research methodology adopted for this study is the historical approach with the qualitative method of primary and secondary data collection. The major findings are that although a Cameroonian culture is being forged through ways like nationalization of land, harmonization of the chieftaincy institution and national integration, this effort can only be deciphered through symbols such as cuisine, language, music, dance and dress. While the first four of these elements are multi-faceted and labourious in nature, it is easy to identify a dress that is distinctive to the nation.

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