Editing Cameroon (section)

==Culture==
{{main|Culture of Cameroon}}

===Music and dance===
{{further|Public holidays in Cameroon}}
[[File:Baka dancers June 2006.jpg|thumb|upright|Dancers greet visitors to the East Region, 2006]]

[[Music of Cameroon|Music]] and [[dance in Cameroon|dance]] are integral parts of Cameroonian ceremonies, festivals, social gatherings, and storytelling.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 189</ref><ref name="West 18"/> Traditional dances are highly choreographed and separate men and women or forbid participation by one sex altogether.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 204.</ref> The dances' purposes range from pure entertainment to religious devotion.<ref name="West 18">[[#West|West]] 18.</ref> Traditionally, music is transmitted orally. In a typical performance, a chorus of singers echoes a soloist.<ref name="Mbaku 189">[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 189.</ref>

Musical accompaniment may be as simple as clapping hands and stamping feet,<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 191.</ref> but traditional instruments include bells worn by dancers, clappers, drums, and [[talking drum]]s, flutes, horns, rattles, scrapers, stringed instruments, whistles, and xylophones; combinations of these vary by ethnic group and region. Some performers sing complete songs alone, accompanied by a harplike instrument.<ref name="Mbaku 189"/><ref>[[#West|West]] 18–9.</ref>

Popular music styles include [[ambasse bey]] of the coast, [[assiko]] of the Bassa, [[mangambeu]] of the [[Bamileke|Bangangte]], and [[tsamassi]] of the Bamileke.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 184.</ref> [[Music of Nigeria|Nigerian music]] has influenced Anglophone Cameroonian performers, and [[Prince Nico Mbarga]]'s [[highlife]] hit "[[Sweet Mother]]" is the top-selling African record in history.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 200.</ref>

The two most popular music styles are [[makossa]] and [[bikutsi]]. Makossa developed in Douala and mixes folk music, highlife, [[Soul music|soul]], and [[Soukous|Congo music]]. Performers such as [[Manu Dibango]], [[Francis Bebey]], [[Moni Bilé]], and [[Petit-Pays]] popularised the style worldwide in the 1970s and 1980s. Bikutsi originated as war music among the Ewondo. Artists such as [[Anne-Marie Nzié]] developed it into popular dance music beginning in the 1940s, and performers such as [[Mama Ohandja]] and [[Les Têtes Brulées]] popularised it internationally during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 51</ref><ref name= Nkolo/>

===Holidays===
{{further|Public holidays in Cameroon}}
The most notable holiday associated with patriotism in Cameroon is [[National Day (Cameroon)|National Day]], also called Unity Day. Among the most notable religious holidays are [[Assumption of Mary|Assumption Day]], and [[Ascension Day]], which is typically 39 days after Easter. In the Northwest and Southwest provinces, collectively called [[Ambazonia]], October 1 is considered a national holiday, a date Ambazonians consider the day of their independence from Cameroon.<ref>Keke, Reginald Chikere. "Southern Cameroons/Ambazonia Conflict: A Political Economy", ''Theory & Event'' 23.2 (2020): 329–351.</ref>

===Cuisine===
{{further|Cameroonian cuisine}}
[[File:Ndolè à la viande, morue et crevettes.jpg|thumb|Plantains and "Bobolo" (made from cassava) served with Ndolè (meat and shrimp)]]
[[Cuisine of Cameroon|Cuisine]] varies by region, but a large, one-course, evening meal is common throughout the country. A typical dish is based on cocoyams, [[maize]], [[cassava]] (manioc), [[millet]], [[Plantain (cooking)|plantains]], [[potato]]es, [[rice]], or [[Yam (vegetable)|yams]], often pounded into dough-like [[fufu]]. This is served with a sauce, soup, or stew made from greens, [[Peanut|groundnut]]s, [[palm oil]], or other ingredients.<ref>[[#West|West]] 84–5.</ref> Meat and fish are popular but expensive additions, with chicken often reserved for special occasions.<ref name="Mbaku 121-2">[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 121–2.</ref> Dishes are often quite spicy; seasonings include salt, red pepper sauce, and [[maggi]].<ref>[[#Hudgens|Hudgens and Trillo]] 1047</ref><ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 122</ref><ref>[[#West|West]] 84.</ref>

Cutlery is common, but food is traditionally manipulated with the right hand. Breakfast consists of leftovers of bread and fruit with [[coffee]] or [[tea]]. Generally, breakfast is made from wheat flour in different foods such as puff-puff (doughnuts), accra banana made from [[banana]]s and flour, bean cakes, and many more. Snacks are popular, especially in larger towns where they may be bought from [[street vendor]]s.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 121</ref><ref>[[#Hudgens|Hudgens and Trillo]] 1049.</ref>

===Fashion===
[[File:Camerounais en tenue traditionnelle.jpg|thumb|upright|Cameroonian fashion is varied and often mixes modern and traditional elements. Note the wearing of [[sun glasses]], [[monk shoe]]s, [[sandals]], and a [[Smartwatch]]]]
Cameroon's relatively large and diverse population is likewise diverse in its fashions. Climate, religious, ethnic, and cultural beliefs, and the influences of colonialism, imperialism, and globalisation are all factors in contemporary Cameroonian dresses. Noteworthy Cameroonian dresses include [[Pagnes]], [[sarong]]s worn by Cameroon women; [[Chechia]], a traditional hat; kwa, a male handbag; and [[Gandura]], male custom attire.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cameroon-today.com/cameroon-clothing.html|title=Cameroon clothing – A description of the traditional attire of Cameroon.|website=Cameroon-Today.com|access-date=26 July 2020|archive-date=4 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804232108/https://www.cameroon-today.com/cameroon-clothing.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
Wrappers and [[loincloths]] are used extensively by both women and men but their use varies by region, with influences from [[Fulani]] styles more present in the north and [[Igbo people|Igbo]] and [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] styles more often in the south and west.<ref>Culture and Customs of Cameroon, 2000, pg. 135, by, John Mukum Mbaku</ref> [[Imane Ayissi]] is one of Cameroon's most prominent fashion designers and has received international recognition.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/cameroonimane-ayissi-detremined-to-project-cameroons-couture/|title=Cameroon:Imane Ayissi {{as written|detrem|ined [sic]}} to project Cameroon's couture|date=7 April 2020|access-date=2 May 2020|archive-date=14 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414150322/https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/cameroonimane-ayissi-detremined-to-project-cameroons-couture/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Local arts and crafts===
[[File:Woman weaving baskets near Lake Ossa.jpg|thumb|A woman weaves a basket near [[Lake Ossa]], Littoral Region. Cameroonians practise such handicrafts throughout the country]]
Traditional arts and crafts are practised throughout the country for commercial, decorative, and religious purposes. Woodcarvings and sculptures are especially common.<ref>[[#West|West]] 17.</ref> The high-quality clay of the western highlands is used for pottery and ceramics.<ref name="West 18"/> Other crafts include [[basket weaving]], [[beadwork]]ing, brass and bronze working, [[calabash]] carving and painting, [[embroidery]], and [[Leather crafting|leather]] working. Traditional housing styles use local materials and vary from temporary wood-and-leaf shelters of nomadic [[Wodaabe|Mbororo]] to the rectangular mud-and-thatch homes of southern peoples. Dwellings of materials such as cement and tin are increasingly common.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 110–3.</ref> [[Contemporary art]] is mainly promoted by independent cultural organisations ([[Doual'art]], [[Africréa]]) and [[artist-run initiative]]s ([[Art Wash]], [[Atelier Viking]], [[ArtBakery]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=8690|access-date=12 April 2013|work=The Post|author=Mulenga, Andrew|date=30 April 2010|title=Cameroon's indomitable contemporary art|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311124956/http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=8690|archive-date=11 March 2014}}</ref>

===Literature===
{{main|Literature of Cameroon}}
Cameroonian literature has concentrated on both European and African themes. Colonial-era writers such as [[Louis-Marie Pouka]] and [[Sankie Maimo]] were educated by European missionary societies and advocated [[Cultural assimilation|assimilation]] into European culture to bring Cameroon into the modern world.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 80–1</ref> After [[World War II]], writers such as [[Mongo Beti]] and [[Ferdinand Oyono]] analysed and criticised colonialism and rejected assimilation.<ref name=Fitzpatrick/><ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 77, 83–4</ref><ref name=Volet/>

===Media===
{{main|Mass media in Cameroon}}
*[[Cameroon Radio Television]]

===Films and literature===
{{further|Cinema of Cameroon}}
Shortly after independence, filmmakers such as [[Jean-Paul Ngassa]] and [[Thérèse Sita-Bella]] explored similar themes.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 119–120</ref><ref>[[#West|West]] 20.</ref> In the 1960s, [[Mongo Beti]], [[Ferdinand Léopold Oyono]] and other writers explored postcolonialism, problems of African development, and the recovery of African identity.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 85–6.</ref> In the mid-1970s, filmmakers such as [[Jean-Pierre Dikongué Pipa]] and [[Daniel Kamwa]] dealt with the conflicts between traditional and postcolonial society. Literature and films during the next two decades focused more on wholly Cameroonian themes.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 120.</ref>

===Sports===
{{main|Sport in Cameroon}}
[[File:Cameroon vs Germany 2003.jpg|thumb|[[Cameroon national football team|Cameroon]] facing [[Germany national football team|Germany]] at [[Zentralstadion]] in Leipzig, 17 November 2004]]
National policy strongly advocates sport in all forms. Traditional sports include canoe racing and wrestling, and several hundred runners participate in the {{convert|40|km|mi|abbr=on}} [[Mount Cameroon Race of Hope]] each year.<ref>[[#West|West]] 127.</ref> Cameroon is one of the few tropical countries to have [[Cameroon at the 2002 Winter Olympics|competed]] in the [[Winter Olympic Games|Winter Olympics]].

Sport in Cameroon is dominated by football. Amateur football clubs abound, organised along ethnic lines or under corporate sponsors. The [[Cameroon national football team|national team]] has been one of the most successful in Africa since its strong showing in the [[1982 Football World Cup|1982]] and [[1990 FIFA World Cup]]s. Cameroon has won five [[African Cup of Nations]] titles and the gold medal at the [[Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament|2000 Olympics]].<ref>[[#West|West]] 92–93, 127.</ref>

Cameroon was the host country of the [[Africa Women Cup of Nations|Women Africa Cup of Nations]] in November–December 2016,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/20/africa-women-cup-of-nations-cameroon-opening-ceremony-football|title=Africa Women Cup of Nations kicks off in Cameroon|date=20 November 2016|newspaper=The Guardian|last1=Shearlaw|first1=Maeve|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123163325/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/20/africa-women-cup-of-nations-cameroon-opening-ceremony-football|archive-date=23 November 2016}}</ref> the [[2020 African Nations Championship]] and the [[2021 Africa Cup of Nations]]. The [[Cameroon women's national football team|women's football team]] is known as the "Indomitable Lionesses", and like their men's counterparts, are also successful on the international stage, although it has not won any major trophy.

Cricket has also entered into Cameroon as an emerging sport with the Cameroon Cricket Federation participating in international matches.<ref>{{cite web|title=Africa Cricket Association|url=https://africacricket.com/read_more_news.php?id=118|access-date=2022-01-25|website=africacricket.com|archive-date=25 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125180153/https://africacricket.com/read_more_news.php?id=118|url-status=live}}</ref> Cameroon has produced multiple [[National Basketball Association]] players including [[Pascal Siakam]], [[Joel Embiid]], [[D. J. Strawberry]], [[Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje]], [[Christian Koloko]], and [[Luc Mbah a Moute]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://basketball.realgm.com/national/teams/18/Cameroon/nba_players |title=Cameroon NBA Players – RealGM |publisher=Basketball.realgm.com |date= |access-date=2022-05-05 |archive-date=2 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502204345/https://basketball.realgm.com/national/teams/18/Cameroon/nba_players |url-status=live }}</ref> The former [[UFC Heavyweight Champion]], [[Francis Ngannou]], hails from Cameroon.<ref>{{cite news |last=Morgan |first=Emmanuel |date=2022-01-21 |title=The Fearsome, Quiet Champion |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/21/sports/francis-ngannou-ufc-fight.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2022-04-29 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=26 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426072359/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/21/sports/francis-ngannou-ufc-fight.html |url-status=live }}</ref>