Life in the Cameroon Grasslands

Annual dance in Babanki Tungo: the appearance of a military society, Northwest Province of Cameroon. Photo by Hans-Joachim Koloss.

In many places of the Cameroon Grasslands the annual dance is one of the social and religious highlights of the whole year and demonstrates the unity and peace of a society. It takes place at the beginning of the dry season and often at Christmas. All men and women take part in it, and all who had emigrated to the cities of the south return then to their home country to visit their families and friends. The most popular events are the demonstrations of the military societies, when the warriors shoot with their Dane-guns. Even kings used to join them, and this is still done by the King of Babanki Tungo: he is the young man on the left side wearing glasses.