Cameroon is home to people from about 250 ethnic groups who are divided along religious and language lines. These tribal and linguistic groups were never united at any time.
Composed of many clans, the Bamiléké people are an ethnic group part of a larger cultural area known collectively as the Cameroon Grasslands. Within the Bamiléké complex there are numerous smaller peoples who are loosely affiliated and share many similarities while retaining separate identities and speak many different languages.
Ethnic
groups of West Cameroon
Migration
The ancestry of the Bamiléké people can be traced back
to Egypt. During the 13th or 14th century, their ancestors left Egypt
and began a descent across Africa. They settled in what is now Sudan,
for a time, before traveling to an area now within the borders of northern
Cameroon.
During the middle of the 17th century, the Bamiléké people's forefathers left the north to avoid being forced to convert to Islam. They migrated as far south as Foumban. Conquerors came all the way to Foumban to try to impose Islam on them. A war began, pushing some people to cross a river while others remained, submitting to Islam. This marks the division between the Bamun and Bamiléké people. Today, it is rare to find Bamiléké Muslims.
Colonialism
Like most African countries, Cameroon was victim to colonization. The
Bamiléké people had their own kingdom before the colonial
period but have since lost much of their political autonomy. Contact with
Europeans began with the Portuguese in the 1500s . During the next three
centuries, Spanish, Dutch, and British traders visited the area, and there
was coastal slave trading. Christian missions appeared in the mid-1800s
and still are active.
In 1884, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France each attempted to connect
to the area. In a treaty with local chiefs, Germany got partial control
over Cameroon but British and French armies invaded the German colony
in 1914. A 1919 declaration divided Cameroon between the United Kingdom
and France with the larger, eastern area under France.
Independence
French Cameroon became the Republic of Cameroon on January 1, 1960. On
October 1, 1961, the southern part joined French Cameroon, and the new
Federal Republic of Cameroon was created. Ahmadou Ahidjo, a Muslim from
the north, served as the first president of Cameroon and ruled from 1960
to 1982.
Although Cameroon was pronounced independent, the French and British still
controlled much of what was going on in the country. During the 1960's,
the Bamiléké people revolted. French military troops slaughtered
hundreds of thousands of Bamiléké people. It is estimated
that 400,000 Bamiléké people were killed in just a few years.
In 1982, Ahidjo's prime minister, a Christian from the south, Paul Biya
was hand picked to become the next president. He has been president ever
since.
President Paul Biya
