Traditional dance Dance in Cameroon

traditional dancer @ national festival of arts , culture in yaoundé.



baka dancers greet u.s. ambassador cameroon in east province.

cameroon home more 200 different traditional dances. dance part of ceremonies , rituals. such dances accompany births, christenings, weddings, , funerals , invoke spirits of ancestors cure ill or increase fertility. bamileke perform war dances, example, , motio of southwest incorporates slaying of goat single blow demonstrate dancers prowess. baka dance luma celebrate successful hunt. among groups, dancers work trance , communicate spirit world. example, members of ntsham society of kaka people in cameroon s northwest dance bring spiritual possession.

typically, traditional dances follow restrictions. traditional dances segregate participants according sex. example, women , men may form concentric same-sex circles, or may dance in separate areas. among various fondoms in cameroon grassfields, nobles , commoners may not participate in same dances. likewise, traditional laws severely restrict dancing of fon s wives , daughters, restricting them palace.

some dances intended specific class of people, such hunters, jesters, or warriors. among ethnic groups, professional dancers make living performing dances @ appropriate ceremonies. in villages, diviner dances part of or duties. in modern times, such traditional dance professionals rare. instead, professional dancers live in urban centres , perform tourists or @ national festivals.

many traditional cameroonian dances follow strict choreography, although improvisation common. dancers move different parts of body independently, focusing motion on more 1 area. dances associated specific regalia or props. traditional objects used include leather fans , small pieces of cloth. in grasslands, masks common. gourna of tupuri incorporates long sticks dancers carry upright in circle.