Foumban

10 APRIL 2023

Today we drove through the grassland area and through rich fertile lands heading north. Foumban is famous for its chieftains and the royal palace build by the 17th Sultan of the Bamoun dynasty.

The palace is housed in a 20th century building in the most recent structure, modelled on German colonial architecture. The first impressive royal palace was built by the Sultan Njoya who was in power from 1889-1933. He was known to have invented a corn grinding machine, a script for the Bamoun language initially used by the employees of the royal court for secrecy, and a religion which fused Christianity, Islam and the local beliefs. He was also thought to have 681 wives throughout his life.

We were shown around the palace and given a very thorough briefing about the life of the royal court through the ages. This included being shown relevant artefacts; the royal cloak covered with feathers from all the species of birds found in the region, the buffalo masks of the secret society of the king, the script designed to record the Bamoun language.

Outside, we were shown the newly built museum. This is still under construction and was closed. It is built in the shape of a spider with a serpent wrapped round it!

We spent time walking around the great market here. All kinds of food stuffs are sold including mangos.

We drove on to Koutaba where we had arranged to sleep in the rooms at a monastery. This establishment was down a dirt track in the middle of farming land. The church was newly renovated and designed in the round. A beautifully simple and serene building. Our rooms were simple ones built around a central garden with a large tree in the middle. I attended evening prayers in the church to experience the singing. The brothers are all beautiful singers and accompanied each other with the soft sound of African drums, a stringed instrument like a sitar and a light keyboard - its all done softly and in harmony. A real delight to witness. In the evening, we ate communally in the dining area; a simply prepared meal of salty soup, potato based veg dish and fruit, all from the monastery gardens. Our companions were a woman and her two daughters and a couple with four children.