Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Rue des Artisans)
South of town, the Village des Artisans seems to produce more handicrafts
than the rest of Cameroon combined.
Musée des Arts et Traditions Bamoun
MUSEUM
(admission CFA1000; 9am-5pm)
Close to the Village des Artisans, this museum houses a
private collection of art and historical artefacts.
Festivals & Events
Every year at
Tabaski
, the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, Foumban attracts thousands of
pilgrims for an extraordinary blend of Muslim and traditional Bamoun ceremonies.
It all starts before sunrise with the call to prayer blasting from loudspeakers at the
mosque. Thousands of men and boys, dressed in their finest, climb the hill to the Sacred
Mountain and kneel in prayer. Around dawn the imam arrives, followed by the sultan in
his white Cadillac. There are sunrise prayers, a sermon from the imam and a blessing from
the sultan (on Eid al-Adha this is when the sheep is sacrificed). The sultan then gets on his
horse surrounded by warriors in full regalia, and everyone follows him in an enormous
parade to the palace, while the women and girls, so far absent from the proceedings, line
the streets dressed all in white and ululate as the sultan passes.
After the parade there's a rest, and then horses race through town. There's another
break until it gets dark, when the drumming and dancing start in front of the Palais Royal.
Meanwhile (this is still Cameroon, after all) people pack the bars and clubs, and when
these are full they set up speakers on the streets for heavy drinking and dancing until the
sun comes up.
Sleeping & Eating
Bars, beer and grilled meat are abundant. Happy days.
Hotel Complexe Adi
HOTEL
$
( 7607 9507, 9953 5515; Rue de l'Hotel Beau Regarde; r CFA6000)
Look for the giant voodoo statue of
a man studded by nails to find Adi's entrance. While the rooms here are clean, they're
smallish and very basic (just a bed and a small bathroom), and the bar downstairs gets
pretty loud. If there are no rooms available here, try the similar Hotel Beau Regard across
the road.
Hotel Pekassa de Karché
HOTEL
$$
