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Tourist places in Bamenda |
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| Tuesday, 22 April 2008 | |
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History
of Bamenda
In origin
the city is an amalgamation of three villages - Mankon, Mendakwe and Nkwen.
The first was named for the Mankon people, and alliance of five ethnic groups
which founded a chieftaincy (a fon) known as the Mankon Fon.
Bamenda's principal ethnic group is the Tikar. In the past, the Tikar faced invasions from peoples in the surrounding hills, and between 1700 and 1800, they joined a confederation established by the Mbum for defense purposes. Bamenda was subjected to German colonialism in the late 19th century, and evidence of Germany's former occupation of Bamenda can still be seen today in structures such as the Fort at the Bamenda station. After the defeat of the Germans in World War I (1914-1918) the League of Nations shared German colonial territories among victorious nations. Western Cameroon was administered jointly with Nigeria under the protectorate of the British until 1961 when following a plebiscite it attained independence by joining then the already independent République du Cameroun. Today, many of the city's inhabitants are English-speaking, and Cameroonian Pidgin English is the main language spoken in the shops and on the streets of Bamenda. Some Anglophone political pressure groups represented in the city such as the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC) advocate secession from the rest of Cameroon, which is Francophone.
Tourist
Attractions in Bamenda
gateway
to the highlands
A virtual guide to Cameroon. Get an overview of Cameroon's art, culture, people, environment, geography, history, economy and its government. Beside a country profile with facts and figures, this page offers maps, statistics, weather information, and links to sources that provide you with information about this West central african nation, e.g.: official web sites of Cameroon, addresses of Cameroonian and foreign embassies, domestic airlines, local news, city- and country guides with extensive travel and tourism information on accommodation, tourist attractions, events and more. Mankon town Bamenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town, is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the North West Province. The city has an estimated 446,000 inhabitants and is located 366 km (227 mi) north-west of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé. Bamenda is known for its cool climate and scenic hilly location. As a provincial centre the city has numerous markets, banks, and offices. The main industries are the processing of agricultural produce such as coffee. The local museum and shops display a wide variety of local baskets, beads, woodcarvings and bronze statues. In Bamenda there are cultural sites such as the Mankon Fon's Palace with its newly constructed museum, and the Bali Fon's palace with its ancient architectural structures. The mountainous terrain around the city affords scenic views such as that from the mountain Sabga over the Ndop plain. Bamenda is the seat of the largest opposition political party in Cameroon, the Social Democratic Front (SDF), and the home of its leader, John Fru Ndi. The SDF is Cameroon's largest opposition party and was founded in Bamenda. Mount Oku, The forests of the Kilum-Ijim area, around Mount Oku in West Cameroon, are the largest remaining patch of montane forest in West Africa, and the highest in altitude. This important habitat harbours endemic species of both animals and plants but is surrounded by a high density of human settlements: c. 300,000 people live within a day's walk of the forest, which covers only 200 sq km. BirdLife International and the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry, Government of Cameroon, are currently operating the Kilum-Ijim Forest Project, with the overall goal of conserving representative areas of the Cameroon montane forest biome in the long-term. The purpose of the project is to ensure that the biodiversity, extent and ecological processes of the Kilum-Ijim Forest are maintained and that the forest is used sustainably by the local communities. The existence of a small Sphagnum community and associated wetland plant species was discovered in 1997 on the summit of Mount Oku, at 2900 m. This site is of extremely high conservation importance because several plant species endemic to the Kilum-Ijim area have been recorded there. In addition, it is the highest Sphagnum bog and the source of the highest stream in West Africa. Menchum River Water Fall
A waterfall is
usually a geological formation resulting from water, often in the form of a
stream, flowing over an erosion-resistant rock formation that forms a sudden
break in elevation or nickpoint.
Some waterfalls form in mountain environments where the erosive water force is high and stream courses may be subject to sudden and catastrophic change. In such cases, the waterfall may not be the end product of many years of water action over a region, but rather the result of relatively sudden geological processes such as landslides, faults or volcanic action. kon Fon’s (Chief’s) Palace The town of Bafut is a town in Cameroon in the Northwest Province, to the North of the city of Bamenda. It is the headquarters of the Bafut Subdivision. It is famous for
The town of
Bafut is probably best remembered as the place where the famous naturalist
Gerald Durrell came on two animal-collecting expeditions in 1949 and 1957.
Durrell wrote two accounts - The Bafut Beagles and A Zoo in My
Luggage - on his travels in Bafut, and created a mini-TV series, To
Bafut with Beagles.
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