Skip to main content


      DAZZLING MULTI CULTURAL AMBIANCE AT FOOD MARKET                                  


                    BY MILDRED NDUM WUNG KUM

 At the Bamenda Food Market Cameroon, there exists a cultural space.  The scenery combines several aspects of culture. It reflects the natural and artistic heritage of Africa and to a very great extent that of Cameroon. 

This area of the market that serves as a reference point to peoples and their identity lie westward the Food Market just opposite a pharmacy called Amen Pharmacy and adjacent a market area called fowl line. The area has not been given a formal name, however “country line” is the appellation used by locals to describe the area. 

 While passing around the area, I was really fascinated by the vast array of cultural goods displayed at the open shed shops there. With curiosity, I dashed into one of the sheds where these goods have been displayed. Fortunately for me, the trader was friendly so after introducing myself to him as a cultural journalist we exchanged niceties and he told me he is Alhaji Tanimu Halidu.

Upon inquiries, he named some of the goods to me. They include


  • embroidered clothes made in selected colours, 

  • Liquids and concoctions like honey, African panacea, lemon oil castor oil, kernel oil, and olive oil

  • Invaluable rocks of health benefits like black stone, yellow stone, foot stone and white stone.

  • Sea fruits like cowries, 

  • Sculpted utensils like clay pots, cow horn cups, carved ornaments, molten farm tools, calabashes, wooden spoons, pans and sceptres.

  • Powders made from turmeric, garlic, tobacco, camwood and sasswood

  • Others like back of different trees, herbs, black seeds, incense, sweet pepper, hot pepper, feathers from porcupine, bird eggs and fowls.


 Many appear as artistic works that mimic real and natural creatures e.g. horse tail.


Preview of varied cultural goods, images captured at open shed shops, Food Market Bamenda


Camp wood



Cowries

Clay pots


The cultural goods found at Country Line are essentially the gift of nature that abound on mother earth. Most of the items there reflect the habits and way of life of people living in the tribes and villages in the North West region of Cameroon.

 A handful of the other cultural items come from other tribes in the other regions of the country with a handful others from other African countries like Ghana and Nigeria. The cultural goods are acquired by those who cherish it mostly for health, medicinal or ornamental purposes.

Candidly speaking, the place called Country Line at the Bamenda food market can regarded as a cultural conservation area; it possesses a collection of natural food and fruits, artefacts, relics, monuments and art and craft and indeed it is an eye appeal.

They arouse the interest of any passerby who would only be satisfied by stopping by and buying one or two goods for a try or ask questions for knowledge and understanding.




Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 16, 2019 at 9:34 PM

    👍

    ReplyDelete
  2. sheiOctober 17, 2019 at 7:49 AM

    Great! I need to fine that place ASAP.

    We probably need to advocate for a cultural space in Bamenda town. I see a lot of cultural goods all over the town. I think it would Venice to have a centre where one can go find this cultural richness of the Grassfield in one place

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Editor's Picks

KUMBO BISHOP SETS FEB 21 TO  PRAY FOR NGARBUH VICTIMS BY MILDRED NDUM WUNG KUM The Bishop of Kumbo Diocese His Lordship George Nkuo has set February 21 as a day of prayer for some twenty four Cameroonians attacked in the locality of Ngarbuh Ntumbaw in the wee hours of February 14th 2020. The prelate’s appeal comes 96 hours (four days) after a massacre on Ngarbuh inhabitants.  In the call for prayers to be said for victims of the incident, the communiqué carries words of compassion from Bishop Nkuo “I hereby declare Friday 21st February 2020 as a day of prayer and mourning in the entire Diocese of Kumbo for the Victims of the Ngarguh disaster. In this way, we shall vehemently say yes to life and No to dead in solidarity with the recent message of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon... A requiem Mass should be celebrated in all our churches and where possible an ecumenical service be organised to implore God for an end to this socio political crisis that has plu...
Post a Comment
Read more
OVER 36 MILLION FRS RAISED TO CONSTRUCT HOME FOR RETIRED PRIESTS AT CATHEDRATICUM By Mildred Wung The welfare of retired priests in the Archdiocese of Bamenda is expected to improve following an offertory that amounted to thirty six million six hundred thousand Francs cash. The amount contributed by over six thousand Catholics of forty five parishes in the Archdiocese of Bamenda was raised on a day set aside for Cathedraticum (a specified sum of money to be paid annually toward a bishop deemed as a mark of honour and a sign of subjection to the cathedral church) Earlier in an announcement sent out to parishes, Andrew Fuanya Nkea -Archbishop of Bamenda had told his sheep to offer generously for this year's Cathedraticum which he spelled out that the money would be used to construct a home for retired priests in the Archdiocese. Tuesday March 30 was a forum for the faithful to respond to the Archbishop's call.  Christians turned out at the St Joseph's Centenary Piazza for Cat...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE ROLE CATHOLIC CLERGY AND LAITY PLAYED IN ANNOUNCED NATIONAL DIALOGUE

Priests and Bishops pose for pictures at 67th BAPEC session Cameroon’s president Paul Biya announced a major national dialogue to commence as from the end of this month.  The announcement came in a speech which he addressed to the nation hinged on the throes of the socio political crisis that has gripped the North West and South West region. It is barely a week since the national dialogue was announced and the topic is animating public debates. It is however time to give credit to the clerics and the laity of the Holy Mother Church the for role played in paving the path of dialogue Since the outbreak of the Anglophone crisis, the priests, the bishops, the religious and other leaders of the church have often echoed and re-echoed that only profound and meaningful dialogue can bring solution to the problems plaguing the North West and South West regions of Cameroon. In fact memories of 29-Dec-2016 are still fresh, the date when bishops of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conf...
5 comments
Read more