Cameroon - The chieftaincy of Bafut

Located 22 km from Bamenda, on the WUM road in the Department of MEZAM, the BAFUT Chiefdom is a group consisting of a Palace, a sacred forest adjoining the residence of the Chief Superior, a residence of the hosts overlooking the Chefferie, places of worship, two women's quarters, lodges of secret societies, all constituting about fifty buildings. Most of these houses are built of terracotta bricks with tiled roofs. At the center of the Ensemble is the Achum, the most important element from an architectural and religious point of view. It is intended for ancestor worship and was rebuilt around 1910, after its destruction by the Germans in 1907. It is one of the oldest traditional architectural works in Cameroon today. The sanctuary is made of local materials: bamboo and a conical straw roof supported by carved wooden pillars, making this structure a masterpiece of human creative genius. In addition, the sacred forest is full of medicinal species and woody species that have disappeared into the surrounding biosphere. The Bafut people, the builder of this heritage, knows a heroic warlike past as evidenced by many war trophies kept in this palace. Local habits and customs allow permanent protection of this site, which has also been the subject of an inventory of the National Cultural Heritage.