Foumban: Biya’s envoy, Minister Bidoung Mkpatt, inaugurates Bamoun Museum.

The envoy of the Head of State, President Paul Biya, who doubles as the Minister of Arts and Culture, Bidoung Mkpatt, has commissioned the new Museum of the Bamoun Kings of Foumban, in the Noun Division of the West Region.

Minister Bidoung Mkpatt inaugurated the architectural jewel during a heavily attended ceremony at the courtyard of the Bamoun Palace in Foumban, on Saturday April 13.

Several members of government and the Governor of the West Region, Awa Fonka Augustin, attended the event. 

This was in the presence of the Sultan of the Bamouns, His Majesty Mouhammad-Nabil Mforifoum Mbombo Njoya. 

Also in attendance were several members of diplomatic corps, administrative authorities, traditional and religious authorities as well as sons and daughters of Bamoun extraction.

Speaking during the ceremony, Biya’s envoy, Bidoung Mkpatt, saluted the hospitality of the Bamoun people and their attachment to the institutions of the Republic.

Foumban melting pot of peace, living together

The member of government said Foumban is a legendary and historic city and a melting pot of peace and living together among people from all corners of the country.

“Foumban is actually one of the cradles of unity and living together in our country. The development of its economic activities is honourable; and the growth of its artistic and cultural activities, remarkable,” Biya’s envoy said.

Minister Bidoung Mkpatt added that through the new museum, “Foumban has enriched itself with a new infrastructure”. He saluted the beautiful and impressive outlook of the new museum.

The minister said the facility, “will undoubtedly contribute to the implementation of all the missions assigned to museums by the regulatory texts in force at the Ministry of Arts and Culture”.

The new Museum of the Bamoun Kings of Foumban, he said, is a reference institution for the nation and beyond.

This, he said, could encourage other communities to develop similar initiatives to gather Cameroonians around their cultural heritage. 

When this is done, the minister said, it will be for the appropriation of arts and culture as a vector of unity, peace, living together and integrity. 

Such ventures, he also said, will serve as catalysts for social cohesion and contribute to the enhancement of the construction of national cultural identity.

Hails Bamoun King for guiding project

The member of government congratulated the Sultan of the Bamouns, His Majesty Mouhammad-Nabil Mforifoum Mbombo Njoya, for ensuring the project was realised. He also saluted Bamoun people for their support to the project.

The Ministry of Arts and Culture, the minister added, is implementing programmes to identify, restore and safeguard sites and monuments linked to Cameroon's history. 

The royal museum, he indicated, “…is a testimony to the vitality, originality and richness of Bamoun culture. It eloquently represents what the President of the Republic considers to be, and I quote: ‘A school of responsibility from which men emerge, ready to assume responsibility by accepting the scale of values that they have clearly defined for themselves. Our project is therefore to move from a culture that is unconsciously lived, to a culture that is freely thought,’” he added.

He also said the achievement demonstrates the commitment and contribution of the Bamouns to contribute to the consolidation of a national culture that is attractive and conducive to “the enhancement of our history and our collective memory”.

Preserving assets, serving future generations

According to the minister, by preserving artifacts, the Bamoun people are serving the current and future generations.

He cited the case of the Nguon Festival of the Bamouns, that was recently enlisted on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

He said such achievement came thanks to the support from the Head of State and other partners such as the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, among others.

The minister said the inscription is not an end in itself. He said the Ministry of Arts and Culture would further support the efforts of the Bamoun community to increase awareness on the need to safeguard the NGUON element, promote it throughout the world, and preserve its originality and authenticity.

Bamoun King on sustaining legacy

According to His Majesty Mouhammad-Nabil Mforifoum Mbombo Njoya, his father, of blessed memory, initiated the project. 

Sultan Nabil Mbombo Njoya said his father, who was the 19^th King of the Bamoun dynasty, Sultan Ibrahim Mbombo Njoya, lives in him and as such, his legacy must be sustained.

To him, the structure embodies the vision of the 19th King, which is a combination of ancestral wisdom and a desire for progress. 

He said the museum “appears as a true cultural heritage that he bequeathed to posterity, thus inscribing his name in the pantheon of immortals”.

The Bamoun King’s Museum, the Sultan said, is the fruit of an inspiration of what Kings and Queens of the dynasty, who shaped history, are preserved. He said the facility is a bridge between a glorious past and a promising future.

The architectural jewel in brief

According to the architect of the structure, Mbouombouo Issofa, the museum is made up of a two-headed snake, which is an illustration of the strength and resistance of the Bamoun people in the face of adversity.

The spider on the structure, he said, is the symbol of self-sacrifice at work, while the gong represents a traditional tool used in calling people to gather; which symbolises the unity and cohesion of the Bamoun community.

It is constructed on a surface of 5,000 m², housing a rich history and an incomparable artistic heritage. 

It is made up of three exhibition rooms; each designed with architecture that dialogues with history. 

It also has conference and event rooms, which can accommodate up to 300 people. The facility hosts a collection of over 12,500 art objects.