Far North: Diy-Gid-Biy cultural landscape earns coveted UNESCO World Heritage status.

This was during an ongoing session in Paris, France, with UNESCO Director General, Audrey Azoulay, in attendance.

A Cameroonian delegation led by Arts and Culture Minister, Bidoung Mkpatt, witnessed the historic moment. The group included Cameroon’s Ambassador to France, the Permanent Delegate of Cameroon to UNESCO, the Inspector General, the Director of Cultural Heritage in the Ministry of Arts and Culture, and other key officials.

Reacting to the news, the Lamido and Mayor of Mayo Moskota Council, HRH Boukar Medjeweh, hailed the government for the inscription approval. 

“Diy-Gid-Biy is a sacred cultural site inherited from our ancestors. Its recognition, first by our Ministry of Arts and Culture and now by UNESCO, fills the people of Mayo Moskota with immense pride and satisfaction. We are committed to its preservation,” he said.

Minister Bidoung Mkpatt addressed the committee, expressing gratitude to UNESCO for the successful inscription of Diy-Gid-Biy on the prestigious World Heritage list. 

He added that “this cultural jewel embodies the rich, unique diversity of millennia-old heritage. Cameroon’s future is united through its cultural heritage and pluralism”.

Diy-Gid-Biy’s merits 

UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention requires sites to demonstrate Outstanding Universal Value. Diy-Gid-Biy met this criterion through four pillars: its architectural setting, material remains, terraced agriculture, and associated oral traditions. 

These structures, whose builders remain unknown, constitute the earliest confirmed evidence of human settlement in the region.

The cultural landscape comprises seven villages with traditional farming systems and cultural practices, alongside sixteen dry-stone archaeological ruins built without mortar. Archaeological research confirms occupation by an ancient civilisation between the 12th and 17th centuries AD. 

The complex features dry-stone stairways, passageways, silos, platforms, terraces, and dwellings spanning the Mandara range. Integrated into the Mafa community’s environment, these ruins form part of the living habitats where local populations continue to practice cultural rites. Externally, the site exemplifies remarkable cultural wealth and human ingenuity in achieving harmony within an extreme environment.

Location of Diy-Gid-Biy

Diy-Gid-Biy covers seven villages, including Kuva, Bigide, Moutchikar, Oupay, Nduval, Mondossa, and Mudukwa, located in the Koza and Mayo-Moskota subdivisions of the Mayo-Tsanaga Division in the Far North Region. 

The core site covers 2,500 hectares, surrounded by a 2,372.3-hectare buffer zone averaging 1km in width. This area encompasses all sixteen ruins, agricultural terraces, and adjacent homesteads, whose residents interact with the site holistically.

Historically, this mountainous refuge sheltered the populations during successive regional conflicts. The villages feature distinct settlement patterns; indigenous Mafa communities inhabit the highlands, while the plains host diverse groups from across the region.

The UNESCO designation not only honours Cameroon’s stewardship of this ancient cultural landscape but also ensures global cooperation in preserving Diy-Gid-Biy’s unique narrative of human adaptation. It stands as a beacon of cultural unity, showcasing how heritage can forge national identity. 

By Albert Njebusi, Journalism student on internship 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3504 of Tuesday July 15, 2025