Photographs from Foumban in Cameroon
Photos Copyright Arne Schöfert 2006



 


These photographs were taken by Arne Schöfert (editor of www.traditionsverband.de ) on a visit to Foumban the capital of Bamum in Cameroon in January 2001.

Bamum was one of several tribal kingdoms in German Cameroon. Under King Njoya (reigned 1886-1931), the Bamum embraced German colonialism copying German military styles and architecture (as seen below in the Palace at Foumban). For more on Njoya and his army see also the page on King Njoya's Private Army Uniforms on this website.

Please respect Arne's generosity in sharing these photos with us by not reproducing them without prior permission.

(Click on the pictures below to enlarge)
 

 
         

 

 

King Njoya's Palace at Foumban (now the home to the Bamum Museum of Arts) seen from outside the entrance.

 

A full view of the front of the Palace at Foumban.

 

A close up of the elaborate design and mud brickwork of the palace.

 

 

The old Prussian Guard du Corps helmets and cuirasses once worn by King Njoya's bodyguard, now gathering dust in a storage room in the palace museum. Note the Prussian eagle that can still be made out on the helmet on the far right.   The statue to King Njoya in Foumban. In this depiction he is wearing the Islamic Hausa robes that he wore from 1909 onwards though not always so elaborately decorated.   A board in Foumban listing the different colonial governors of Cameroon in both the German and French eras.
         

Please contact me here if you have more information or photos on this topic. 

Back to Main Menu for German Colonial Uniforms