Traditional art
The multiplicity of Cameroon's ethnic groups translates into a variety of styles and traditions. The characteristics and meanings of the objects vary from one ethnic group to another. Statuettes and masks make up the bulk of this heritage, which fascinates Western collectors.
Occupying the Grassland region of northern Cameroon, the Bamun, Bamileke and Tikar make figures with striking features: their cheeks are rounded and their eyes bulging. The Bamileke are distinguished by the addition of pearls. Some wooden ancestor statuettes are entirely encrusted with multicolored pearls. They have a magical role, whether in wood, terracotta or metal.
Masks, generally made of wood covered with animal skins or pearls, are adorned with geometric motifs by the Doualas. Displayed during ceremonies, they embody a force invoked to accompany the rite.
Although the term "art" doesn't translate into the Bamun dialect, the creations of this kingdom are favored by lovers of African art. Surprisingly diverse, Bamun art is both realistic and full of symbolism. It includes bronze horsemen, female statues, bead-woven mask-heaumes, brass-headed necklaces and bas-reliefs depicting battles or celebrations. These bas-relief sculptures, intended to adorn the doors and walls of palaces, reflect the wealth of the Bamun people.
The many facets of this African country are evoked at the Musée National du Cameroun. Its history, traditions and personalities are brilliantly showcased. Photos, sculptures, ritual objects, archives, musical instruments and much more pay tribute to the complexity of the regions. The institution now also houses contemporary art.
Paint
Canvas painting made its debut in Cameroon at the dawn of the 20th century. The Germans and then the French introduced easel painting, paving the way for a first generation of painters. In the 1940s-1950s, the pioneer Lobè Lobè Rameau (who died in 1988) was also a guitarist known for his contribution to Makossa. The precursors transcribed their environment in a naïve style, without any real plastic research.
The first generation was introduced to pictorial art by missionaries and settlers, who trained, spotted and encouraged budding artists. The latter turned away from their themes and techniques at the dawn of Independence.
Untrained, Rigobert Aimé Ndjeng (1927 - 2011) was one of the first artists to express himself on canvas and paper. He began with religious scenes and portraits of Western chiefs. Noticed by a colonial administrator, he then explored landscapes and rural scenes.
Gaspar Gomán was one of the first Cameroonian artists to receive academic training abroad. Born in 1928, Gomán spent six years at the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes in Barcelona. Back in Africa, he taught in Equatorial Guinea, exhibited his work and decorated two churches. Unfortunately, he was imprisoned under the dictatorship of Francisco Macías Nguema for having had the privilege of studying in Spain.
Sculptor Gédéon Mpando, born in 1932 in Yabassi, enjoyed reproducing forms inspired by nature from an early age. Thanks to a scholarship, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His passion for sculpture only grew stronger. Back in Cameroon, he works in ebony and marble.
Born in 1933, Martin Abossolo practiced copying illustrations from his reading manual. At the age of twelve, he decided to become a painter. He was one of the first to depart from realism.
Towards Independence
After independence, several artists were granted scholarships to study abroad. Sculptor and painter George Abraham Zogo (b. 1935) was one of the first African artists to join the European cultural scene. After attending the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, he continued his training in Italy. His style moves towards abstraction, inspired by Cameroonian architecture and its curvilinear motifs.
A turning point came in the 1970s with the creation of the first artists' collectives. The Atelier Art Nègre in Yaoundé was founded in 1968, and the Atelier Viking in Douala in 1976. Within these groups, the first reflections took place on an African style freed from Western canons and the figurative art of the precursors.
In their wake, collectives and movements flourished, including Cercle Maduta, and CAPLIT - Collectif des Artistes Plasticiens du Littoral. Personalities emerge: Viking, Koko Komegne, Combattant Mboua Massok (now in politics), Nya Delors, Othéo... After them, visual artists left to complete their training in Europe.
Abstraction takes part in the pictorial dialogue in the work of Wéré-Wéré, whose real name is Eddy Njock Nicole. Born in 1950 in Côte d'Ivoire of Cameroonian origin, she skilfully oscillates between realism and abstract language. She exhibits in Cameroon and abroad.
Cultural explosion
The birth ofEspace Doual' art in 1991 revitalized the Douala art scene. This contemporary art center immediately became Cameroon's laboratory for new visual practices. Urban issues are explored through events that bring together artists and the general public. The Doual'art Pop 93 festival revealed a wealth of talent. Opened in 1995, the MAM gallery takes on the role of commercial gallery. Artists begin to see the possibility of making a career without moving abroad.
A series of private initiatives supported the growth of the cultural scene. The aim is to promote Cameroonian creativity and offer visibility to African artists. In 2005, The Last Pictures Show became an annual traveling exhibition. In 2013, it was presented at the Galerie Vendôme in Paris. Although disparate, the selection reflects the vitality of the Cameroonian scene.
Due to its proximity to the government, the Yaoundé art scene does not enjoy as much freedom as that of Douala. In Douala, freedom is evident in the proliferation of public art. A veritable open-air museum, rebellious Douala is enriched by new works at the Salon Urbain de Douala (SUD).
Since 2010, the opening of art schools has enabled young Cameroonians to learn about contemporary techniques and art history.
Photography
Cameroonian photographic art is driven by exceptional talent.
Angèle Etoundi Essamba recently joined the collections of New York's MoMA. She also represented Cameroon at the Venice Biennale after being decorated with the Order of Knights by Cameroon's Minister of Culture in 2016. Born in Douala in 1962, Angèle Etoundi Essamba moved to France in 1972, where she remained until the end of her general education. She then enrolled in a photography school in the Netherlands. From then on, she set out to "show women beyond stereotypes" She believes that living in Europe has brought her closer to her African heritage. In her portraits of African women, the geographical distance allows her to step back from Cameroonian culture. Angèle Etoundi Essamba likes to draw inspiration from Western works, particularly paintings by the great Dutch and Renaissance masters, to create photographs that are close to her Cameroonian origins. For example, in his interpretation of Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl, a young African woman reproduces the mythical pose. The bodies and faces she reveals are symbols that tell the story of a nation in their own way.
A master of the self-portrait, photographer Samuel Fosso was born in Kumba in 1962. The Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris has dedicated a retrospective to him in 2021-2022. Samuel Fosso explains his desire to portray himself by the fact that, as a child, he didn't appear in family photos, and was not pampered because of a physical handicap. Samuel Fosso's family, from the Ibo ethnic group, had a tragic destiny. Forced to flee to the Central African Republic, he set up his first photo studio at the age of 13. His slogan was: "With Studio National, you'll be beautiful, chic, delicate and easy to recognize". His taste for disguise and staging was revealed early on and became his signature. His series made him famous: with 70's Lifestyle and African Spirits, Samuel Fosso paid tribute to the great figures of Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela. In 1997, he produced the Tati series for the 50th anniversary of the eponymous French store.
Street-art
With an average age of twenty, the Cameroonian population is very comfortable with mural art. Two trends coexist on the walls: political protest, a practice that brings people together, and visual research. Douala crystallizes these orientations. During the Graff Up festival, Douala puts national artists in the spotlight.
Douala, the country's economic center and most populous urban area, is also where political protest is expressed. Graffiti addressed by young people to President Paul Biya are not to everyone's taste. In the Akwa district, shocking phrases like "You've got your money, I've got my art" entice passers-by. Let's hear it..
The precursor of the urban scene is a painter and rapper. Diesert, whose real name is Joël Kingué, believes that only graffiti can spread a message on a large scale and help redress the political situation, even if the tags are frequently erased. However, the opposition finds this mode of expression an effective way of promoting its ideals. Some politicians don't hesitate to place commissions with graffiti artists.
Another street-art trend focuses on social issues and education. Street art thus becomes an accessible means of informing. A laudable mission, taken up with inventiveness.
