REUNIFICATION MONUMENT

Located near the French Embassy and the Cameroonian Army Headquarters, it symbolizes the history of the formation of Cameroon, in particular the reunification of Southern Cameroon and Eastern Cameroon in 1961, then the unification of the federated republics of Cameroon into the United Republic of Cameroon in 1972, the date on which this great monument was erected. The work of French architect Salomon, Cameroonian sculptor Gédéon Mpando and Jesuit Father Engelbert Mveng, it represents an old man with 5 children in his arms, brandishing the national torch, symbol of Liberty. On a symbolic level, the fact that the torch is carried by the old man and not by the children signifies the need to light the way from tradition to modernity, to pass on the wisdom of ancestral tradition to new generations.

A Cameroonian proverb says: "Young man, go forward while looking back." Indeed, a people who do not build their future on their cultural past and traditions, and who deny their roots, cannot progress serenely. If you look at Gédéon Mpando's sculpture in profile, on the left, you'll recognize the outline of the map of Cameroon. The pillar in the crypt beneath the building (representing a snake coiled around a tree, an allusion to the mythological foundation of Yaoundé) behind the sculpture symbolizes national integration, and the colorful murals depict scenes from Cameroonian life.