Chiefdoms’ Roads Lead to Paris in Major Exhibit of Cameroonian Art

It's a visual tour of a religious and cultural universe still very much alive in Cameroon. Until July 17, the Quai Branly Museum in Paris is hosting the exhibition "On the road to the chiefdoms of Cameroon, from visible to invisible," dedicated to the art of communities living on the high plateaus in the west of the country. The exhibition is part of a larger project backed by AFD, which seeks to protect and celebrate cherished heritage sites in Cameroon.

Since April 5, the Quai Branly museum has exhibited nearly 300 Cameroonian works, including 260 treasures kept by notable chiefs and creations by contemporary artists influenced by the ancients. A real journey between the world of the ancestors and that of the living, the exhibition plunges visitors into the heart of Bamileke society - the most populous ethnic group in Cameroon - as well as its traditional know-how, to discover objects still used today.

Cameroon in the spotlight

Cameroon has a remarkable cultural, creative and natural heritage. In the western region, the many traditional chiefdoms - kingdoms representing a community and a well-defined territory - testify to a very rich millennial culture.

Supported by the Route des Chefferies Association ("Chiefdoms' Road"), the chefs, mayors, private promoters and cultural actors initiated a program of the same name to enhance, preserve and promote the region's heritage. It has worked for fifteen years towards the economic and social development of the Western region, with a network of fourteen museums.

A project funded by AFD

AFD has been supporting the Route des Chefferies program since April 2020 with funding of €2 million over a three-year period. The program is structured around three components:

• Improving the conservation and scenography of heritage sites
• Promoting diversified and attractive tourist activities to the public and establish the means to welcome an international clientele
• Consolidating the governance of the tourism sector in the region and strengthening their capacities
  

Copyright for all photos: © Léo Delafontaine / Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac