If a person dies; Instead of burying the deceased in a graveyard, most people choose to bury their loved ones close by them on their front yard in order to watch over their body.

Burial

The body is open for viewing, with a large funeral typically held outdoors that is open to everyone. Respects are paid to the chief of the village after the viewing. Indeed, it is one of the traditional practices in Cameroon.

With 250 ethnic groups with 230 languages, Cameroon has portrayed its distinct regional cultural, religious, and political traditions as well as ethnic variety. I got the chance to observe this highly auspices endemic religious practice that made me spiritually fragile.
The funerals consist of songs sung in the Douala language and a eulogy (a speech of writing praising dead person) by the chief of the village. The body is then buried in the chosen plot of land. The dead are believed to be where God is.  A few years after a person’s burial, their skull is removed from the grave and treated with salt to preserve it.  It is kept in the house of an heir or the person responsible for it.  Food and wine can be shared with the skull to honor the departed loved one.

It is surprised to see that funerals are not seen as taboo, here is so much emotional experience going on it seems such beliefs are exuberantly inherited; it is also believed that one can also communicate with the skull as a form of prayer because it has been believed that dead relative can pass the messages to God.
As we may never fully understand what prompts people to leave unusual objects inside books such as letter, petals of flowers, feather etc while reading. And while we plough through that book some other time long after, we get really fascinated finding that unusual objects with memories nestled in the corner of our brain. Likewise, travelling give us an opportunity for our actual interactions with those objects, images and spaces of unusual stories, tradition, culture and many others deeds of different religion of the world since antiquity.
“Africa in miniature” Cameroon is my 94th country that I have traveled, till date I haven’t found a country with such religious tolerance and people’s understandings.

Cameroon has diverse population comprising approximately 250 ethnic groups that then form 5 regional/cultural groups and home for 230 languages. The constitution guarantees freedom of religion. About 40% of the population follows some form of indigenous beliefs, 40% adhere to a form of Christianity, and 20% are Muslim. The various religious groups get along reasonably well. Its was a greatest pleasure to feel Cameroon.

Peace and Harmony
Furtemba Sherpa