Cameroon and the Lereh Traditional Festival Essay Example
Cameroon and the Lereh Traditional Festival Essay Example

Cameroon and the Lereh Traditional Festival Essay Example

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  • Pages: 3 (595 words)
  • Published: July 30, 2016
  • Type: Essay
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African culture is very diverse, historic, and artistic. In our land, the land of Cameroon, people were already living here since prehistoric times. This was proven when stone objects were found in many areas around Cameroon. It is close to the Makabai Mountains, which makes our ancestors live in thick forests, in seashores and in grasslands… making us rich in culture and in tradition. Being ‘alive’ since prehistoric times, the culture is very abundant, especially that a small village was found there, with a one-meter wall and huge grottos from the Mediterranean world.

When the 10th century arrived, the Sao tribe somewhere north of Lake Chad formed a great civilization that made receptacles, jars, masks, and statues made out of burnt earth. They also made jewels, pendants and bracelets that are made out

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of bronze. It is this great civilization that is being revealed in one of the holidays of Cameroon, named as the Lereh traditional festival. What is this festival? The Lereh Festival of Cameroon is a traditional, ritual festival remembering the cultural ancestors—the Sao tribe—who once lived in the land.

In this momentous holiday, people would be wearing colorful clothes, masks, jewels, pendants and bracelets just like the Sao tribe that once lived there. Then the leaders would pray with the ritual dances of the Africans, and then pour a drink that will be offered to the gods. After offering the wine, the leaders will pray and consult the past ancestors of the land regarding who should rule the people at the present time.

This holiday, unlike the others, is a momentous holiday because it is the rulers

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and the leaders of the land who are doing the ritual, being the center of the holiday celebration. While the love and loyalty of all leaders are being acclaimed and recognized, so does the people acclaim and recognize the beauty and abundance of nature, of culture, and of leadership among other blessings. Only recently, the Lereh festival was celebrated in Chomba, which is a political and ceremonial event, as they are about to choose the right ruler of the country.

What is the meaning of the Lereh festival? During the Lereh festival of Cameroon, the leader who is wearing colorful clothes and accessories will start to lead the dance. This is in connection with what we, Africans, believe that the dance leads to shaking, which would lead to vibration. Then this vibration would lead to prolonged life and longer existence. Dance is the art of expressing the desire to be alive, to be abundant, and to be profitable, which is why it is always performed in rituals and in special ceremonies of the Africans.

People here will be feasting in joy and excitement, while songs relating to ‘ancestry’ and ‘abundance’ fill the air. The colorful costumes and accessories are nothing compared to the colorful faces of the people. Everyone, even people from foreign countries, enjoys this holiday festival of Cameroon. There is feasting, a lot of eating and dancing, and the offering of wine and prayers to the ancestors of the land.

The climax of this festival is when the leader gives the traditional titles to his sons and daughters who are most deserving for the title. Then again, the use of

colorful masks makes the holiday more inviting. It is our traditional belief that masks can be used to communicate with ancestors of the tribe. As can be seen all over Africa, rituals, holidays and festivities here is incomplete without the use of masks and the display of music, dance and artistry.

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