The Bamoun Kings Museum, dedicated to the history of this kingdom founded in 1384—one of Cameroon's oldest—was inaugurated on Saturday, April 13, in Foumban, the capital of the Noun Department in the Western Region. The ceremony, which attracted a large crowd of guests and onlookers, was attended by Sultan Nabil Mbombo Njoya, who ascended to the throne in 2021 following the death of his father, Ibrahim Mbombo Njoya, the 19th king of the Bamoun. This event marks the completion of a project initiated by his father in 2013, eleven years ago.

Spanning 5,000 square meters, the new museum was constructed featuring the emblems of the Bamoun kingdom: a spider with hairy legs and two bells surmounting a two-headed snake. It houses nearly 12,500 items, including royal regalia, masks, weapons, pipes, statuettes, musical instruments, and more, some of which were previously displayed in the rooms of the royal palace, it was learned. "It reflects the rich centuries-old creativity of this people, not only in craftsmanship and artistic - Bamoun drawings - but also in technological innovations by peasants at various times: mills, presses…," detailed to AFP Armand Nchare, a doctor in geography specialized in cultural heritage and author of the book "Le rituel Nguon chez les Bamoun du Cameroun."

"This museum is a tribute to the rich cultural and historical heritage of the Bamoun people," stated Minister of Arts and Culture (Minac), Bidoung Mkpatt, the personal representative of the Head of State at the ceremony. For the government official, this inauguration is "a historic event." 

The museum opened its doors just months after the inscription, on December 6, 2023, of the Nguon as a set of "governance rituals" in the intangible heritage of humanity. This recognition makes the Bamoun people's festival the very first Cameroonian intangible cultural element to be included on this list by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

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