Bafoussam

Bafoussam is the largest town of the West region and the commercial hub of the Bamileke highlands, a busy trading centre where the roads from Douala, Yaounde and the North-West meet, with markets that serve a densely populated and intensively farmed hinterland: coffee, maize, beans, vegetables, livestock and manufactured goods moving in volume. It is not a pretty town and it is not trying to be. Its chiefdom compound keeps the palace of the Bafoussam fon with carved posts and a museum, and it is the practical base for reaching Bandjoun, Baham, Dschang, Foumban and the chain of chiefdoms across the plateau.

History

By tradition the Bafoussam belong to the Bamileke, who came to the Tikar region around the middle of the 12th century and split up after the death of their last king, Ndeh, around 1360, when the prince Yende crossed the Noun to found the Bafoussam kingdom, from which almost all the other Bamileke kingdoms later sprang. A meeting in 1945 between the colonial administrator of the region and the Fo of Bafoussam, Tchoumtchoua Paul, set the town on the way to growth, and by 1950 it was the seat of a colonial subdivision, laid out on a first plan by the French architect Dufayard at the crossroads of routes to Dschang, Foumban and Ngaoundéré (Wikipedia, Bafoussam).

What to look for

• Large regional markets - produce and goods for the whole plateau.
• The chiefdom compound - the fon's palace and its museum.
• The highland road junction - the meeting of routes from three directions.
• Intensively farmed country around - the cultivated volcanic plateau.

When to go

November to February, the dry months. A day, or as a base for several. Market days are the busiest and most interesting. Roads out are rough in the wet season.

Practical notes

The town is congested, noisy and short on sights; it works as a base rather than a destination. Traffic and road conditions are difficult. Accommodation is functional. Check conditions in the wider region locally before travelling.

Nearby

Bandjoun is south; Dschang lies west and Foumban east.

Key facts