Yaoundé

Cameroon · 5 sights · guided virtual tour

Welcome to Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon and the country's second-largest city after the port of Douala. It lies in the Centre Region, about 750 metres above sea level. Yaoundé began in 1887 as a German trading outpost for rubber and ivory, between the Nyong and Sanaga rivers at the northern edge of the forests. After the First World War, France took over eastern Cameroon, and in 1922 Yaoundé was chosen as the colony's capital. It remained the seat of government when Cameroon became independent in 1960. Let us explore its monuments and churches.

Sights

1. Reunification Monument ▶ Listen

   Here stands the Reunification Monument, built in the 1970s to commemorate the merging of British and French Cameroon after the colonial era. It was designed by the architects Gédéon Mpando and Engelbert Mveng. It is the best known of its kind: a second, far less famous reunification monument stands in the town of Mamfe.

2. Our Lady of Victories Cathedral ▶ Listen

   

   In the centre of the city, near the central post office, rises the Cathedral of Our Lady of Victories, seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Yaoundé. It was consecrated in 1955 and is one of the most significant places in the capital. Step inside and notice its cross-shaped interior and its sheer size: the cathedral has room for around 5,000 worshippers.

3. Basilique Marie-Reine-des-Apôtres ▶ Listen

   

   This is the Basilica of Mary Queen of the Apostles, a Roman Catholic basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It stands on a site of special meaning: the place where the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit built their first church in Cameroon. The basilica itself was dedicated on 2 March 2006.

4. Mvog-Betsi Zoo ▶ Listen

   

   Take a stroll through the Mvog-Betsi Zoo, a combined zoological and botanical park run by Cameroon's Ministry of Forestry and Fauna. It is home to a wide range of species, including big cats, reptiles and birds of prey. Primates are a particular highlight: look out for mandrills, drills, baboons and several kinds of monkeys and mangabeys. Their care is in the hands of the conservation group Ape Action Africa.

5. Blackitude Museum ▶ Listen

   

   Behind the Presidential Tribune on the Boulevard du 20 Mai is the Blackitude Museum, a private ethnographic museum celebrating the richness and diversity of Cameroonian culture. Its story is personal. The project began in 1998 thanks to Queen Nana Agnès Sunjio, a member of the Bahouoc royal family, who carefully preserved the art objects passed down to her by her father, a traditional ruler in the Grassfields of western Cameroon, and by the kings of other chieftaincies. The museum officially opened in 2008.

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