Exploring Cameroon’s Centre Region 🇨🇲 | Yaoundé, Culture, Food, History & Fun with Bessem and Neba

Added: 2026-05-10

[00:00:00][screaming] [music] >> Welcome to the center land.

[00:00:11]Green forest across the land.

[00:00:14]Yaounde city stands today.

[00:00:17]Capital of Cameroon, this is the way.

[00:00:20]Hear the drums, feel the beat, Bikutsie rhythm in the streets. Better [music] man never dance with this central region, come and see.

[00:00:27]Central Cameroon.

[00:00:30]Yaounde, [music] Yaounde, here we go.

[00:00:33]Hey, hey, clap your hands.

[00:00:35]>> [music] >> Central region, sing with me.

[00:00:39]Walking through Yaounde town, every quarter all around.

[00:00:43]>> [music] >> Let those voices loud and strong. Let the people sing along. Past those streets full of cheer, so our rhythm you can [music] hear. Better man says, "Come dance with me."

[00:00:54]Never laugh, feel the energy. [music] >> [music] >> Central Cameroon.

[00:01:12]>> [music] >> Yaounde, Yaounde, here we go.

[00:01:15]Hey, hey, clap your hands.

[00:01:17]>> [music] >> Central region, sing with me.

[00:01:27]Drums [music] are beating in the town.

[00:01:30]Better man never leave the way, Central Cameroon, dance today. [music] What?

[00:01:38]Oh.

[00:01:41]Faster.

[00:01:44]Louder.

[00:01:47]Power we get.

[00:01:58]>> [music] >> Hey.

[00:02:02]>> Hello explorers. I am Bessam. And I am Neba. Today, we are traveling to the beautiful Centre region of Cameroon.

[00:02:11]>> [music] >> The Centre region is the heart of Cameroon. It is rich in history, culture, forest, rivers, music, and delicious food. And guess what?

[00:02:19]Cameroon's capital city, Yaoundé, is found right here. The Centre region has a very important history. Long ago, many kingdoms and communities lived here.

[00:02:29]Wow, that's so cool. Yes, let's learn more. The Beti Ewondo people became famous for their traditions, storytelling, music, and leadership.

[00:02:38]Charles Atangana was the powerful paramount chief during the German rule.

[00:02:42]Wow, a statue was built in honor of this great ruler. During colonial times, Yaoundé became an important administrative city. And today, Yaoundé is the political capital of Cameroon.

[00:02:53]The Centre region borders the Littoral, South, East, West, and Adamawa.

[00:02:57]This central location makes it an important connection point for the country.

[00:03:01]The Centre region is the second largest of Cameroon's regions after the East region.

[00:03:06]>> [music] >> Cameroon's regions were formerly provinces. They were changed in 2008.

[00:03:11]The Centre region has 10 divisions.

[00:03:14]Bamboutos, Bamenda, Kim, Upper Sanaga, Lekie, Fundi, Nyong-et-Kelle.

[00:03:21]We also have Nyong-et-Foumou, Nyong-et-So, Mbam-et-Inoubou, Mbam-et-Foumban, and Mbam-et-Okono. The Fundi division is where Yaoundé is located. The Centre region is home to ethnic groups like the Beti, Bassa, and Vute people. These communities are famous for respect for elders, music, and traditional ceremonies.

[00:03:40]Yaoundé is called the City of Seven Hills. It is home to government offices, universities, museums, stadiums, and beautiful monuments. The Centre region has delicious traditional food. The people enjoy Okok Sangha Kwem, Metumba, and Bongo Tchobi. So many tasty dishes.

[00:03:57]We love our food. Okok is a classic Cameroonian vegetable and groundnut stew made with Eru leaf, palm juice, roasted peanuts, and often smoked fish or meat.

[00:04:08]It's rich and deeply flavorful, traditionally served with bobolo, cassava, yam, or fufu.

[00:04:15]Sangha is a traditional delicacy made from cassava leaves, maize, and palm oil. And Bongo Tchobi is a spicy black stew typically eaten by the Bassa people of Cameroon. Mintumba is a traditional cake made from freshly fermented cassava and palm oil. It is often wrapped in banana leaves for serving. Wow, that sounds delicious. Tell me more. One famous traditional dance from this region is the Bikutsie dance. Bikutsie means beating the earth because of the strong rhythm made by drums and dancing feet.

[00:04:45]People dance with fast foot movement, shoulder shaking, and joyful energy. And Remi Nzi and Leted Brulay helped make music famous across Africa and the world.

[00:04:55]Center region. [music] Heart of Cameroon.

[00:05:01]Center region.

[00:05:03]Shining like the moon.

[00:05:04]>> [music] >> We are proud of our culture.

[00:05:08]Bole music and dance all over the streets. Center region. [music] We are proud of you.

[00:05:17]In the middle of our land.

[00:05:19]>> [music] >> Center region proudly stands.

[00:05:22]Ewondo, Bassa, Bafia, too.

[00:05:25]Sharing traditions old and new.

[00:05:28]Sanaga river flowing [music] wide.

[00:05:31]Nyong and Mban >> [music] >> everywhere.

[00:05:36]Beauty growing here with care.

[00:05:39]>> [music] >> Center region.

[00:05:42]Heart of Cameroon.

[00:05:44]>> [music] >> Center region.

[00:05:47]Shining like the moon.

[00:05:51]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Wow, Niba, look at this giant building.

[00:07:18]This is the Unity Palace in Yaounde. It is where the president of Cameroon lives, works, and welcomes world leaders. Niba, do you know the first university in Cameroon? Yes, the University of Yaounde. It was created in 1962 after independence.

[00:07:34]It became an important place where students could study science, medicine, law, engineering, literature, and many other programs. At first, it was the only university in Cameroon. But as the country grew, new universities were later created in other regions. Today, the original university has been divided into institutions like the University of Yaounde 1 and the University of Yaounde 2.

[00:07:55]Explorers, the Centre region is home to some of Cameroon's biggest stadiums.

[00:07:58]Many football matches, celebrations, and national events take place here. One famous stadium is the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium. Another important stadium is the Olembe stadium.

[00:08:09]>> [music] [cheering] >> Sports bring people together and inspire young athletes to dream big. Many children in Cameroon hope to become great football stars one day like Roger Milla and Samuel Eto'o.

[00:08:23]>> [music] >> All right, explorers. It's quiz time.

[00:08:34]Let's see how much you learned about the Centre region of Cameroon. Get ready to answer the questions.

[00:08:42]What is the capital city of Cameroon? A, Douala. B, Bafoussam. C, Yaounde.

[00:08:48]I think it's C.

[00:08:49]>> Yes, the capital is Yaounde. Awesome. I learned something new.

[00:08:54]What is the name of the first university in Cameroon?

[00:08:58]I think it's B, University of Yaounde.

[00:09:01]That's right.

[00:09:03]What is the official residence of the president of Cameroon?

[00:09:07]Oh, I know this. It's the Unity Palace.

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