Books: Beliefs, Lifestyles, Travel

Eric de Rosny, Healers in the Night, Wipf & Stock Publishers (2004).

The author, who I met in Cameroon, is a Jesuit priest with a passion for understanding other cultures. This Frenchman, who became one of the Douala elders, presents a personal journey into the world of the ngangas, "the healers in the night."

Dieter Lemke, Man No Be God: Bushdoctor in Cameroon, Writers Club Press (2001).

This is a fascinating story of one man's life and work as a medical missionary in Cameroon, Africa. I really enjoyed reading this book because it brought back the wonderful experiences I had in Cameroon, living among the intricate and colorful cultures there.

John Mukum Mbaku, Culture and Customs of Cameroon, Greenwood Press (2005).

This is the best book I have seen so far about the cultures and customs of Cameroon. There are over 250 ethnic groups in Cameroon. The author does a remarkable job of presenting the complexities of life in Cameroon. I highly recommend this book. The only drawback is the lack of maps.

Nigel Barley, The Innocent Anthropologist : Notes from a Mud Hut, Waveland Press Inc. (2000).

This is a hilarious story of an anthropologist doing fieldwork among a little-known tribe called the Dowayo in Northern Cameroon. He encounters a very different way of life, and is eventually accepted by the people he lives with. I really enjoyed reading this book,