The Dupa tribe inhabits the remote Vokre Mountains in northern Cameroon. Its population ranges between 3,000 and 7,000 individuals. The fertile Vokre Mountains allow them to live on subsistence farming which they combine with some herding, hunting and gathering.
The Dupa build circular clay houses that they decorate with reliefs. Each village is made up of 4-5 houses with a group of barns where they keep the cereals they collect after each harvest.
In terms of aesthetics, the dupas continue to make cloth from native cotton to cover their sex. The men wear indigo-dyed caps, and older men can still be seen wearing the penis case (similar to that worn by Dani in West Papua, Indonesia). It is one of the last towns in Africa that preserves this custom. Some women cover their private parts with acacia leaves like their neighbors: the Koma from the Alantika Mountains.
The traditional Dupa dances and the buffoons stand out, dressed in fabrics and antelope horns, who liven up the festivities. They are usually celebrated during the millet harvest (dry season from November to March).
Photo Gallery: © Angels Ferrer / Cameroon 2022 & Anibal Bueno / Cameroon 2019
Extended info about Dupa People