
The Genius of Cameroon’s Sultan Ibrahim Njoya
Posted by: Neely Tucker
The Library preserves some of the papers of Sultan Ibrahim Njoya, the visionary leader of the Bamum kingdom in modern-day Cameroon in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Njoya's royal family had ruled their region of the grasslands for hundreds of years. Under pressure from the colonial powers of Germany and then France, he created the first map of the kingdom, a language, an alphabet and a religion. He was a renowed patron of the arts, encouraging teachers, sculptors and artisans.
Posted in: African and Middle Eastern Division, Geography and Maps Division, Library Work and Employees