African Heritage Day - Cleveland Cultural Gardens World on Stage
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation 2023 World on Stage events in the Gardens are showcasing various heritages. The first 2023 event was African Heritage Day on July 1, 2023.
MC Sia Nyorkor with Ethiopian coffee
Audience members came from a variety of African countries including Liberia, Ghana, Congo, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia. One attendee from Pretoria, South Africa said, "This is the first time I've felt like home since I came to Cleveland."
There was delicious West African food, an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, drummers, dancers and fun for families.
It was a great day to celebrate the heritage of the Cleveland People from the 54 countries of Africa.
Djapo Cultural Arts Institute dancer
2017
Fashions from Cameroon at Cleveland multicultural party
A highlight of the 8th Annual ICC-WIN Cleveland Multicultural Holiday Celebration on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at the Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland was the International Fashion Show featuring almost 100 models from about 30 countries.
The Fashion Show included Maceline, Mireille, Diana, Sara and Martin doing a dance from the western region of Cameroon, called "Bend Skin".
The women are dressed in African "Pagnes" while men wear "Quatre Pouches". A long swath of fabric, the pagne is a wrapper-style garment worn by women in Cameroon. The type of cloth used varies from simple cotton batik prints to heavily embroidered satin fabrics for formal occasions. Pagnes are beautiful and functional, and may be used in several ways: as a protective head covering, a skirt, a sling-style baby carrier, or to provide warmth and dryness during the rainy season.
Quartre Pouches are a two-piece men's outfit found in southern and tribal Cameroon. It consists of a pair of loose-fitting pants and a shirt, often with square pockets on the front. The pieces are made of cotton in matching designs, resembling the geometric mud cloth patterns created in Mali, West Africa. The outfit sometimes is worn with a round, close-fitting hat made from matching fabric.
Cleveland Cameroon community at Cleveland Multicultural Event
The Cleveland Cameroon Community was represented at the 7th annual International Community Council - Worldwide Intercultural Network (ICC-WIN) holiday party on December 14, 2016.
120 people participated in the fashion show and each walked the runway to music from their country. Click on the white arrow to watch the short video of the Cameroon models 1. Kulling Abi, Sara Abi, Elias Mbelem and Immaculate Mbelem.
A highlight of the 6th annual Holiday Celebration of Cleveland's Diversity held in the atrium of the Global Center for Health Innovation in the Cleveland Convention Center by the International Community Council-Worldwide Intercultural Network (ICC-WIN) was the multicultural fashion show.
Models Kulling Abi, Sara Abi, Joseph Mweke, Julie Mweke, Tom Ashu and Judith Ngala.
The Bakweri traditional attire-consist of the men sanja tied round the waist with two overlapping edges by the sides called masu'u topped by a long sleeve white shirt, a head scarf around the neck the men. The women wear "Kabba".This attire is unique with all the coastal region of Cameroon.
The Bamenda traditional regalia is made using a needle and various colors of wool fibers. Various design exist with the traditional rulers having a unique design. It represent sign of power and influence in society. It is a common attire during special celebrations. Many design exist with that of the people natural custodian, the Fons having a sun symbol in front and behind, which signifies benevolent authority shines over the territory of their jurisdiction with generosity like the sun.
Members of the Cameroonian community of Cleveland took aprt in the 2015 Multicultural Fashion Show put on by the International Community Council - Worldwide Intercultural Network (ICC-WIN) at the Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland.
Watch them model traditional clothing of Cameroon in this video clip.
Organizations and Resources for Cameroonians in Cleveland
French Cameroon became independent in 1960 as the Republic of Cameroon. The following year the southern portion of neighboring British Cameroon voted to merge with the new country to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon.
In 1972, a new constitution replaced the federation with a unitary state, the United Republic of Cameroon. The country has generally enjoyed stability, which has enabled the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Despite slow movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of President Paul Biya.
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