Overview

Subi has two important branches outside Oku, its village of origin. There is one in Old Town Bamenda and the other in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. Even though we post a video of both branches, our discussion will focus mainly on the one in Yaounde. In terms of organization and documentation, it is the gold standards of folk dances and its endless list of international appearances and awards lend credence to this. A lot on this dance already appears in the manual as well as the notes written by Peter Ntaimah posted on this website.

Origin

Subi Dance in Old Town Bamenda was started in 1958 by Peter Nchaji, a former soldier and native of Oku. A visionary, he wanted his endeavour to be a kind of dance academy that promoted mainly folk dances from his village and its ethnic cousin Kom. When he died, his children expanded the activities of the academy by bringing in folk dances from many other villages in the North Western Grassfields of Cameroon and, at one time, the academy boasted of about a thousand dancing head masks.

But owing to lack of funding of any kind, the young men and women who kept the project alive became disillusioned, dispersed and left Bamenda for the bigger cities of Yaounde and Douala. Some of them stayed behind though and, after pulling themselves together, they began experimenting with different dance forms and indulging in serious training. Before long, the troupe was so proficient that it began lifting every Cameroonian and African trophy that had anything to do with folk dances.

Inspired by this example, some young men who had left their villages in search of work in the cities began forming dance troupes, especially in French-speaking Cameroon where the former colonial policy of assimilation had taken its toll by virtually destroying most forms of indigenous cultures. Even though their action was mainly to preserve and showcase their culture, it rapidly became part of the activities of their monthly self-help financial contributions locally known as jangi. It was out of this kind of initiative that Subi Yaounde was born in Cameroon’s capital. 

Created in 1973 as the Bum Oku Juju Dance Group, it was the brainchild of two cultural icons, Babey John Nkemba and Kegham John Ndinah. They were both from the village of Oku. Way back in the fifties and sixties Babey John Nkemba, who later became a policeman, had embarked on the experiment of fusing various folk dance styles and his innovations culminated in the rich choreography and dance repertoire that would become the hallmarks of Subi Yaounde. When he was transferred to Yaounde, he started to implement his reforms when the Fon (chief) of Oku granted him a charter, as tradition required, to start a dance. By the nineties, the troupe had blossomed into prominence under the leadership of Tamfu Gamseh, its first president. Then it was the turn of Francis Dom, who later burst onto the national scene as a great musician, transforming traditional Oku folk music into modern tunes. When he died, he was replaced as the president of the troupe by Babey John Nkemba, and then later by Peter Tatah Ntaimah.

International appearances and recognition

Concerning the strides and international appearances this dance has made, Peter Tatah Ntaimah, its musical director, who also holds a doctorate in medical and cultural anthropology, notes:

This group has travelled far and wide in France and has performed in major cities such as Toulouse, Montpellier, and Nantes... It has also won many national prizes and has been performing in many important occasions such as state dinners, gala nights, and conferences. It was also selected by the Ministry of Culture in Cameroon as one of the dances to represent the country in the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia in September 1998, in the OAU summit in Libya in September 1999, in the African Cup of Nations in Ghana and Nigeria in 2000 and in Mali 2002, and finally in the Confederation Cup in France in 2003.  The troupe was also selected amongst the best Cameroonian traditional dances to represent Cameroon in EXPO2000 in Hanover, Germany; and at the Olympic Games in Sydney Australia.  It has won many national prizes such as the Best Folk Dance of the Year 1990. It was runners-up among the best Cameroonian traditional dances selected for the Commonwealth music day celebration. Also chosen as the best traditional dance during the CEMAC Forum in Yaounde, it has been invited to perform in many important occasions. The troupe has also participated in MASA Festival in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast in August 2003. 

This is a mask dance from OKU in Bui Division in the North West Province of Cameroon. It is famous for its clear cut choreography, remarkably distributed, with precise articulated movements inspired by the forest, its fauna (jujus) and mysteries. These jujus represent various wild beasts (lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, etc.) and extra-terrestrial beings (Draculas, dragons, phantoms, etc.). In Oku, they represent the fauna of Mount Oku; some of which have been extinct since geologic times. Their thrilling music give a detailed history of the people: their sufferings, struggles, achievements and aspirations vis-à-vis the community. Throughout history, jujus have performed various functions ranging from curative, administrative, military, fire control, burial, ceremonial, animation, etc. However, these functions are changing with time and this society has been injected new life several times to suit the changing world.

This group has travelled far and wide to France and has performed in major French cities such as Toulouse, Montpellier, Nantes, Pornic, Union, Bouziques etc. It has also won many national awards and has been performing in many important occasions (state dinners, gala nights, conferences etc.).This group was also selected as one of the dances by the ministry of culture to represent Cameroon in the commonwealth games in Malaysia in September 1998.It was also selected by the same ministry of culture as one of the dances to represent Cameroon in the OAU summit in Libya in September 1999; represented Cameroon in the African Cup of Nations in Ghana and Nigeria in 2000 and Mali 2002, Confederation Cup in France in 2003.

 The group was also selected among the best Cameroonian traditional dances to represent Cameroon in EXPO2000 in Hanover, Germany and the Olympic games in Sydney Australia.  It has also won many national prizes such as the best dance of the year 1990, the second best Cameroon traditional dance for the commonwealth music day celebration, best traditional dance during the CEMAC Forum in Yaounde, etc and has been performing in many important occasions. The group also participated in MASA Festival in Abidjan in August 2003.  Learn more