Musgun of Northern Cameroon

The Mousgoum people are a people of fishermen and breeders established in particular in Central Africa, particularly in northern Cameroon. It is made up of tall, robust and strong people strongly anchored in their traditions. Their ingenuity is illustrated by their unique habitat made up of huts with a particular shape evoking in a pictorial way egg shells, pottery or cannon shells, the term hut shell having finally imposed itself as the most used.

The construction of the mousgoums shell huts is carried out using an original technique of superimposing successive circular courses made of a mixture of raw earth and grass called bauge, without the aid of scaffolding, reducing in height and increasing. ending with a circular opening allowing light to pass through. The height of the huts can reach 15 to 20 meters.

The architecture highlights a quantity of regular grooves going beyond the simple decorative purpose but contributing to the resistance and thermal insulation of the boxes. The boxes are earth, clay, gray and pink color and can be decorated with red, white or black friezes made with natural pigments.

There is a delicious freshness inside the huts regardless of the extreme heat outside. Entrance is provided by a narrow door at the bottom, widening towards the top and shaped like a keyhole.

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