For quite some time now Bandjoun, the most important Bamileke chiefdom in West Cameroon, has been known on the international art scene as the place where Cameroonian artist Barthélémy Toguo established his art centre Bandjoun Station.
In 2017 Yvon Ngassam, spent a two-month residency at Bandjoun Station. There, he developed his Bandjoun series, a body of work presenting various aspects of life in the chiefdom, from local administration, religion, education and economy through to architecture, landscape, and how life is affected by the urbanisation brought about by modernisation.
Presented here is a selection from this series. Some of this photographs were exhibited at OGU MAG gallery in Tokyo in August 2017 and OTHNI, Yaounde in November 2017.
One of the most promising photographers from Cameroon, Yvon Ngassam will take part in the Dakar Biennial 2018 curated by Simon Njami.
Read Yvon Ngassam’s biography and view more of his work here.
Click on any image to view as photo gallery.
View of the Sacred Hut. Bandjoun Superior Chiefdom. © Yvon Ngassam.
Statue of King Kamga II. Bandjoun Superior Chiefdom. © Yvon Ngassam.
Poumegne Prefecture. © Yvon Ngassam.
Catholic church. Pete area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Catholic church. Mbou’o area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Catholic church. Mbou’o area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Mbo Yom Public School. © Yvon Ngassam.
Sewing workshop, Collège St Joseph, quartier Pete. © Yvon Ngassam.
Library, Collège Calasanz. Magom area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Welding workshop, Collège Calasanz. Magom area © Yvon Ngassam.
Welding workshop. Collège Saint-Joseph. Mbo Yom area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Mechanics workshop. Collège Calasanz. Magom area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Radiologist, Ad Lucem Hospital. Peta area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Pharmacist at Ad Lucem Hospital. Pete area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Medical laboratory. Ad Lucem Hospital. Pete area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Young man looking at trainers on improvised shoe stall. Bandjoun Market, Pete area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Improvised stall. Bandjoun Market. Pete area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Hotel bar Centre climatique de Bandjoun, Mbou’o area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Yvon Ngassam, Ma’a Nina Coiffure. Mbou’o area. 2017.
Farmer’s home. Kamgo area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Farmer’s home. Kamgo area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Detail of wall. House in Hiala area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Detail of wall. © Yvon Ngassam.
Detail of wall. © Yvon Ngassam.
Pete administrative area. © Yvon Ngassam.
Pete area. © Yvon Ngassam.
View of the landscape from Mbou’o area. © Yvon Ngassam.
All images © Yvon Ngassam.
