Babungo (village)

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Babungo is a village in the Babessi sub-division, Ngoketunjia Division, in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. It lies on the Ring Road from Bamenda, about 10 kilometers from Bamunka, on the fertile Ndop plain surrounded by hills and good grazing land.

As of 2005, about 11,344 people lived in Babungo.

Since October 2003, the Babungo Museum has helped develop local culture and connect it with the wider world. It has created new jobs and opportunities for development and highlights Babungo’s sculptures. The museum was built with local materials and labor, guided by Italian museography expert Antonio Piva with UNESCO support, and it has attracted many visitors.

The ngumba is the strongest political institution in Babungo, holding executive power and limiting the fon’s authority. Elders of the ngumba take part in burial rites and in appointing the fon’s successor. Locals say the ngumba is a kingmaker and the father of fons. The samba, a community group at the quarter level, also plays an important role in regulating village life.

Getting there: people travel from Bamenda along the tarred Ring Road through Bamunka. Inside the village, roads are earth paths, and vehicles move easily.