Les sultanats kotoko du Cameroun septentrional

entre religion et tradition

Abstract

This article intends to make a historical analysis of the intercultural dialogue experienced within the traditional political entities of Northern Cameroon, notably the Kotoko sultanates. The Kotoko, one of the many people in the region have established a strong traditional political organisation called the Sultanate, which in its foundation, as well as in its running combines traditional customs and Islamic practices. In a historical approach, our focus in this article is to show how Kotoko ancestral customs have survived Islamic practices in the Sultanates, giving rise to a real cultural or interfaith dialogue. Knowledge about the Kotoko people, their ancestral beliefs, the advent of Islam and the sultanate’s power basis are, amongst others, the aspects that will enable the analysis of this cultural dialogue.