..".this specialist-oriented volume is a rich contribution to
the literature on this region. Notably it seems directed as much
toward the ongoing historiographical conversation in Bali itself as
it is toward external scholars." JASO Online
..".constitutes an outstanding contribution in the study of
history outside the traditional perspective of recourse to
narrative sources (whether these be oral or written)." African
Affairs
"This amazing book...represents a model for scholars seeking to
blend the tools of history writing and political/ cultural
anthropology; its value is applicable not only in Cameroon, but
elsewhere." International Journal for African Historical
Studies
"With the suspense of a detective novel, this slim, richly
detailed volume] proceeds in a series of comparisons...This
charming book is an exacting exercise in comparison and historical
reconstruction." Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African
Studies
..".an important contribution - not only to the local history of
the Grasslands of Cameroon. It offers a better understanding of
processes of transformation of rituals and asks important
methodological questions, which should be of interest to anybody
dealing with the history of early photography in Africa and visual
anthropology. As to be expected from the "Cameroon Studies" series
the volume is rounded up by a comprehensive bibliography and a very
useful index." Anthropos
"As in his previous works, Fardon does not make it easy for his
readers to labour through his dense writing. However, it is
absolutely worthwhile. This unconventional book contains a wealth
of insights with far-reaching methodological consequences. It
demonstrates how to recover history without even for a moment
losing sight of the constructivity of the knowledge produced."
Journal of African History
Lela in Bali tells the story of an annual festival of
eighteenth-century kingdoms in Northern Cameroon that was swept up
in the migrations of marauding slave-raiders during the nineteenth
century and carried south towards the coast. Lela was transformed
first into a mounted durbar, like those of the Muslim states,
before evolving in tandem with the German colonial project into a
festival of arms. Reinterpreted by missionaries and post-colonial
Cameroonians, Lela has become one of the most important of
Cameroonian festivals and a crucial marker of identity within the
state. Richard Fardon's recuperation of two hundred years of
history is an essential contribution not only to Cameroonian
studies but also to the broader understanding of the evolution of
African cultures.
Richard Fardon, Professor of West African Anthropology in the
University of London, is the author of four monographs on West
Africa, as well as numerous works of anthropological theory. Since
1988 he has taught at the School of Oriental and African Studies,
where he chaired the University of London's Centre of African
Studies for eight years. In addition to its obvious archival
sources, this book draws upon ethnographic research he began in
Nigeria (from 1976) and in Cameroon (from 1984). Richard Fardon has
been editor of the journal AFRICA since 2001.
General
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