Bulu Songs from the Cameroons

The Bulu are one of the Fang-speaking peoples living in southern Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and northern Gabon—a region renowned for its rainforests and mountains. Bulu Songs from the Cameroons includes songs sung by the mbon mvet, a traveling storyteller and musician who spreads news throughout the region and who plays the mvet, a stringed instrument made from the frond of a raffia palm and gourds. Liner notes include a description of Bulu culture, track notes, notes on the pronunciation of Bulu words, and an illustration of the mvet.

Track Listing

101	Dance Song	Male Chorus	01:47
102	Secret Society Initiation Song	Male Voices, drum rattles and singing horn	02:14
103	Folk Tale	Wandering Minstrel with a mvet and chorus	03:01
104	Song of Self-Praise	Wandering Minstrel and chorus	02:46
105	Song of Sorrow	Male voices and chorus	02:05
106	Dance Song	Male voices and chorus	01:26
107	Dance Song	Mixed voices, drums, rattles and percussion sticks	03:17
108	Women's Dance Song	Female voices and hand clapping	03:31
109	Men's Drinking Song	Male voices and hand clapping	02:22
201	Song of Self-Praise	Traveling minstrel with chorus and rattles	04:04
202	Work Song	Male voices	02:57
203	Men's Dance	Male voices, drums, sticks and handclapping	02:32
204	Story Song	Male voices and handclapping	03:55
205	Flute Melody	Old man with clapping and rattles	02:52
206	War Song	Male voices and chorus	02:06
207	Sung to a Groom	Men singing to the groom	02:17
208	Sung by the Bride's Relatives	Mixed voices, drums, rattles and handclapping	04:08