Necroscapes of social control and the medical philosophy of interment in Cameroon: A study of PfenəMbvɨmə in Kedjom-Keku

Abstract

The discourse on death and many indigenous African mortuary practices have received critical attention and scholarship. However, little attention has been paid to indigenous African burial practices in relation to public health, disease and crime control. This article explores how forms and causes of death determine social control systems and medical philosophies of interment in Cameroon. The paper focuses on the philosophical foundations birthing the PfenəMbvɨmə (the bottomless burial site) in Kedjom-Keku. Using critical analysis of oral interviews, archival records and extant literature, we unveil how burial practices have contributed to the philosophy of medicine and history of social change in Cameroon.