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My parents grew up in Baltimore, understanding that our forebears came from Africa. We never even thought to ask about the specifics of our roots, when there was really no way to know for certain. I'd long wanted to find out more about our family's past, however, and in 2009 took a DNA test through African Ancestry.
I learned that I share maternal ancestry with the Tikar people, many of whom now live in the Bamum kingdom in northwestern Cameroon.
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Nsangou Njikam
Age: 39
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Ancestral home: Cameroon
This changed everything for me. You don't know why you walk around with an emptiness inside or have that feeling at culture day at school when you don't have a dish to bring in that's from another country. Then, suddenly, you can know, We're not just from Africa; we're from these countries and from these ethnic groups, and they have these traditions, and that's part of why we are who we are.
While working as an actor and playwright in Brooklyn, I spent about three years studying the Bamum culture with Abdoulaye Laziz Nchare, then a Ph.D. student in linguistics at New York University. He's from Foumban, the capital city of the Bamum kingdom. Whenever we could find time to meet, he helped me learn the language, as well as plan a trip that, in 2015, would take me and my close friend Billye Sankofa-Waters (who learned she also has Bamum ancestry) to two places: Foumban and Bimbia, a port notorious for its role in the slave trade, in the country's southwest region.
![Women selling local goods in Foumban, Cameroon Women selling local goods in Foumban, Cameroon](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarpe/en/home/travel/vacation-ideas/family/info-2019/cameroon-ancestry-trip/_jcr_content/root/container_main/container_body_main/container_travel_main_body/container_travel_body/container_body1/container_body_cf/body_one_cf_one/par4/articlecontentfragme/cfimage.coreimg.50.932.jpeg/content/dam/aarp/travel/international/2019/09/1140-woman-selling-goods-in-cameroon.jpg)
We flew into Douala, a big city on the coast, then took a bus to Foumban, a bustling smaller town, its dusty streets filled with pedestrians, cars and motorbikes. A grand Royal Palace for the king, at the center of town, is perched next to a museum devoted to the history of the kingdom dating back to the late 14th century. Nearby, a neighborhood buzzed with ironsmiths, sculptors and other artisans selling traditional games, masks and jewelry.
Everyone I met was surprised that I could speak the language. I was surprised at how strangely familiar the place and the people seemed.
The most exciting moment came when I met the Bamum minister of culture, who asked Billye and me, “Would you like a traditional name?”