Famous Cameroonians
From the stadium to the stage, from literature to the runway: those who carried the name of Cameroon beyond its borders, including children of the diaspora with Cameroonian roots.
SportRoger MillaThe footballer who made the whole world dance
SportSamuel Eto'oThe most decorated striker in African football
MusicManu DibangoThe saxophonist who connected Africa to funk- SportFrançoise Mbango EtoneDouble Olympic triple jump champion
LiteratureMongo BetiThe writer who never stopped dissenting
MusicRichard BonaOne of the most respected bassists in world jazz
LiteratureCalixthe BeyalaA leading feminist voice in francophone literature
FashionImane AyissiThe first sub-Saharan African designer in Paris haute couture- MusicAnne-Marie NziéThe golden voice of Cameroon, queen mother of bikutsi
MusicCharlotte DipandaA voice that sings the country in its own languages
MusicBlick BassyThe musician who sings the country’s history in Bassa- ScienceAbdon AtanganaThe mathematician whose work bears his name
- ScienceErnest SimoA NASA engineer, the first African finalist in the astronaut programme
- Economics and businessKate FotsoThe "iron lady" of Cameroon’s brown gold
SportThomas N'KonoThe goalkeeper who made Buffon want to play in goal- SportJoseph-Antoine BellThe goalkeeper voted Africa's best of the 20th century
SportRigobert SongThe most capped player in Indomitable Lions history- SportPatrick MbomaThe striker behind Cameroon's golden year
- SportMarc-Vivien FoéThe Indomitable Lion who fell on the pitch in Lyon
SportAndré OnanaThe goalkeeper who plays with his feet like a midfielder
SportVincent AboubakarThe striker who scores when it matters
SportKylian MbappéThe all-time top scorer in World Cup historyCameroonian roots
SportSamuel UmtitiThe Yaoundé-born defender who sent France into the 2018 World Cup finalCameroonian roots
SportEric Maxim Choupo-MotingBorn in Hamburg, he chose the Indomitable LionsCameroonian roots
SportBryan MbeumoFrom Burgundy to Old Trafford, the winger who chose the LionsCameroonian roots
SportBreel EmboloThe Swiss striker who would not celebrate scoring against the country of his birthCameroonian roots
SportBenoît Assou-EkottoThe Tottenham full-back who called football "just a job"Cameroonian roots
SportFrancis NgannouFrom the sand quarry of Batié to the UFC belt
SportJoel EmbiidThe centre from Yaoundé who became NBA MVP
SportPascal SiakamFrom a seminary in Bafia to an NBA championship
SportLuc Mbah a MouteThe ‘Prince’ who opened the NBA to young Cameroonians
SportYannick NoahThe boy from Yaoundé who won the French OpenCameroonian roots
SportJoakim NoahThe tireless defender of the Chicago BullsCameroonian roots
SportCarlos TakamThe heavyweight who lasted ten rounds against Anthony Joshua- SportHassan N’Dam N’JikamTwo-time middleweight world champion and two-time Olympian
- MusicFrancis BebeyMusician, writer and scholar: the one-man band of Cameroonian culture
- MusicEboa LotinThe guitar and harmonica of makossa’s early days
MusicBen DeccaThe velvet voice of makossa for more than forty years
MusicGrace DeccaThe diva of makossa, from her brother’s backing vocals to the big stage
MusicPetit PaysThe “Turbo of Africa”, makossa’s provocative king- MusicMessi MartinThe guitarist who made the guitar sound like a balafon
- MusicSam Fan ThomasThe creator of makassi and “African Typic Collection”
MusicLapiro de MbangaThe “Ndinga Man”, voice of the forgotten
MusicSally NyoloThe Eton voice who carried bikutsi to stages around the world
MusicLady PonceThe “Queen of Bikutsi”
MusicStanley EnowThe “Bayangi Boy” who brought Cameroonian rap into every home
MusicSalatielThe Buea producer invited by Beyoncé onto “The Lion King”
MusicLockoFrom YouTube covers to one of the great voices of African R&B
MusicDaphneThe voice behind “Calée”, a hit that travelled across Africa
MusicTenorThe rapper behind “Do le Dab”, who got even the First Lady dancing
MusicTaycThe “Afrolov” crooner from Marseille who sings his Cameroonian rootsCameroonian roots
Film and comedyThomas NgijolThe Jamel Comedy Club comedian turned filmmakerCameroonian roots
Film and comedyFabrice ÉbouéBiting humour in the service of satireCameroonian roots
Film and comedyEriq EbouaneyThe face of Patrice Lumumba on screenCameroonian roots
Film and comedyJean-Pierre BekoloThe filmmaker who upends the conventions of African cinema
LiteratureFerdinand OyonoThe novelist who held colonial rule up to ridicule
LiteratureLéonora MianoThe novelist of sub-Saharan Africa and its diasporas
LiteratureDjaïli Amadou AmalThe voice of the women of the Sahel- HistoryRuben Um NyobèMpodol, the spokesman of Cameroon's independence movement
- ScienceArthur ZangThe engineer who fitted the electrocardiogram into a tablet
Film and comedyJean-Pierre Dikongué PipaDirector of "Muna Moto", the only Cameroonian to win the Stallion of Yennenga- Film and comedyDaniel KamwaActor and director of "Pousse-Pousse", one of the founders of Cameroonian cinema
Film and comedyJean-Marie TenoDocumentary maker behind "Afrique, je te plumerai", a critical look at the colonial legacy
Film and comedyBassek ba KobhioDirector of "Sango Malo" and founder of the Écrans Noirs festival- Film and comedyThérèse Sita-BellaJournalist and director of "Tam-tam à Paris", a pioneer of African cinema
Film and comedyJoséphine NdagnouActress, director and producer of "Paris à tout prix", a film about emigration
Film and comedyEmil Abossolo-MboStage and screen actor, from "Night on Earth" to "Plus belle la vie"
Film and comedyRosine MbakamBelgium-based documentary maker and director of "Mambar Pierrette"
Film and comedyCyrielle RaingouDirector of "Le Spectre de Boko Haram", winner of the 2023 Tiger Award in Rotterdam- ScienceVictor Anomah NguSurgeon and cancer researcher, Lasker Award laureate, former health minister
- ScienceRose LekeMalaria immunologist, 2024 L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science laureate
ScienceChristian HappiOutbreak geneticist whose team sequenced Africa's first SARS-CoV-2 genome- ScienceJean Claude MbanyaEndocrinologist and former President of the International Diabetes Federation
ScienceEstella AtekwanaGeophysicist, pioneer of biogeophysics and dean at the University of California
Economics and businessVera SongweEconomist, first woman to lead the UN Economic Commission for AfricaCameroonian roots
Economics and businessCélestin MongaEconomist and former Chief Economist of the African Development Bank
Economics and businessRebecca EnonchongTech entrepreneur, leading figure of African tech and ICC vice-chair- Economics and businessVictor FotsoSelf-made industrialist from Bandjoun, founder of the Fotso group and CBC bank
Economics and businessCélestin TawambaPasta and pharmaceuticals industrialist, head of Cameroon's employers' body
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