ABSTRACT
Sexuality is complex within a multicultural society such as Cameroon. Sexuality pertains not only to sexual activity and by extension fertility, but also to the quest for sex, and the enhancement, control, management, and restoration of sex. The importance placed on sexuality across different cultures varies according to the place of its actors within the physical, social, reproductive, or developmental cycle. Thus, the importance placed on premarital chastity, fertility, and sexuality differs across cultures but is also mediated by a range of factors such as age, residence, status, kinship, mental health, and gender. Neither society nor culture exists in a vacuum, and the forces of urbanization, modernization, religion, and media also exert their own influence. However, these contemporary forces do not necessarily result in the abandonment of the traditional belief systems governing sexuality. Rather, traditional values and practices are maintained alongside more modern beliefs and behaviors. This coexistence is evident also in therapeutic systems of care, whereby modern medicine is accompanied by traditional and healing practices. This blending of the modern and the traditional is evident in Cameroon and offers a somewhat unique perspective on sexuality in a developing nation.
