We are all one. Kola, the nut which brings peace, joy and life in Nso’ society, Cameroon

Abstract

This thesis is about the consequences of kola nut use amongst the Nso' people. It offers an analysis of the socio-cultural context where kola is used and its cultural significance. The sense of unity, togetherness, and belonging is one of the issues that is connected to the production and reproduction of the social world we are engaged in. Thus, this study on kola nut practices is all about how identities power and gender roles are constructed and re-constructed around the practice of gathering, distributing and chewing of kola nut. The use kola nut in various social situations contribute to the sense of construction and re-construction of Nso' identity and belonging. I decided to follow many people to fully grasp element enabling me understand the meaning of kola nut use in a diverse society. From what I saw during my fieldwork in all the settings where kola nuts were being shared in Nso', I discovered that kola nut practices are important in understanding successful integration of the Nso' people in the sense that whether they are literates, illiterates, traders, farmers, scholars, Traditionalists, Christians, Muslims; they all share and eat kola nut. It is about the construction and reconstruction of social identity despite the forces of modernization and globalization.