Drinking Indigenous Beverages in Africa: The Case of the /Bili-bili/ of the Lele People of North Cameroon

Abstract

Every human society produces beverages but the raw materials and procedures of production may differ from one society to the next. Some societies especially in Africa use maize, others use millet while others use guinea corn for their production. There are certain beliefs surrounding the manufacture and use of each beverage. The /bili-bili/ of the Lele people of north Cameroon is a good example of local beer produced from millet, red millet and sorghum. This local liquor is produced mostly by the female folk and its production goes through a number of processes. The drink like any aspect of culture fulfils a specific function in the Lele community. It used to be manufactured from millet, red millet and sorghum alone but with time, there are women who produce it with red millet and maize. The main research question of the article is: what are the functions of the /bili-bili/ to the Lele man in particular and the community in general? The secondary research questions are: what is the cultural significances of the /bili-bili/ to the Lele people? and what are the factors that have caused changes in the production consumption of this indigenous liquor? The objectives of this article is to examine the place of bili-bili in the lives of the people and in the society as a whole. The paper also seeks to find out the symbolism of this drink and the reasons behind the changes in the production and utility of the bili-bili. The authors of this paper used the qualitative method to collect data. This data was analyse soon after collection was over and interpreted using the theories of cultural ecology (to demonstrate how millet and sorghum, all natural products are employed to produce a cultural drink, bili-bili), functionalism (employed to show the roles of the locally brewed drink in the lives of the Lele people and the Lele community) and symbolic anthropology (used to illustrate the cultural significance of the bili-bili to the Lele people. Bili-bili symbolises a bond as many youths like adults meet and share from a single calabash or bucket. This drink is not only a source of livelihood to many households, it portrays the belief system of the Lele people in particular and that of the northerners in general. The indigenous drink /bili-bili/ is a drink which portrays the cultural identity of the people. If valorised, it will continue to be a major source of livelihood to many families.