to compete with the Royal Museum in Foumban. Meanwhile, French displeasure with Njoya, whom they increasingly regarded as a subversive, incorrigible autocrat, culminated in his exile from his Bamoun kingdom in 1924. When King Njoya died in exile in 1933, the French selected one of his many sons, Njimoluh Seidou, to replace the beloved king, rather than allow the royal court to choose the legitimate successor to the Bamoun kingdom. As links between France and its African colonies temporarily Slackened during the latter part of World War II, Seidou sought to reaffirm control of local Government to answer the needs of his people: to that end, he drew on the Nkom secret society and other counselors to elevate Bamoun customs and cultural identity. It was during this time of political and cultural flux that the Tikar chieftaincy of Rifum ordered the creation of the Madou-Yenou thrones. The craftsman’s task was given to Njikam Isidore, grandson of the great sculptor of King Njoya’s reign, Nji Gbetom Salifou. As was the custom, two thrones were made at the same time; the second as a backup, in case anything should happen to the primary throne. The two thrones were completed between 1945 and 1946. The striking similarities of the two—e.g., the use of traditional Bamoun designs, the posture of the thrones’ figures, and their facial features—confirm their esteemed place in the time-honored Bamoun tradition of crafting dual thrones. Following World War II, Cameroon became a United Nations Trust Territory and joined what was then known as the French Union, with a loosely defined pathway to independence that was sanctioned by the Allied powers. Seidou’s efforts to revitalize Bamoun culture extended to the postwar period, when the French reignited tensions in the region with their push to speed the postwar recovery of the French metropole by increasing taxes and resource extraction in Cameroon. During this time, Seidou promoted handicrafts and diverse types of art; he further Liberalized the local art market to stimulate production for a nascent export market. Meanwhile, the Algerian War (1954-62), by now the focal point of France’s involvement in Africa, further energized Cameroonian opposition to the French and the battle cry for independence. Friction between French authorities and settlers, who challenged the emerging local economic and political elites, exacerbated the situation, fueling the struggle for independence and eventually sparking a catastrophic civil war that led to the deaths of tens