Meet The African King With 100 Wives And 500 Children

This is the African king who has close to 100 wives after inheriting his late father's queens as his own.

Abumbi II, became the 11th fon, or king, of Bafut in Cameroon after the death of his father in 1968.

Polygamy is still legal in Cameroon and it is tradition in rural areas for men to marry more than one woman, with no limit on how many wives one can take.

He is the head of one of the traditional kingdoms in Cameroon, where he has close to 100 wives

But as is custom, when a king dies, his successor inherits all of his wives, meaning Abumbi now has around 100 wives having been passed 72 rom his father.

He has taken on over 500 children from all of his wives.

Queen Constance, Abumbi's third wife, told CNN: 'Behind every successful man must be a very successful, staunch woman.

'Our tradition has it that when you are king, the elderly wives remain to hand down the tradition to the younger wives, and also to teach he king the tradition because the king had been a prince, not a king.'

King Abumbi says it is his job to preserve the culture of his people and their local traditions, meaning his wives are very important to him

The queens are often well spoken, speaking several languages and are accomplished in education.

The practice of polygamy is one that is often challenged in Cameroon as there are fewer polygamous marriages now than ever before.

But despite this, King Abumbi says it is his job to preserve the culture of his people and their local traditions and that his wives are very important to him.

The traditional role of the fon is to control external relations of the area, as well as internal governance.

They are also in charge of justice and offer sacrifices to his ancestors in a spiritual role.

The palace of the Fon of Baut, called Ntoh, is a major tourist attraction and is listed as one of the world's most endangered sites.

Though polygamy is often met with criticism in the West, there are some who deem it a valuable tradition. After meeting with Fon Abumbi II, Soni Methu, presenter for CNN's Inside Africa, noted that there was more to the practice than meets the eye:

"I understand that we might be quick to judge the lifestyle of the kings, but just like in the United Kingdom, African kingdoms and kings are bound to a rich culture and history. (Practices) like inheritance of all your father's wives is nothing but a moral obligation."

She also observed that many of these royals are highly accomplished. On meeting the queens of Fon Ndofua Zofia II of Babungo -- one of Cameroon's youngest traditional rulers -- Methu said:

"All his young wives, forced on him by tradition, spoke fluent English in a French-speaking region and were great marketers."

It is this seeming contradiction that makes life in the fondom fascinating and confusing. Are they stuck in the past or keeping pace with the present? Fon Zofoa III doesn't think you have to choose. He may have "inherited" 72 wives and more than 500 children after his father's death, but he considers himself a very modern king.

"To run a kingdom nowadays in this era, you must be educated because things are moving very fast. Like they used to say, education is light, ignorance is darkness."

Source: CNN