The Subu (Isubu, Isuwu, Bimbians) are a Bantu ethnic group who inhabit part of the coast of Cameroon.
The predominant Isubu oral history holds that the ethnic group hails from Mboko, the area southwest of Mount Cameroon.
[2] Tradition makes them the descendants of Isuwu na Monanga, who led their migration to the west bank of the Wouri estuary.
However, a major commodity was slaves, most bound for plantations on nearby islands such as Annobón, Fernando Po, Príncipe, and São Tomé.
British traders became the dominant European presence in the region by the mid-19th century, and the Crown used them to enforce abolition of the slave trade in the Gulf of Guinea.
[5] William was also asked to forbid practices the British viewed as barbaric, such as sacrificing a chief's wife upon his death.
King William sold a portion of his domains to the missionary Alfred Saker, who then founded Victoria (today known as Limbe).
Traders exploited this atmosphere, and beginning in 1860, German, French, and Spanish merchants had established contacts and weakened the British monopoly.
Years of contact with Westerners and a high level of literacy had allowed a literate upper class of Isubu clerks, farmers, and traders to emerge in Victoria and Buea.
This class were familiar with European law and conventions, which allowed them to pressure the German colonial government with petitions, legal proceedings, and special interest groups to oppose unpopular or unfair policies.
Great Britain integrated its portion of Cameroon with the neighbouring colony of Nigeria, setting the new province's capital at Buea.
The British practiced a policy of indirect rule, entrusting greater powers to Bakweri and Isubu chiefs in Buea and Victoria.
The Isubu participate in the annual Ngondo, a traditional festival of the Duala, although today all of Cameroon's coastal peoples are invited.