French colonial rule and consequent close ties with France have left a deep impact on all aspects of cultural life, particularly among the educated portions of the population and in the southern cities. Each ethnic group also has its own centuries-old tradition, which itself often mixes with the French determine. These cultural traditions are clustered in two distinct regions, the largely Muslim north and the largely animist and Christian south.

In other sections of the towns, tradition dominates cultural life. Extended families live in family compounds in distinct neighbourhoods, where they practice religious rites and celebrate festivals with music and dance.