National Day...

Celebrations in Bamenda... for Cameroon's National Day... just below is the main street in Bamenda... Commercial Street... just full of people... craziness. And some of the marchers... those children must practice that marching at school everyday... they were amazingly in sync!

So, as you can see, yesterday was National Day here in Cameroon. The whole country was celebrating and marching in parades! Cameroon has no single date of independence, as the territory of ‘French Cameroun' achieved independence from France on January 1, 1960 and the British Southern Cameroons changed status from a trusteeship under British rule to a federated state within Cameroon on October 1, 1961. Unifcation came later. So, the government chose May 20th as Cameroon's National Day. It commemorates the abolishment of the federal system of government and the creation of the unitary state of Cameroon in 1972.

So, I arrived a little late and missed the “good stuff” so they say, which would have been the military marching with all their gear (and guns... so really... I think I've seen enough guns in Cameroon... hehe), so instead... I think I saw the rest of the population of Bamenda marching... all the school children representing every school, and so many groups, organizations... and at the end... when it finally came... cause seriously this parade lasted for hours... hours I tell you... in the hot sun... I don’t know how they were just marching like that... swinging their arms, wearing their uniforms... wow... (I was sweating just standing there, eating ice cream)... so anyway... at the end, came the political parties which I found very interesting... all but the main opposition, protesting the march instead. The very last was the Cameroon Social Democratic Movement, the governing party... and yes, check out that stylish wear... that's the President's face on all their clothing!!! In the evening I could hear the sounds of celebrations, amongst a mix of fireworks and thunder in the sky. Another day in Cameroon....

TOP TEN Cameroonian Alarm Clocks...

... All synchronized to start ringing between 5-6AM!!!

1. Call of the Rooster
2. Revvvvvvving of motorcycle engine
3. Blasting of Celine Dion!
4. Children playing outside the window
5. Neighbour running the tap and washing clothes... sop, sop, sop!
6. Call to Mosque
7. Chopping of wood
8. Shouting on the street
9. Sweeping
10. Someone ringing your doorbell incessantly

Please note: your regular alarm clock will also suffice, but it is not nearly as interesting... wouldn’t you say? Sweet dreams.

Weekend in the village of Babungo!!

Last weekend, the recently departed Katherine L and I decided to get out of the city and visit our other VSO colleague, Shamsul, living in the village of Babungo. It was only about an hour and half from Bamenda, but we amazingly felt like we had entered another world. The drive covered much beautiful landscape, up and down the lush green hills... grasslands, with phenomenal rock formations just jutting out of the sides of the hills. It was really quite spectacular. Arriving in Babungo, in the early evening, I already noticed the calm and quiet. We were in a valley, surround by those nice green hills and beautiful gardens... with only the sound of the birds... and as the sun went down, the bats flew out overhead and the fireflies lit up the sky. Slept well that night... and had some super jogs through the village and gardens each day that weekend... breathing in the fresh, cool country air, while everyone would greet me with a friendly good-morning!

Saturday, we went to the Fon’s Anniversary Celebrations. It had been ten years since the previous Fon had died and obviously, ten years since the current Fon had reigned. So, it was quite a celebration. Although, I must say, it was a challenging day and the first time we felt somewhat uncomfortable in Cameroon. The Palace was colourfully decorated and musicians and horseback riders with colourful gowns greeted all the guests as they arrived. Many other Fons were visiting and all the villagers were decked out in their colourful traditional regalia. There was dancing, drumming, some random appearances by the jujus, and a procession led by the Fon and the men of the “Secret Society”. The main event though, was the shooting of the guns... various groups came in with their large shot guns and would shoot up into the air, on command? Hmmm... not really... felt more like at random... in honour of the Fon... I think. There were just so many... I mean hundreds of shot guns... so we kind of watched from huddled back in the corner, listening to the announcer repeat: “please shoot into the air, don’t shoot into the crowd”, and analyzing how the shooting of the shot-guns became such a tradition in Cameroon to associate with celebrating??? I’ll let you know if I ever find out. J An event to remember!

Sunday, we jumped on some motorcycles and climbed up to 2000 metres above sea level and visited the Ndawara Tea Estate... now this was quite the place! And who would have thought, I’d find a small Indian community, workers of the estate, at the top of the mountain in the middle of nowhere in Cameroon? The tea estate managers warmly greeted us, fed us some nice Indian cuisine, and gave us a tour of the estate. Sweet! Up so high, and so free on the bikes with the wind on our faces... we explored the rows upon rows of tea, covering the hills for miles and could look down over the entire valley. Green and gorgeous! We even checked out the owner’s very own palace, mosque, and farm full of cows, horses, ostriches, ducks, and even peacocks.

A taste of the village life was quite different from the bustling city of Bamenda. Some of the things that stood out for me were as I’ve mentioned, the quiet, the beauty, the gardens... but also, more of the challenges to development work. The traditional beliefs and culture of the area were also much more visible... the Fon, the councils, respect given to elders, the traditional lifestyles of some groups like the Fulfulde (primarily cattle herders). Some of the challenges... girl child education, combating HIV / AIDS in a society that promotes polygamy, access to clean drinking water, and leading healthy lifestyles. For me, spending time in the villages was a nice change, but also a challenging, yet refreshing reminder of life in Cameroon! I’ve still got much to learn.