Today makes ONE YEAR since my arrival in Cameroon, Africa.
1 year-12 months-52 weeks-365 days
8,765 hours or 525,949 minutes.
The Good: The cost of living in Cameroon is SOO cheap and SOO fresh!- I can buy
a massive juice fresh pineapple for 150fcfa or 25cents. 4 mangoes (in
season) or 4 bananas just picked off the tree for 100fcfa (20cents).
The Bad: Salary here is a joke. That is if people even get paid! Sometimes people work for months without salary and both government jobs and private jobs. Even when they do get paid, it's close to nothing. It is not possible to pay rent, pay bills, feed your children, send them to school with books and supplies, have a tiny bit to buy a bottle of beer every now and again AND save. It's just not possible. It's incredibly sad to see people who are intelligent, hard working and capable struggle like this. Even me, its why I have to leave...the salary is just too low I cant afford to live here.
The Awesome: I am learning Pidgin-English!! What is this you ask!? Well, it's more useful than one might imagine... This "language" is spoken by more than 80 million people world wide. I say "language" because it varies by the location - but a lot of the structure more or less stays the same, it's mostly the vocabulary that changes. Surprisingly, I am picking up on this quite well. I would say after one year I am at or beyond my proficiency in French. At first, I was so confused why educated people who knew English would speak this language amongst each other (I assumed it was for the illiterate) but after inquiring and getting the response, "It just flows" I know understand...ei di flow. This can help me get jobs all over West Africa!! Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, The Gambia, Liberia and of course Cameroon. Generally, if they dont speak French, they speak Pidgin :) Or in some places, like Sierra Leone, they call it Creole. Here in Cameroon, Pidgin is a mixture of English, French and local dialects! Pidgin varies even depending on the area you are in within the Southwest and Northwest regions.
The Bad: Not only do I stick out like a sore thumb being a 'whiteman' here in Cameroon (and most of Africa for that matter), there are also several stereotypes come along with being a "whiteman". At first you get quite offended when everyone says "you are white, you have money." but after you realize the culture and how we as westerners are perceived...you can't really get that upset. So people think you are rich and have a ton of money. Therefore, people (not everyone) are constantly asking you for things, telling you how bad their life is, trying to make you pay more, or just flat out saying "take me to your country" or "marry me (or my brother)" or "I love you" or heaps of random other phrases.
The Ridiculous: After living in Ndejje Village, Uganda -- I feel like I am in a first world nation. Actually. Even if the power does go out and I have no running water ever now and again.
The Awesome: I have mastered bucket baths. Believe me, there is a technique and I am proud to say I know it very well.
The Bad: I might have taken a few years off of my life. The
amount of oil (red palm oil, ground nut oil and regular palm oil) that
the put into food is actually insane. I've seen meals being prepared: at
the end they take a liter of palm oil and stir it in. When they serve
things at restaurants (or even in homes) you can tip the place and watch
the oil pour (yes, pour) off the plate. When the food is sitting in the
pot after its finished, you can literally spoon out oil that has risen
to the top of the food and pooled in different sections. Plus, they love
sugar! They love sugar so much that they saturate their salads
(avocado, onion and tomatoes) with condensed milk and most people take minimum 4 sugar in their tea/coffee which already has condensed milk. God help me.
The Ridiculous: People think that just because I can sit on the floor with my legs crossed that I am Muslim.
The Bad: There are mice and cockroaches all over my house. No, I am not a dirty person. Everyone has them. I have one friend who actually has named two mice that are in her house.
Here I am, shoe in hand, going after a mouse!!
The Good: I have gotten really good at killing the mice with shoes. It worked better when Monica and I were living together because we sort of tag-teamed them and trapped them in but I still manage without her.
The Ridiculous: A friend and I once killed an entire family (of mice). I thought there was just one but one turned into two, two turned into four.
Goodbye family of mice that kept nibbling into my food!
The Good:I LIVE IN BUEA - CAN DRINK TAP WATER!!! HOORAY!!!
The Ridiculous: I used the pumpkin spice coffee creamer that my sister sent me in a care package with my instant coffee and a bit of instant milk and it was like heaven in a cup. I felt like I was getting a Pumpkin Spice Late from some small locally owned organic coffee shop in Humboldt.
The Good: After a year, I am comfortable doing 99.9% of things here along. I know where things are. I know the prices. I know how to talk to people. I know how to be culturally sensitive. And one awesome part: everyone (that is an obvious exaggeration) knows me too!
The Good: Happy Sunday! Sunday is like a weekly holiday here. Nearly everything is close (at least until late afternoon). Everyone wears their traditional clothing and most people attend church and/or their njangi meeting. People are so cheerful and always greet by saying "Happy Sunday" and then you can reply "Same to you." or my favorite, "Happy! Happy!" This is usually a popular phone calling day (see below).
The Awesome: Calling just to greet. At first, I was so confused and honestly a bit annoyed with people/friends/acquaintances who called me just to say HI and see how I was doing. The conversations were honestly like 30sec-1min long and had no purpose or point other than salutations. But now, I call to do the same thing - usually on Sunday! People are so happy and so grateful. I can have a full conversation with a friend, greet her whole family, check on how everything in her life is going and finish within 1min. I literally scroll through my phonebook to call people that I havent seen or talked to in a while. People do the same to me. Its really nice.
The Bad: I care less about littering and
artificial and/or toxic GMO foods. In fact, as much as I hate to admit
this I cant deny... I have littered here.
The Awesome: I live in a country where there are over 260 different ethnic groups/clans. I've been able to witness some amazingly awesome traditional events!!
Malleh Dance aka Elephant Dance
Pala Pala Wrestling
Witnessing some traditional dances
A Bayangi Juju
The Ridiculous: Everyone ones to adopt you into their tribe/clan so they give you a traditional name... its so difficult to remember them all! So far:
Bayangi name = Nsunsu (pronounced: nn sue sue)
Bakossi name = Ebude Mbulle (pronounced: ay boo day mm boolay)
Bamenda name: Manka (pronounced: ma n ka)
Ibo* name: Ijeoma (pronounced: ee jee oma)
*Ibo is a tribe in Nigera but since they boarder Cameroon there are many who live here now.
The Awesome: I have a solid friend and family base here. I've been to white weddings, court weddings, traditional weddings, funerals, first communions, birthday parties, graduation parties, memorials and more. I don't know what I would do without them and I dont know what I will do when I leave.
small pikin dem
So it has been one full year. A year I will never forget. I have exactly 16 weeks or 112 days until I leave Buea, my new home. It's a frighting thought. An inevitable event, which I always knew was coming. But to have the date set. To actually be purchasing the ticket makes it much more real, and much more sad. Of course I am happy to see my family, go home, start grad school, etc -- but I love my life here. I love my friends. I love my work. I love my students. It's amusing to me to think that some 'volunteers' come for 2 weeks or 2 months and then they leave and never look back. Then here I am dreading my departure in 4 full months, longer than the time some people spend here. I have already began planning my 'send off' party!! Anyways, I am looking forward to getting back stateside. I know the transition will be difficult but I am ready to move onto the next stage...hopefully going back to school at SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont.
After some delay and
miscommunication with the printing and distribution of the YAN Club tshirts – Youth Day 2014 was a major triumph!!!
In Cameroon, several
holidays (including Youth Day) are celebrated with a very serious and organized
march from the Presbyterian High School to Enap Junction up around an area
called “Clarks Quarters” which is the area before Buea Town (the highest point
and end point of Buea). On this particular day, students meet and organize
themselves according to school. First are the areas nursery schools followed by
all primary, secondary, and professional schools. To march, you must be in
uniform. Most students wear their school uniform and march as part of their
school but other will sport a ‘club’ shirt and march behind the school with
their respective club.
You can expect these marches
(which are also known as “March Pass”) to happen on the following holidays:
Youth Day, Women’s Day, Reunification Day and whenever the President comes (if
ever…remember: Buea has been waiting nearly 2 years for his arrival). There
might be other holidays but these are the only ones my friends could think of
when I asked.
This ‘marching’ I speak of
is similar to parades we have in the US but the major difference is the
seriousness of order and unification. Schools are shamed if their students
aren’t marching in unison. You might remember me writing about some of my
students missing class because they were ‘marching’ – and now I understand why.
Marching is something that is practiced throughout the year. Those who march
best are put in the front lines which is an honor to yourself, your family and
whoever you are marching under (whether it be a school or organization).
Schools were literally laughed at along the sides of the streets by those
observing if they were not marching well.
On Tuesday (Youth Day) I had
attempted to meet all of the students between 9am-10am at the Presbyterian High
School so we had time to set up and organize ourselves before the marching
began at 10am. I easily forget “African Time” or “Blackman Time” because at
10:30 when the Primary Schools started marching, I only had a handful of kids
ready to march. I won't deny it, I was really worried that YAN would be laughed
at for only having 2 members marching under each school and I was also at the
same time confused because all the students seemed so eager to march. But
nevertheless, I had to leave the students to organize themselves so that I
could find a good place to take photos.
There were so many people around
it was hard to move or even think!! The only other time I have seen a gathering
of that many people was at a Cameroon football game in Yaoundé.
I finally found a good spot
to post up and take photos. After watching all of the nursery and primary schools
pass I knew Lycee was next – they are the first secondary school to march. I
saw the YAN banner coming from a distance and was pleasantly surprised by the
number of students I saw following! The students came through in the end and I
realized my panic and sad feelings were nonsense! I should really know better
by now. Shortly after Lycee passed, those from Buea Town went by with a good
number of students marching as well!
YAN looked fantastic!!! I
was so proud of those kids. The police officer even let me step onto the road
to take their photo after I nicely asked him, “Excuse me Sir, abeg, a wan
comout roadside and snap just one one of ma own pikin dem. Ma pikin di com na
na so” as I pointed to the
approaching students. I think he was more surprised and impressed with my
pidgin than anything else so he couldn’t refuse my request to take photos.
As soon as Buea Town went
passed I squeezed my way through the crowd to the ‘stadium’ where I told
everyone to meet. By everyone, I mean the 4 or 5 students who were on time. I
was hoping they would pass on the word to others by when I walked passed the
stadium no one was there so I continued walking up. I found the students from
Buea Town collecting their ‘tickets’ which they would bring to school the
following day to prove they marched so that they wouldn’t get “punished” aka
beat. We quickly snapped some photos so that I could go find Lycee and do the
same.
After walking everywhere in
the neighborhood looking for Lycee I was finally able to find a few of them who
had been walking around looking for me! Since it had already been more than an
hour since Lycee finished marching, we were only able to gather about 8
students for photos which is better than none!
I would have to say my
favorite part of the march pass, except for my exceptionally bright and awesome
YAN students, would have to be the Nursery and Primary schools who had an “Arts
and Culture Club”. I am the biggest ‘cultural/traditional’ clothing fan you
will ever meet. So when I saw children ranging from 4 years to 10 years dressed
in local traditional wear as their uniform I nearly died. It was the cutest
thing I had ever seen – like mini little chiefs marching about, Take a look:
I also learned a new pidgin
word this day : chakhara = scattered, disorderly, messy, chaotic. eg: Clarks
quarters don chakhara fo Youth Day.
I
did some research and decided to be sure I cleaned it out really well
after every time I ate. Sooner or later, I knew I would need to get it
taken care of. I had heard of a dentist in Yaounde, but that was such a
far an expensive trip. I asked my trusted American doctor volunteers at
the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital here in Buea if they knew any dentist
in the area. They said there was one in Mutengene which is only about
15-20min from Buea, a 300cfa (70cents) taxi ride. I decided to go for
it!
When I got dropped off in Mutengene, I had no idea
where I was going. So I just started asking around "Where is the
dentist?" "I want to get me teeth looked at?" "Dentist office?" : saying
all while pointing to my teeth. Finally, someone understood me. They
pointed in the direction and said, "Tell the taxi drive 'dental
entrance'." And that was that.
This is what I walked up to...
Not the most welcoming dentist office I have ever been too, but surely one I will never forget.
As
I entered the waiting room, there were about 12 others waiting to see
the doctor who had not yet arrived from Douala. Appointments started at
10am and it was now after 11am. Finally the doc showed up carrying a
small kit with some dental tools. Sooner or later I was called back to
the examination room. I explained my situation and he invited me to sit
down in the dentist chair that I'm sure my Dad would remember from way
back in the day. It wasn't adjustable, it was just there, how it was. My
nerves had me nearly shaking.
With no gloves, no face
mask/mouth protector he began to look inside my mouth with instruments
that had unquestionably not been sterilized let alone cleaned since the
last patient. He then said he needed to clean the tooth and put in a
'temporary' filling to make sure there was no problem (ie: infection)
when putting in the permanent one the following week. The dental
assistant woman turned on the generator and soon another spinning
unsanitary tool was in my mouth 'cleaning' my teeth. It hurt. The doctor
then proceeded to shove cotton soaked with hydrogen peroxide into the
hole where the filling had been and sealed it with a cement like liquid.
There ya have it - a temporary filling. Then I was on my way home.
The
following week I came back. They said my dentist appointment was at
10am but I knew better. I arrived at 10:45am and the doctor was still
not there. Soon he entered. Again, with no gloves or face mask he
started digging into my mouth. This time I got a permanent filling. When
he had finally finished, he asked me to bite down. I tried. I failed. I
told him, "It is not fitting, I can't bite properly." So I laid back
down and he started chipping away at the filling little by little. He
stopped and had me try again. Same thing. I told him again. This time,
he said to me, "It must be psychological." Yes, that's it... After 24
years on Earth and 10+ fillings I don't know when my bite isn't correct.
I just left it as it was and went on my way, no use arguing. Total price for both visits was 1,00cfa (@2) for consultation + 10,000cfa ($20) for the filling = 22$. Not bad!
That was one experience I hope I never have go through again.
*Side Note/Random Thought/Story: Its difficult at times because Cameroonians have a
different accent and put emphasis on different parts of the word. So we
could all be saying the same word and we wont be understanding each
other. For example, say the word spaghetti. No really, say spaghetti out loud right now. Now say "spag" (A as in Auto). Now say "a". Now say "tea". Now say them one after another, spag - a - tea. This is what my friend was saying to me while he was telling me what he was going to cook me for dinner. I was so confused... what kind of tea is spag? Nope, it was spaghetti. He was cooking me spaghetti, not some tea called spag.
Here are some really exciting upcoming events:
February 11th = Youth Day
This
is a day dedicated to the youth of the country. It is a public holiday
and there will be no schools. On this day, Nursery, Primary and
Secondary Schools all around Buea will march in a parade! There will
also be local youth groups and other organizations participating. Yup,
and you guessed it - Yours truley - YOUTH ADVOCACY NETWORK - will have
our own group marching with awesome banners. Pictures to come!!
February 15th = Race of Hope
As
you may know, Buea is home to Mount Cameroon which is the tallest
Mountain in Central/West Africa (4,095m/13,353ft) and second highest on
the continent just behind Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The mountain
has several nicknames: internationally: “The Roof of Central and West
Africa”; locally: "Mount Fako" and "Mongo-ma-Lobo" meaning the Mountain
of Thunder in the local dialect, Bakweri. The entire massif is known as
"Mongo-mo-Ndemi" meaning Mountain of Greatness. The Mountain is of a
volcanic origin and rises from the Atlantic Ocean and presents a
sequence of vegetation forms like mangrove forests and freshwater swamps
at sea level, evergreen lowland forests, sub mountain and mountain
forests to mountain and sub alpine grasslands (savannah) above 2000 m.
The
race, as you probably guessed, is a race to the summit!! The fastest
recorded time of a hike (run) from Checkpoint, Molyko (700m) to the
Summit (4095m) is about 4h 20min!! Average hike time for tourist is
three days -- I would be lucky to even reach the summit! This year they
have given the race back to Guinness (yes the beer) to be organized so
everyone is expecting a spectacular event. There is a trade fair at the
starting location which kicked off just last night and will continue
until next weekend. I have a friend who guides up the mountain, Thompy -
his father (who is of late) is the record holder!!
It
has been raining every now and again here in Buea with a lot of cloud
coverage. Many people say that rainy season will come early (how
unfortunate seeing as how the season stayed late last year). My friend
was telling me that, "There is no way it will rain on the race day." I
said, "How can you predict that." He replied by saying, "Everyone knows
that Guinness will go to all the Bakweri Chiefs around the mountain and
pay them to hold the rains. Just wait, as soon as the race has finished,
it will be raining the following weekends.". How's that for some ancient traditional meteorology?
March 8th = International Women's Day
Last
year I missed this day by TWO days! I was so bummed. I still got a
skirt made with the fabric of that year. I like the idea of Women's Day
but at the same time I personally feel like it is just a show. Most
people who participate dont even realize what it is supposed to
represent. Not to mention, women get ONE day a year?
This
is a holiday here in Cameroon where women and men alike buy the special
themed fabric, sew dresses, shirts, pants, skirts, etc and march
together in celebration of women. The photo caption above is last year's theme. This year it is "Inspiring Change". Please, take time to learn about the
significance and seriousness of this day by exploring HERE and HERE
I
plan to give a special lesson the week prior to the celebration and
hold an essay contest in my YAN classes. The lesson is still in the
making as is the essay requirements but I think a day like this is worth
taking a break from our regular work to learn about. The winner(s) of
the contest will be featured on my blog :)
Let me back up and fill you in on the taxis over here...
Taxis
When you hear the word taxi, what do you think of?
Personally, I think of a yellow car that drives you where you want to go. There is a tracker of some sort in the middle, and you are either charged by the distance or the time it takes to get there. I also think of NYC because in all the movies I see there are tons of taxi cabs in NYC.
If that is what comes to mind for you, that's a good start.
Here in Cameroon, and in several other parts of Africa, taxis are 'shared taxis'. You stand on the side of the road in the direction you need to go and wait for a yellow cab. In these cabs, there will be 3 (sometimes 4 but usually 3) people in the back and 2 people sharing the front passenger seat which usually leaves the middle person sitting on something uncomfortable and close to the driver. In Buea, taxi fares run from 100fcfa (20 cents) to 250fcfa (50 cents) depending on the distance. Typically this is how it goes:
You are standing on the side of the road.
When a taxi is approaching you put your hand out sort of like you are hailing a taxi. If you are with a friend or two then you must put out the number of places you are trying to get in the taxi. (eg: You are with 2 friends, you hold out 3 fingers).
As the taxi is approaching if he flashes his head lights that means the cab is full (in other instances, like crossing the street, this flashing of lights could mean 'go ahead and cross I will slow down').
If the cab is not full he will pull up next to you, but it will be a quick sort of drive by where you are expected to shout out your destination.
If the driver doesn't hear you he will call you to come to the car or slowly back up for you to say again.
If he hears you and is not going there, he will simply continue driving.
But if he is going there you will get a BEEP BEEP which means "Yes! Hurry up get in the cab!"
There are even secret codes for certain destinations here depending on the direction you are going and the way you make your fingers point. It could mean Mile 16, Muea, Bakweri Town or Buea Town, Campaign Street, etc.
All of this non verbal communication has taken me some time to master. And I am still learning.
OK, now back to my inspiration for the post...
Most taxi's play music, some play recordings of preachers/prophets and others have nothing to listen to at all.
One day, a Cameroonian gospel singer by the name of Elizabeth Tekeh was playing. I always hear her music, and although it is classified as 'gospel', I enjoy it! It is quite catchy and up beat, plus, she has a great voice. That day, I listened closely to the lyrics to the song and was quite disappointing. She is usually recognized as a 'strong empowering woman' but the lyrics she sang seemed to contradict other songs I have heard her sing.
She sings mostly in Pidgin English but you should be able to get most of the lyrics.
Listen to the song here:
I call this song "Marriage" because I can't find the official name and no one here knows it either.
I've wrote the lyrics myself. Everything that looks like this: (is the translation from Pidgin-English and/or my own interpretation and opinions).
Marriage na love o and understanding o
If wona love and understand wona self, marriage go waka fine
(Marriage is love and understanding. If you guys love and understand yourself, marriage is/will be good. 'wona' is loosely translated to 'you people' or you guys or you {more than one person} "o" is put on the end of words to show emphasis or exaggeration.)
If you want your marriage fo last, love your wife o.
If you want your marriage fo last, give and provide for your wife.
If you want your marriage fo last, submit yourself to your husband.
If you want your marriage fo last, respect and obey your husband.
(fo is for = to (in this case).
submit: verb: accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person. synonyms: give in, yield, give way, back down, cave in, bow, capitulate, relent, defer, agree, consent, accede, conform, acquiesce, comply, accept obey: verb: 1. submit to the authority of (someone) or comply with (a law). synonyms: do what someone says, take/accept orders from, carry out/follow the orders of, be dutiful to, heed;
To me, submit is a very degrading word. When I think of obeying and submitting yourself to someone, I honestly think of the way slavery was in the US [and I'm sure everywhere else]. Where the slave is treated as some sort of animal who is not worthy of making their own decisions and must submit themselves to their master and obey their every command.
That is just not OK with me.)
If any man play ei part as God talkam for bible
God go favor wona marriage
marriage ei go waka fine
(Which ever men play their part that God has said in the Bible, God will favor your marriage. Marriage will be good.)
Marriage na love o and understanding o
If wona love and understand wona self, marriage go waka fine
If your wife make you vex no holler around people
Callam for inside room
Talkam show say you di vex and a humble woman will say sorry
and marriage go waka fine
(If your wife makes you angry dont yell at her in public. Call her to come inside the room. Tell her that you are mad and a humble woman will say sorry and your marriage will be fine
If the reason he was angry is legitimate to apologize for then I have no problem. But I don't see why it doesn't say If you make ya wife vex say your are sorry and kiss her. )
Bible don sayhusband na da head of the household Woman na helper of the husband
Do your best walk with your husband
When you walk with your husband you marriage go waka fine
(The Bibles says that the husband is the head of the household. The woman is the helper of the husband. Do you best do what your husband does/wants. When you do what he does/wants your marriage will be good.
Even if that is what the Bible says, the Bible is a book that was written 3,500 years ago. “The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change” ― Heraclitus. It is not OK that women are still seen as inferior to men. We have a lot of growing to do. Just look at what happened this last year even in places that are supposed to be seen as "equal". This just goes to show, the world has a lot of growing to do.)
If you want your marriage for last, no hide money for your wife
If you want your marriage for last, no hide anything for your husband
Wona work together, hand to heart
Wona reason together
Marriage go waka fine, fine, fine, fineee.
Marriage na love o and understanding o
If wona love and understand wona self, marriage go waka fine
If you want your marriage for last, pray for your marriage
Be faithful to one another
Honest to one another
Transparency every day wona come together
Wona walk together marriage ei go waka fine, fine fine fineee.
Marriage na love o and understanding o
If wona love and understand wona self, marriage go waka fine
This brings me to my next observation...
It's tradition!!
Gender Roles
"A woman's place is in the kitchen. Except some Saturdays, maybe I will cook for her and give her a break."
This statement was said by one of my students in class. He is 14 years old. There wasn't a soul who out-rightly and openly disagreed with his statement. Not even me, I was trying to be more of a mediator and just let the discussion flow. Most of the boys in the class and a couple girls sat there nodding their heads agreeing.
I can picture the response to that same statement made somewhere else: a cold hard slap in the face and a room full of pissed off men and women alike. The first thing I think of when I hear that statement and others like it is "What is wrong with people!? This is the 21st century!" But, after the steam stops coming out of my ears and I come back down to Earth, I realize...it is just their cultural traditions. And, according to cultural relativism, I am in no such position to be saying that this way of thinking is wrong or even correct for that matter. At the wedding I went to way back when, I remember watching all of the young girls and women waking up early to clean all the dishes and begin preparing breakfast then continuing on to prepare an enormous dinner that evening which would feed all guests. This was all happening while the men were sitting around, drinking beer or tea, eating breakfast, sleeping, smoking cigarettes, etc. But no one seemed to complain - they all knew their respectful places in life.
For my YAN class the main program for the entire year is as follows: learn about computers, choose a problem or issues in your community to research on, then build a website and use multi media to teach others about the problem and advocate for solutions. I won't lie, I was really trying to encourage someone to research somewhere along the lines of gender roles and/or women's empowerment. But, no one took the bait. Even after we had great class discussion prompted by two women guest speakers we had come into class and discuss these issues. It was a bit disappointing to see no one jump on the idea... but it was a very concrete and necessary reminder to me. In the field of International Development, us outsiders, are not here to implement 'correct' way of living and change the way things are because that is what we want to see happen. Just because we think one lifestyle is better than another doesn't mean we are correct. It is about listening to the problems of the people. Then, collectively working towards sustainable and long term solutions to those problems. If gender roles and women's empowerment are not issues that are seen by students as issues, its because they are not issues at this point in time. As much as I see them as problem,s I am not a Cameroonian youth in any sort of position to advocate for women's rights in a foreign country when no one has asked me to do so.
This was a nice learning lesson for me. You can't make people see a problem that they don't think is a problem. You can't tell someone what the problems are in their own communities.
"You don fat"
Also meaning, "You have grown fat!"
To us over in the Western world... this is one of the worst insults you can ever say to a person, especially a girl/woman. I know when I am describing a person who is fat, I will even avoid that word by saying heavy or bigger or large just because of the negativity that is connected with the word fat. But here, the word fat is anything but negative!! I can't even count how many times someone has told me that I have gotten fat or have grown fat. For me, it is usually preceded or followed by the same person telling me, "You are enjoying Cameroon!" Here I would even go as far as saying it is a compliment to be called fat. People, and now myself included, will reply, "Thank you."
Accepting fat as a good thing, and actually being told that myself and others were 'too thin' was a bit difficult. My whole life I have been trained to think that I need to be thin. No extra fat, no rolls on my stomach, etc. Then, I slowly started to reflect on America's idea and perception of 'beauty' as well as the amount of criticism girls/women experience focusing around body image. It's a really sad thing that women are taught to shame their own bodies and criticize every inch of them. I went to Limbe beach with a handful of the 'foreign volunteers' about a month ago. We were laying on the beach in the sun enjoying ourselves. A fat (yes, I want to use that word because it is NOT a bad thing!) Cameroonian walked by all confident and happy in her two piece bikini. She was with some friends and they all walked town to the water. She began posing for photos and simply loving and enjoying life. This girl was big, she was very fat and yet that didn't stop her from enjoying her time at the beach. She wasn't self conscious she wasn't trying to cover herself up - nothing. Then, as I was noticing this scene. The girls I was with began to complain about every little part of their body. Nothing was good enough for them. A couple even began to mock the fat girl in the water. It was a sad situation. I think we can learn a lot about beauty when we take our eyes off of the altered/airbrushed/photo-shopped pictures in magazines, music videos and runways and begin to look at real bodies and real women. Witchcraft
Lately, there has been a couple of instances of witchcraft going on in the area. People say that it happens year round but this particular time, the months preceding Christmas, is notorious for witchcraft ...and many motor accidents resulting in several deaths. About a month ago, a neighbor of mine said, "What has happened at your
school today?" in a sort of panicked state - I could tell something wasn't right. I
replied, "I'm not sure, I don't teach there today but will ask on Monday
when I go... why what has happened?" She then said, "Over twenty
students have collapsed!! No one knows why."
I thought, what on earth
could have made more than twenty students randomly collapse all around
the same time? I realized that I have really spent a fair amount of time
in Cameroon and Africa in general because the first thing that came to
my head was… Witchcraft. Yes, witchcraft. You think I’m crazy
right? Well people here will think you are crazy for not believing.
Cameroon is comprised of more than 260 different tribal/ethnic groups
who each have their own dialects and traditional ceremonies and
characteristics. Some are more likely to use witchcraft than others.
When I arrived to the school in Buea Town on Monday to collect the
curriculum booklets for corrections, my students had confirmed my
assumptions… Indeed it was witchcraft that caused the children to
collapse. No one knows who or why someone would have done that but it
happened.
I know there are those on the other side of the world who are
in disbelief and maybe even in outright laughter after reading this. "This isn't hocus pocus!" But I challenge you to stay open minded always remember to respect other cultures, beliefs and traditions. I challenge you to look beyond your own cultures, beliefs and traditions and beyond everything
you have ever known to be real. Just because you don't practice, believe
or have been witness to something - doesn't mean it doesn't exist. There will always be something we don’t understand and can’t make sense
of, that’s what makes life interesting!
Witchcraft, magic and charms are all very common there here - all across Africa. My first experiences with it were in Uganda. I had students telling me about people who had died from witchcraft. For example, people were jealous of them so they would poison them or make a charm that would kill them. I laughed. I laughed a lot!! How ridiculous I would think to myself. The absurdity of an idea like that...
Then, something changed inside of me. When I was in Sengeal in 2011, I was witness to ndep. In short, ndep is an exorcism (in Western eyes). But it is much much more than that...it's a traditional ceremony which is preformed as a type of collective therapy and allows for the public expression of the the individuals particular illness. It is held 2 times a day (at high noon and midnight) for 5-7 days. It is usually performed on young women who, I was told, are most susceptible to being possessed by a wrab. A wrab is a misguided spirit and Yoff Village (where I stayed) was full of these spirits. Friends told me that the spirits were more active and more dangerous during the day time, and that they often leech onto girl's/women's long hair and seep into their body that way. I was advised to wear my hair up and ward off these wrabs by wearing cowrie shells. What happens is, the girl or whomever needs an ndep first falls ill with some sort of mental illness such as insomnia. The family brings she/he to a local witch doctor who prescribes ndep. The Griot drummers use beats to set the patient into a trance that will eventually bring the spirit out of them. It was an extremely intense experience.
But, anyways, back to Cameroon...
Here in Cameroon, witchcraft is an offense that is not taken lightly. It is punishable by law with imprisonment of two to ten years and a fine of 5,000-100,000fcfa ($10-$200).
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
I had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year! I spent it with Bill and Trixie of the 7th Day Adventist Hospital in Buea...they are both American volunteers who we (the local volunteers) like to refer to as the "Mom and Dad" of the volunteer community. Every Thursday they host a 'game night' where we all get together, sometimes bringing food but usually just smiles. That particular week, we celebrated Thanksgiving - and it was much more than I had ever dreamed possible in Cameroon. We substituted the turkey for chicken and the only thing missing was pumpkin pie! We had cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, deviled eggs, green beans, herb bread, ratatouille and too many desserts to count!!
This year, I am thankful for the opportunity to spend my 25th Thanksgiving in Buea, Cameroon, a place that has become a second home to me. I am thankful for the opportunity to be pursuing
my dreams :: living and working in Africa, empowering the youth to advocate using new
media technology and continuing my quest of infinite knowledge.
Live the life you love and love the life you live.
Sending Love Back Home
I wanted to give a shout out to my sister Hanna who sent me not one but two care packages for Christmas. One of the things I was missing most (besides the obvious family and friends) was the pumpkin theme of things... especially a pumpkin spice latte from Ramones Bakery inside of Wildberries in my beloved Arcata, California. My sister was thoughtful enough to send me mini pumpkin spice creamers.
It is the simple things in life that make me the happiest :)
Thanks Hanna (and Andy!)! And thanks Olivia and Mom and Dad for the letters and pictures!! Cora, I know you still love me :)
If anyone wants to send me a letter, card, package or photos please do so! It makes me whole week brighter - I love hearing from you guys back home. My address is: Antonia Morzenti c/o Youth Advocacy Network PO Box 8 Buea, Southwest Region Cameroon, West Africa
Youth Advocacy Network
I have been insanely busy with YAN!
Please check out the details on their website here!
Very small turn out for the weekend catch up class at Lycee!
These are the "Advanced YAN" students who graduated last year and the year before.
They loved YAN so much they wanted to continue working so we have class once a week.
Here is the view walking from the Government High School in Buea Town.
Look at all that green!! Buea is right on the footsteps of Mount Cameroon.
Random Things I Have Been Doing...
I have been cooking... A LOT!!
The Thanksgiving dinner gave me some inspiration for what I can do here.
I've made several beef stews full of veggies, cakes, garlic mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, peppered steak, chicken soup with rice and even.... APPLE PIE BY STOVE TOP!!!
I went to a traditional wedding in Kumba. (Groom is on the left)
I started reading this epic book!!
Work has been stressing me out quite a bit so I have decided to make more solo trips to the beaches in Limbe. To get away from Buea, and people, and work, and everything!!
Holiday Plans
This break is a much needed break! I am so thankful that it is in just 5 short days!
On the 20th I will leave to go to Bangem. It is in the Koupe Manengouba district of the Southwest region and is one of the two 'villages' that the Bakossi people hail from. The other is Tombel. Of course these two places are not the only villages, there are several inside of these areas - they are just the two general names that Bakossi people will give to others when asked where their village is. Here in Bangemis where I will get the see the Twin Lakes that I have heard so much about! One is male, one is female. It is forbidden to swim in the female lake. And apparently, as I mentioned before, if your throw a rock in the lake, it will throw it back out. I won't try this though. Unless I get permission from the chief. I don't want to upset the ancestors.
After about 5 days here just relaxing and exploring, I will go to Kumba and spend Christmas. I have many friends in Kumba so I know it will be a joyful and wonderful Christmas.
My 'sister' is getting married on the 28th so I am going to try my best to attend that wedding.
After that, I will swing back to Buea to repack and reset myself before an epic journey up to the North and Extreme North regions of Cameroon. Here, my friends Megan and I will be visiting Maroua, Garoua, Rumsiki, Ngaoundere and many other exciting places! We will spend between 10-13 days playing and exploring! :) I can't wait!
