Handicrafts and Appropriate Technology

Visit of King Simon Nsoh Tabufor Leshey I. And Ndiffor Prof Dr Norbert Pintsch to the Fon of Bafung â€œMMENâ

2012-05-26T09:10:00.000+05:00

RTN Studio 1

Camera: Groukapasir Martial P.

Editing: T. Sikali Valery

Â© Febr. 2012

This movie is part of the collection: Community Video

Inauguration of Royal University Centre, RUC, Alahkie

2012-05-23T22:02:00.004+05:00

Edited by PSA, LHE

Prof. Dr. Norbert Pintsch / IPC (pvt) LTD

and; Njini King Caro / CAT (NGO)

Â© DGFK e.V., 201218

This movie is part of the collection: Community Video

Producer: Dr. Norbert Pintsch, Audio/Visual: sound, color

Traditional Medicine and Environment Protection

2012-05-22T15:11:00.000+05:00

Edited by PSA, LHE

Prof.Dr.Norbert Pintsch, Ndifor Alahkie,

Pres. of Royal University Centre / IAM@BUST

& Njini King Caro / CAT (NGO)

A© DGFK e.V. 20120216

Producer: The Development of Natural Medicine in Cameroon By King Simon Leshey I.
Audio/Visual: sound, color

The Afoakom Statue! Emblem of a people’s identity

2012-05-22T11:54:00.000+05:00

Afo-A-Kom is a carved wooded statue used annually by Kom inhabitants, for ceremonial purposes at Laikom the seat of the Kwyfon, the secret Kom mobilization force in Boyo Division of the North West region of Cameroon.

Afo-A-Kom literally translated means something that belongs to Kom people and land, promoting the ideals of solidarity and social stability; love, hospitality, unity, diversity tolerance; and of justice and sovereignty and a powerful symbol of continuity, These two Royal standing human form made statues has a female considered as the mother of the queen and a royal wife holding a baton in front of the chest and lined with cowries at the head supported by buffalo heads. The male statue depicts the reverence of the Royal family and is a portrait of Fon Yuh the first well known legendary leader of the Koms. The Afoakom statue is beaded in red and blue for unity and diversity of the vast Kom land and it people. The Koms see it as the strength of their heritage and authority.

The statue was made at about 1865 by Fon Yuh, the 7th ruler of Kom. And by ill fate one of the attendants stole it out form its hiding and sold to outsiders and it was ferried to Douala through Foumban and next to New York City in August 1966. During the absence of the statue it is believed that calamity failed on the kom land and a fog of guild and curses hang on the people. A lot of people are reported to have died from epidemics and natural disasters. This necessitated the finding of the Statue which the people considered the source of their problems. Search teams around Cameroon and the world finally got relief when a missionary pastor who had photographed the portrait of the statue saw it in a New York exhibition gallery. The Fon of Kom at the time is known to have pledge all the money in the Kom land for it return. The Afoakom statue while in the USA was shuttling between musums and bazaars not only as a lost ritualistic symbol of the Kom people but like a commercial commodity. Thanks to good diplomacy between the Cameroon government and the US embassy in Yaounde that the statue was returned to Kom 7 years later. The arrival of the statue was heralded by all night dancing and gun firing at the fons palace plaza where the people of koms played the wildest xylophone music tones in memory of the event. The return of the statue and the controversial history and tales associated with it brought elated the Kom culture and tradition to international people.

Kom is traditionally divided into 43 villages. The villages make up the kingdom and compounds or homesteads make up the villages. The villages are grouped into traditional councils for administrative purposes with each village governed by a village Head appointed by the Fon.

The origin of Kom is not known but according to oral tradition, Kom people came to settle in their present day location after being led by a track of a python.

Radio TV RUC

2012-05-21T12:26:00.000+05:00

Please visit Radio TV RUC Live Stream http://radio-tv-ruc.com/. It is on all the time. Click here to listen and enjoy!

Hand Made Crafts

2012-05-17T13:58:00.000+05:00

Bamenda is one of Cameroon’s 3rd largest cities with a steady population growth as a result of urbanization and rural exodus. Unlike most Cameroon cities Bamenda is reputed for lack of industries and plantations. . Despite the high level of the scholarisation in the city 30% of the city youths are with out white collar jobs. In a bid to make ends meet most of these youths have taken up crafts arts and design as a profession. The availability of wood and natural low cost material like grass, bamboos, fiber and special beat has seen the city youths producing crafts ranging from bags, baskets, chairs, caps and cupboards etc. some of these Crafts like bags carry message of love and unity and are insignia of cultural heritage and pride.

These crafts pot ray not only the rich vast traditional cultures of the grass field of Cameroon in color, styles and design play an important part in the decoration of the city streets and handicraft shops. Wood works also occupy a major pre occupation of the youth. Carpentry workshops line the main streets in the city and provide a source of income for the boys. Carves made in the best of traditional cultures like mask and foot tools float the city handicraft shops and carry with them the strengths and inspiration of the respective designers. These crafts have remained a tourist attraction for the city.

These crafts which are now a source of hope and joy for the youths in these sector preserve the not only the artistic know how of the people of the grass field of Cameroon but sustain the various cultures The high demand for the products and the importance of the forest and nature has seen the high cost of protecting the environment by the government and the local people.

It is on this effort that the Cameroon government is calling on the citizens of the country to sustain and protect the environment and forest home to these natural resources that boast and foster the socio economic and cultural development of the youth and country at large.

Mini Solar Hydro Electrical Power in the Akwaya

2012-05-16T08:10:00.000+05:00

CAT Cameroon installs a Mini Solar Hydro Electrical Power in the Akwaya Municipality in the South West Region of Cameroon

Aaron Kaah Y

The Center for Appropriate Technology CAT Cameroon under the 2012 Cameroon government investment budget will installed a mini solar hydro electric power in the Akwaya council area of the south west region of Cameroon. The electrical power will generate low cost energy for the council area tele center and other government structures in the divisional head quarters. The Project piloted by the Akwaya council is executed with funds from the 2012 investment budget. The low cost energy will boast life and economic activities in Akwaya sub division which faces a plethora of challenges brought in by lack of a good road infrastructure and communication net work.

Travelers to Akwaya from other parts of Cameroon must go through Nigeria before getting there. The very bad nature of the roads and the many multiple notorious police checks points give passenger’s headache, some times leading to the exchange of hot air and street fights. Akwaya sub division may also enter the Guinness book of record as the place in the world today which has a total black out in communication net work. Some reports say residence have to climb a tree a certain top before access communication net work. The municipality is the bread basket of the south west region of Cameroon and other parts of Nigeria but the lack of a road to connect to these places leaves the locals very misery and poor. Illiteracy and ignorance is also high in the area because of basic well equipped learning institutions. Letters from there to the outside world are done by hand and sent by mail. People in the Akwaya area have never seen an electronic money transfer agency. Residence of the municipality throng a lone tele center communication to send messages out of the land locked area. Even government structures are non functional in the municipality due to lack of power and energy to run their reports. A lot of professional work is still done manually with type writers and by hand making effectiveness and efficiency lost. The tussle between the SDF and the CPDM to host the council in this area has brought in more frustrations. The people because of their plight have vowed never to vote for the ruling party but their choice of the SDF has brought no changes yet.

The teaching of ICT’s in school out there has never been thought of. Most students and residence of the area see ICT’s gadgets only when they travel to other areas of the country or on papers. The construction of this mini hydro solar energy plate will also provide energy for the revitalization of the government services often empty for lack of workers who take pretext that there is no energy to run the equipment. The excitement in the Akwaya sub division is high ahead of the proper inauguration of the solar energy plate. The director of CAT Cameroon Njini Victor has mobilized a crack team of technicians to see this dream came true.

Knowledge on Appropriate Technology

2012-05-14T08:04:00.000+05:00

CAT-Cameroon and its volunteers bring knowledge on Appropriate Technology to the Staff and Students of the Baptist Comprehensive College Nkwen Bamenda

The learning community of the Baptist comprehensive college Nkwen Bamenda has pledged to continuously keep their environment neat and to manage waste in a sustainable manner. The principal of the institution Mr Bominang Eugene made the recommendation last Feb,14th 2012 on behalf of his students and colleagues on the occasion of an open door day organized by CAT Cameroon in collaboration with two German visiting volunteers Lutz and Renate from the German Senior Expert Service under the theme youths for a better environment.

In a brief lecture to the students during the event, the director of the Center for Appropriate Technology NjiniVictor thanked the BCC student community for accepting to share with them the benefits of sustaining and protecting the environment. Victor appreciated the staff for embracing their wish to talk to the students about renewable forms of energy that was a solution to the needs of people in the rural areas. He further explained to the students that the role of CAT Cameroon was to promote and provide solar energy plates and low cost building material so as to maximize the protection of the environment and nature. In a question and answer session on what could be done to protect the environment the students said tree planting, pollution control and proper waste disposal were the solutions. Talking on the advantages of solar energy victor told the students that it was cheap and affordable as well as efficient for house lighting and cooking. The CAT director laid the students through a demonstrative exhibition on how solar plates trap energy for storage and usage.

In response to the lectures and demonstration the principal of the school Mr Bomingang Eugene said that they were over whelmed with joy and excitement to be part of the CAT open door project. Mr Eugene thanked the CAT director and his volunteers for thinking about them for the second time running in the knowledge sharing campaign on appropriate technology. The school boss called on his students to keep the knowledge and to be custodians of environmental protection in school and off the classroom. He pledged to make appropriate technology lesson a compulsory course for those students of the technical department of his institution.

The CAT volunteers from Germany Lutz and Renate animated the event with musical drills and comic displays to the excitement of the students. The gift of a football to the students by the volunteers brought thunderous applauds in the hall. In appreciation to the gift and sketches, the student’s senior prefect said the lessons as well as the sketches and ball were very significant not only for their entertainment but learning process. The senior student thanked CAT and the volunteers for thinking about them every year and for working to improve the lives of people in the semi urban centers and in the rural communities.

The Baptist Comprehensive College Nkwen Bamenda has some 176 students enrolled in to the three learning departments of the school. (Commercial, Grammar and Technical.)

CAT Cameroon Blossoms at 10

2012-05-12T08:06:00.000+05:00

Aaron Kaah

The year 2011 marked ten years of existence for the Center for appropriate technology CAT¬ Cameroon. The center and the wish to provide handicrafts and low cost energy alternative sources to the rural people in Cameroon saw the light of day in 2001 in Bamenda Cameroon under the diadem of the present Director Njini Victor. This dream shifted gear when the center came in contact with the Prof Norbert Pintsch and Dr Senta Siller of the German Senior Expert Service SES and the German Society for the Advancement of Culture DGFK in those early days. This partnership has delivered capacity building, mentoring and material support to the CAT Staff through Prof Pintsch over the years. The need to create awareness on its activities saw CAT negotiating unprecedented cooperation with many institutions of learning in the North West region of Cameroon to expand the knowledge and was able to make alliances with an array of people across the society to markets its goods and services.

Ten years down the line the untold success story of CAT in the domain of affordable renewable energy has been unparallel. The center is a proud owner of more than ten awards and prizes won through competitions and workshops organized by the Cameroon government as a befitting tribute to his achievement and hard work. The center for appropriate technology prides itself with a vast rich digital equipment laboratory, computers, books and workshops and exhibition stands reason why the institution is the best option to research students and local community members interested in improving their knowledge and skills on renewable energy sources and handmade dolls. A team of volunteers from the German Senior Expert Service are annually visiting CAT to create awareness in schools and colleges on environmental protection and sustainability, climate change, holistic approach to housing construction and handicrafts. Hand made dolls produced in CAT have not only sourced cash for low income young girls and women in some community in Cameroon but have helped to market the cultures traditions of the Grass field of Cameroon across the boarders.

As the months roll in to more years the Center for Appropriate Technology CAT Cameroon intends to expand its existing scope to other regions of Cameroon.

Sustainable farming

2012-05-11T14:26:00.000+05:00

Aaron Kaah

Mamma Bitang, is a Heifer International Cameroon resourceful farmer at the Noubou village in Moutourwa sub-division in Mayo Kani Division of the Far North Region of Cameroon. Mamma, mother of ten (6 boys and 4 girls) received relevant knowledge on treating animals with herbs through her Groupe d’Initiative Commune Wudmezle in 2009 during a Heifer International Cameroon sponsored training workshop on livestock rearing and donation. Mamma like other women in her group was offered a series of lessons on animal husbandry, gender equity, sanitation and hygiene and ethnoveterinary medicine. To strengthen the trainings each farm family was given 4 animals a ram and 3 sheep each in compensation of their loyalty to the teachings and prescriptions. Mamma had her share.

Before Heifer International Cameroon’s gift of knowledge and animals to Mamma and her group, they kept a few animals locally and depended on veterinarian doctors for treatment. This was costly for the poor peasant farmers, whose only source of income was their farm out. Mamma retained the ethnoveterinary sensitization campaign as a best option of remembering her roots “When I was growing up, I saw my father using herbs to treat animals and the method was very effective” she said.

With little or no vet doctors present in those days Young Girls like Mamma saw herbal treatment of animals as a cultural practice but it soon died off with the passage of time. Heifer International Cameroon’s drilling ignited the passion in the woman. “I do treat bloat in sheep with groundnut oil by giving the animal small quantity of the oil and in about six hours the stomach releases all the gas” Mamma said. Mamma treats diarrhea in sheep by giving the animal Cassia occidentalis (Kenkeliba) plants mixed in their feed. To sustain her treatment process the farmer has planted these plants around her family house for easy accessibility.

Mamma has passed on this gift of treatment with other community members. “Mamma’s knowledge of animal treatment is very effective” Djouma Boukoi president of Groupe d’Initiative Commune des Djinandra, explained after applying the treatment procedures from Mamma to treat her animals of diarrhea. Mamma has been on hand for trainings within and beyond her community for the training of farmers on building animals health with plants and herbs. “I am happy to know that other farmers have learnt from me” she said. After receiving her animal from Heifer international Cameroon, the farmers has recorded only one death in a community where animals die on a daily bases. “I now have six sheep after selling one during the feast of the ram,” Mamma said elatedly.

This woman knows when and what to give to a particular animal when it’s sick. This experience has attracted other farmers to her and she is making a steady income from the treatment of animals. Mamma has also passed on the knowledge of treatment to her children and her animals have received proper care and management. She has used income for this venture to afford basic food crops for her family and her children school needs and medical bills. As Mamma’s project continued to flourish she had extended a word of thank you to Heifer International Cameroon for stabilizing her animal welfare.

CAT hand made dolls, an icing on the cake

2012-05-09T14:13:00.000+05:00

Aaron Kaah

The handicraft section at the Center for Appropriate Technology (CAT) brought forth the doll making project in 1998 under the supervision of Dr Senta Siller of the Germany Senior Expert Service. That same year a self help women’s initiative group called Akwatinuighah with 9 members located in the depths of the Mankon community in Bamenda Cameroon picked on the idea and over the years transferred and shared this knowledge with another self help group called Akaankang in the year 2002. The idea spread like wild fire amongst many women self help groups in the North West Region of Cameroon.

The dolls making project was hatched to provide another entertaining alternative way for rural women and young girls in the communities to earn income and shun urban migration and other social vices that were detrimental to themselves and families. These dolls made out of ethnic knowledge have garments, Jewries and furniture for the needling of attractive marketable dolls in a family friendly way depicting the life, fashion and color of the people and places of the grass fiend of Cameroon. While helping these women to boast the local development of the communities and traditions, the project also imbued in them craft art skills.

The Dolls produced at CAT range from 50CM to 12CM and are sold at 3-30US Dollars. In Bamenda Cameroon these dolls can be accessed at the Prescraft center and handicraft shops and at the German embassy in Yaounde Cameroon and the Seaman Mission in Douala in Cameroon. Dr Senta from DGFK, too, had also helped to market the dolls in bazaars and events across the Atlantic. Also available at on the shelves are post cards designed with the portraits of the various traditional instruments in the grass field of Cameroon.

These post cards bear so many entertaining messages and description about these traditional musical instruments that translate the traditions and customs of the Cameroon people. The cards are made out of environmentally friendly paper that can be recycled for further use.

Institute for Alternative Methods IAM@BUST

2012-05-09T14:01:00.000+05:00

Prof. Dr. Norbert Pintsch

The idea for the establishment of the IAM originated out of inquiries from students of local universities, who received information on various occasions at the CAT (NGO) about Appropriate Technology.

Objects mentioned in the literature can be seen at CAT and their working is explained.

Apart from NGOs, companies and private persons, there are CAT clubs in 7 Sub-Divisions and a Youngster-Club since 2009. Future students learn here in a playful manner among others handling devices, which are friendly to the nature.

The basic concept of IAM was initiated due the excellent relationship with BUST.

Of course one finds reference to Appropriate Technology in the brochures of universities, these are however understood as an extension of the regular study programs.

But Appropriate Technology is lot more !

It is a complete way of thinking and therefore to be placed equally along with disciplines like economy, trade, society and politics etc.

It is important here to differentiate between the rather holistic approach with elements from traditional culture, like visible in rural life, and the rather open resource depleting system, a it can be seen in urban and semi-urban regions and the closed independent system.

The holistic system is however not to be understood as an escape into the past, but on the contrary, it carries forward the futuristic approach by building upon the existing open system.

One can understand it well from the following example: the low-tech method of faeces-disposal on one side and the high tech recycling method as used in the europeon space lab.

Brainstorming about new concepts also finds its place at the IAM: The Organization of Climate Conserving Nations (OCCN) as an alternative to OPEC...

We can see, AT is more than only a technical aid.

Internet Radio

2012-05-08T09:34:00.000+05:00

InternetRadio is now in lifestream and available for 24 hours with interviews and music. Click here for information for the Internet-Radio-Project in Cameroon and Pakistan.

www.radio-tv-ruc.com
http://www.radiotv-thattavillage.com

Volunteers from the German Society for the Advancement of Culture (DGFK)

2012-05-04T14:23:00.000+05:00

Aaron Kaah

Two volunteers from the German society for the advancement of culture (DGFK) Lutz Fluegge and Renate Perner on a cultural exchange program are in Cameroon on the invitation of the Center for Appropriate Technology CAT-Cameroon. The two volunteers are gifted entertainers who are assisting CAT –Cameroon on its knowledge sharing campaigns on alternative sources of energy and the importance of solar energy to households in the rural areas of Cameroon, low cost building materials and the need to sustain and protect the environment.

Lutz and Renate have accompanied CAT to schools, villages, and institutions to share knowledge on the above topics and to bring aspects of German culture closer to the people of the North West Region through song and dance. The high point of their visit was the organization of a tombola and puzzle at the CAT head office last Feb 18th 2012 which pulled across section of the public. Lots of prizes and gifts were won by some people in the audience.

Lutz Fluegge is the Dean of studies in the faculty of Cultural entertainment and development while Mme Renate Perner is the Vice Dean in the Faculty of Arts and Design at the Bamenda Royal University.

This is the third conservative time the two volunteers are in Cameroon.

Sajshirazi.com

2012-05-04T10:59:00.001+05:00

See how I got PageRank increase on May 3, 2012

Thatta Kedona

2012-05-03T00:43:00.004+05:00

Volunteers: Dr. Senta Siller, Dr. Norbert Pintsch, Jane Carew-Reid, Dr. Karola Groch, Inge Keindl, Uta Moeller, Dr. Sophie Kuppler, Berhard Staeck, Erika Burchhardt, Gertrud Baier, Renate Perner, Lutz Fluegge, Dr. Nadine Jaeger, Isabel Merkel, Marleen Hamid, Monika Kuppler, Sabine Piltz, Stephanie Walter, Gundula Gomoll, Alexandra Scherer, Rainer Schmitt, Helga Schmitt-Pritz, Dr. Tobias Leonhardt, Marlies Bartkiewitz, Dr.Gwendolyn Kulick, Gittebritt Pintsch, Dr Leila Siller, Dr. Elizabeth Carew-Reid, Ursula Huette, Dr. Amir Malik, Khalid Javaid, Lok Virsa, S A J Shirazi, Ulrike Vestring, Omar M. Ali, AFA (NGO)

Thatta Kedona cooperation with: SPARC, FPAC, BNU, IPC, DGFK

Projects: Kite-project, LC-project, Village Museum, Internet Radio Station, Buffalo Pond, TTTC, WAC, BHU, WaterProject, IEC@BNU

Visit to the Fon of Bafmeng

2012-05-01T13:48:00.000+05:00

THE VISIT OF KING SIMON LESHEY I AND PROF NORBERT PINTSCH TO THE FON OF BAFMENG. FON FRANCIS ANENG PRESIDENT OF THE NORTH-WEST FONS - NORTH WEST REGION CAMEROON.

Development of the Oku Sub-Division

2012-04-28T13:51:00.000+05:00

Aaron kaah Yancho

A Lobbying and advocacy organization for the development of the Oku sub division in the North West Region has been formed and named the Oku Opinion leaders Association

The association which has as tasked to support Government action in the general interest of the Oku people world wide void of partisan lines, ensure the security and safety of government structures and officials sent to Oku and to forge meaningful alliances for the socio economic development of Oku sub division was created last Feb 24th 2012 at Elak Oku with Mr. Kenkoh Emmanuel as pioneer coordinator.

Before the formation of this association, the development of Oku Sub division had been thwarted by political wrangling and power tussle by its top elite and politicians for many years. The subtext for this was unmistakable- the poor execution of public contracts in the area, juvenile delinquency, food insecurity and backbiting and rumor mongering. In this meeting that congregated both the SDF and CDPM top militants and elderly intellectuals, some controversial political figures and petition writers, the brain child of the lobby and advocacy group Kenkoh Emmanuel a teacher by training called on the participants to bury their personal differences and to work for the peace and development of the Oku Sub division. Mr. Kenkoh said a fog of guilt and hostility weighed over Oku because of ill faith, bad blood and selfishness. According to Emmanuel this led to a long standing bad socio political history which seemed to have worked extremely very hard to kill the prosperity and unity of the Sub division.

Reflecting on the words of Kenkoh Emmanuel and the way forward for Oku, the participants and politicians unanimously agreed that a lot of bitter experiences had taught Oku lessons which saw an out burst in petition writing and unpleasant social unrest. One by each the elite said it was a dream come true to seat as one man and to bury rancor and discord. To give themselves courage, the participants remembered in a minute of silence those who had jumped out of the world before them and in a fitting tribute to their commitment and a moving demonstration of love for Oku took a strong worded resolution to work only for the interest of Oku sub division. A five man committee was elected to nurse the association with Hon. Fai Mbuh Yang Daniel and SN Tamfu Wambeng as resource persons with the D.O for Oku, Mayor Ngum Jerome, and MP Kwei Andrew Mngo as advisers.

It is still very early to apprehend what challenges may rock the Oku Opinion Leaders Association but only fears for a financial vulnerability could bring the association to its knees. The first big responsibility of the pioneer team will be therefore to initiate dialogue between the various political divides in the Sub division so that development can bear.

Nonetheless the association according to skeptics has to be ambitious enough to know that the entire Oku sub division needs good road infrastructures, social amenities and to amend the tented image of the Sub division that has been presented to neighboring tribes and the world in caricature form.

Dolls of the World - Cameroon

2012-04-25T23:17:00.000+05:00

Traditional Culture and Future Development

2012-04-21T09:52:00.003+05:00

Institute for Alternative Methods at BUST

2012-04-21T08:18:00.000+05:00

Prof Dr Norbert Pintsch

The idea for the establishment of the IAM originated out of inquiries from students of local universities, who received information on various occasions at the CAT (NGO) about Appropriate Technology.

Objects mentioned in the literature can be seen at CAT and their working is explained.

The basic concept of IAM was initiated due the excellent relationship with BUST.

Of course one finds reference to Appropriate Technology in the brochures of universities, these are however understood as an extension of the regular study programs.

But Appropriate Technology is lot more !

It is a complete way of thinking and therefore to be placed equally along with disciplines like economy, trade, society and politics etc.

The holistic system is however not to be understood as an escape into the past, but on the contrary, it carries forward the futuristic approach by building upon the existing open system.

One can understand it well from the following example: the low-tech method of faeces-disposal on one side and the high tech recycling method as used in the europeon space lab.

Brainstorming about new concepts also finds its place at the IAM: The Organization of Climate Conserving Nations (OCCN) as an alternative to OPEC...

We can see, AT is more than only a technical aid.

Related: Women at Their Best

Welcome to Cameroon

2012-04-18T20:15:00.000+05:00

David Smith

After all," I said casually, "This is probably the last time I'll ever go to Cameroon."

This remark was met by surprise. Just short of my 35th birthday, it's maybe a bit premature to say never again to anything. But time is a finite cake that can only be cut so many ways. I thought I was being realistic in a world now crowded with unmissable destinations, once-in-a-lifetime adventures and 1,001 places to see before you die.

Cultural commentators have noted that unique experiences, not material possessions, are now the top currency. There's a premium on climbing that mountain, touching that shark or seeing that solar eclipse and then blogging about it, just to make sure all your friends, and the rest of the planet, know what an amazing time you're having. We are what we do, not what we own.

But Cameroon does not appear to figure highly on most bucket lists.

"What shall I do on a spare day in Yaounde?" I asked a local journalist. He looked at me blankly, then ventured: "Maybe go out to the forest."

There was no travel guide in the airport bookshop, only a chapter in Lonely Planet's Africa volume that noted the country's tourism suffers because of volatile neighbours. The Wikitravel website's guide to Cameroon has headings for See and Do, but both are blank.

It's also awkward and costly to get to. I flew to Nairobi first, then caught a connecting flight that was seemingly devoid of holidaymakers but did contain a Congolese sports team and dozens of Chinese men. The language barrier between them and the air stewards may be a regular occurrence in Africa these days.

"I don't trust the Chinese," said my taxi driver, winding past open-air bars where people drank, danced and sat on plastic chairs watching football on TVs below dangling lightbulbs. "They don't pass on any knowledge to the Cameroons. They bring their own people. They are here for the minerals, then they will be gone. Our government should remember its children."

We passed a new Chinese addition to the landscape of Yaounde, a music and sports facility that resembles a steel armadillo, or a spaceship.

It's an incongruous touch of the Frank Gehrys in a landscape that otherwise consists of blocky concrete, rusty corrugated roofs and a small park where parents show their children fish in the river. Government ministries are giant Stalinist towers with a touch of central Birmingham.

Drive up into the surrounding hills, however, and it's a different story of lush vegetation and clean air. I glimpsed that archetypal image of African football that will be seen regularly around next month's World Cup: young men chasing a ball on a pitch of ochre-red dirt surrounded by verdant borders.

At a Benedictine monastery on Mont Febe I found a rocky precipice with sweeping views of the city. Nearby, there were people praying to a Madonna statue carved into a giant boulder, and a lone boy lobbing a ball at a basketball hoop. Colourful geckos darted along the ground, as they do all around the city.

I wandered unchallenged into the monastery's arts and crafts museum, a small but potent collection of masks, statues and ornaments. This is bold and brilliant ritual art, some of the faces containing teardrop eyes or giant mouths more alien than human. It could be the stuff of nightmares but feels vital and charged with imagination.

I shopped for some of it at the arts and crafts market, where hawkers lull their prey into their stalls then beg, flatter and all but rugby tackle them to stop them escaping. There must be seasoned travellers who are world champions at haggling and fending off harassment, but I'm not one of them.

Cameroon is this week celebrating its 50th anniversary of independence. Paul Biya, the president, has reigned for 28 of those.

He claims to be Monsieur Propre — Mr Clean — but it's known that corruption is rife. Last month, a journalist, Bibi Ngota, died in prison after apparently being denied medical treatment. Nothing, however, will get international attention like Cameroon's footballers, the Indomitable Lions, when they play in the World Cup.

This, after all, is not a place many people choose to come on honeymoon, or to retire to, or to die in. As I head for the airport, I'll wonder if I'm ever coming back. Making my first trip to Cuba, Iran or Nigeria feels more urgent. But saying never again feels a little too sad and mortal to bear.

David Smith is the Guardian's Africa correspondent

Calling Cameroon Writers, Bloggers and Intellectuals

2012-04-16T11:03:00.000+05:00

We need Cameroonian bloggers and or writers or foreigners living and working in Cameroon who have a flare for writing and want to share their Cameroon experiences. Those who are interested, please email here.

Future of Africa

2012-04-12T15:09:00.001+05:00

BY STEFAN SIMANOWITZ

Africa is a sleeping giant that is about to be awoken” Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations told an audience in Yaounde, Cameroon, this week. Speaking at a conference on the future of Africa Mr Annan was among several prominent personages – including two Nobel Peace Prize winners, several heads of state and a couple of former French Prime Ministers - who had come together for to discuss the issues facing a continent which has traditionally been a source of bad rather than good news. As Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations put it: “Too often we learn about how Africans die but not how they live”.

Whilst the conference entitled “Africa, An Opportunity for the World" did not shy away from the challenges facing Africa, its primary focus was on how the continent can realise its enormous potential, both in terms of natural and human resources. With a population of over a billion, vast amounts of fertile land and abundant mineral deposits, the 54 nations that make up the continent should be an economic and political force on the global stage but instead Africa produces just 3 per cent of the world’s GDP and has little political influence. Rather than fuelling development, revenues from Africa’s resources have failed to significantly elevate the lives of an important proportion of her people and have too often been squandered. “As we celebrate our successes we must not forget the hundreds of millions of Africans who live in poverty and insecurity with inadequate access to clean water, food, and health services,” said Mr Annan.

Mohamed el-Baradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, highlighted the irony that so many African’s go without power despite the fact that the continent has huge reserves of oil and gas and as well as great potential for solar, geo-thermal and hydro-electric energy production. “It is little wonder that some still call it the Dark Continent,” he said. The former Nobel Peace Prize winner was nevertheless optimistic that Africa can become a major political and economic player on the world stage and “a model of the type of world we’d like to leave for our children and grandchildren.” To achieve this he emphasised the need for Africa to take responsibility to resolve its problems.

“The number one priority is good governance,” el-Baradei said raising a theme that was echoed throughout the three day conference. “We can no longer turn a blind eye to corruption, nepotism and unconstitutional changes in governments,” Asha-Rose Migiro said to an audience which included several heads of state including conference host, Cameroonian President, Paul Biya who has been in power since 1982. Mr. Biya recently altered his country’s constitution to allow him to stand for a third term in office.

With Britain this week announcing its support for the expansion of the United Nations Security Council to include “African representation”, the discussion of Africa’s voice on the world stage was very timely. Mohamed el-Baradei was joined by Jean Ping President of the Commission of the African Union in calling for the need for Africa to have two permanent seats on the Security Council and even former French Prime Minister Alain Juppé agreed. “Africa must have its rightful place in the UN Security Council” said Juppe before adding mischievously: “But you say two countries. Which two countries?”

The conference also explored the emerging role of other nations in Africa, particularly China whose business interests in the continent at times collide with those of European countries. China now relies on Africa for over a third of its oil and has greatly expanded its activity across the continent. There are now more than 1000 Chinese companies operating in Africa and there is hardly a country on the continent that does not have a sizeable Chinese presence. China not only helps to provide infrastructural support but has also written off billions of dollars of African debt, provided soft loans and sold large numbers of arms. Alain Juppé raised some eyebrows when he said he welcomed Chinese, Indian and Brazilian companies in Africa. “You may find that surprising coming from a Frenchman, but I believe that new forms of cooperation will be a win-win situation for Africa and all her trading partners.”

There is nevertheless some resentment directed towards the Chinese in Africa stemming from their failure to adequately use the local workforce and for breaches of environmental, health and safety standards. Jean Ping went so far as to say that the European Union remains Africa’s “preferred trading partner” and challenged the role China plays in Africa. “How can a country that does not respect human rights try and impose human rights standards on African countries?” he asked. If Professor Shao-Lei Feng, a specialist in international relations from Shanghai was perturbed by Mr Ping’s outburst, he did not show it. “Debates and disagreements between different player are inevitable,” he told me diplomatically. “We need to increase mutual understanding between Africa and China and as well as between China and other nations.”

Another key issue discussed in conference was that of peace and security. Although the conference noted that levels of violence across Africa have dropped by nearly 60 per cent in the past two decades, violence still disrupts the lives of millions of Africans. Violence results in instability not just in those countries where fighting occurs but spills into neighbouring nations whose fragile social structures are disrupted by resultant migration. “There can be no development in Africa without security and there can be no security in Africa without development,” said Kofi Annan.

Michael Chertoff, former head of Homeland Security under the George Bush administration, referred to the increasing danger of Islamic extremism in Africa. “Terrorists live in the seams between countries,” he said explaining why the unguarded frontiers of the Sahel are attractive to terrorists. The arrest last month of 24 alleged members of an al Qaeda cell in Morocco and the unearthing this week of a plot this to attack the World Cup in South Africa shows the potential reach of Islamic terrorism in Africa. But it is in the the Sahel region of Africa, where terrorism is of the greatest concern.

Despite the many challenges facing Africa the mood of the conference was foward-looking and cautiously optimistic. Timed to coincide with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Cameroon’s independence, certain amout of retrospection was however inevitable. On the final day, Mohamed el Baradei sounded a serious note: “Africa has been liberated as states...But many Africans have not been liberated as a people.”

Cameroon Traditonal Stolls

2012-04-10T09:55:00.000+05:00

[Via]