Year 3 – Volunteering in Cameroon

Paul Biya, President of Cameroon (image courtesy of cameroononline.org)

Last week, Paul Biya, President of the Republic of Cameroon, visited the English-speaking Northwest Region for the first time in 22 years. He stayed three days in Bamenda before returning to the capital of Yaoundé—and what an occasion to witness! Surreal, festive, scary; these are just some of the words that describe the event. The president’s visit came during the celebration of the 5oth anniversary of Cameroon’s armed forces. So the military presence was immense. Truck after overloaded truck came into Bamenda carrying military personnel and equipment. Helicopters and fighter jets circled the city in the weeks leading up to the visit. There was even a curfew in effect to reduce night gatherings. On the day the president came, crowds of festive onlookers lined the route the presidential caravan was to come through. No one was rowdy however—soldiers lined the road standing in front of the crowd every several meters keeping things conspicuously quiet. Though that did not stop certain groups, clad in festive traditional clothing, from dancing and making music. There were even Jujus (sacred palace guards) who came out to dance, dressed in traditional wear including carved wooden animal masks. When the presidential motorcade passed by, everyone cheered, sang and played drums and music.

John Fru Ndi, leader of SDF party (image courtesy of cameroun-online.com)

The presidential visit was surrounded by a lot of anticipation and some concern, seeing as Bamenda is the seat of the opposition party SDF (Social Democratic Front) and the hometown of John Fru Ndi, the party’s leader. Relations have often been tense between SDF and CPDM (Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement), Biya’s party, and elections throughout the years have always been disputed. But this time in Bamenda, a place where there have often been riots, things went very peacefully—as far as I know. Biya even stayed an extra day and had dinner with Fru Ndi. During Biya’s speech he made many promises including building a Bamenda University, pursuing hydro-electric and a new large hospital, and completing the Ring Road, a circular route that connects many towns in the Northwest north of Bamenda. The Ring Road has always been infamous for its terrible condition and has been a source of aggravation for Northwesterners who often feel abandoned by the current administration based in the French-speaking side of Cameroon. We’ll see what happens as the presidential elections approach. One can definitely feel the tension in the air, but I think people have some hope after this visit. On va voire…