A Full Week in Bamenda

My final home stay bedroom.

I have now been in Bamenda for over a full week. The city of Bamenda is located in the North West region of Cameroon. It took me about 8 hours to get here by bus. While here for my ISP I am living with a family in the neighborhood of Ntarinkon which is also where one of the city’s larger markets is located. Ntarinkon is a little bit out of the center of the city and we live off of the main road in a quieter neighborhood. If you didn’t know any better, it would be hard to tell that you were in one of Cameroon’s bigger cities.

My host family has been great! They speak French at home- or at least with me. In reality, they switch back and forth between four languages: French, English, Pidgin English, and Patwa (which refers to local languages). My host mom of the vice principal and a French teacher at a local public school, one of the schools I am using in my research. I’m not entirely sure what my host dad does, something with contracts. They have several children but all of them are grown up and have moved out except for one. Claudia is 23 and in her final year at the Catholic university in town studying biochemistry.

Claudia cooking in the kitchen.

Dorothy is the SIT coordinator in Bamenda. She is the one that found me my host family. She has also helped me choose which schools to work with and introduced me to three of them. Everywhere I go with Dorothy someone knows her. She plays a prominent role in a non-profit organization that sponsors widowed women, teaches medical law at the nursing school in town, is highly involved in the Presbyterian church, teaches Sunday school, and although her children no longer live at home, takes care of nieces and nephews who live with her so that they can go to school in the city. Amongst all of that she has found time to help me find my way around Bamenda.

The backdoor to the house to the house if just out of the
frame on the right. The traditional kitchen, storage, and
latrine are in the building on the left. The pit toilet latrine
it only used when we don't have water.

It was nice coming to Bamenda having been here already. Although we were only here for two days, some areas of the city still felt familiar. Last time I was in Bamenda, we stayed at the Presbyterian church center in the rooms they have for rent there. While we were here, we got some free time to wander around the main market and do some shopping. We also visited John Fru Ndi, the founder and leader of Cameroon’s biggest opposition party. In 1972 Cameroon was changed from a federal state to a single party, unitary state by President Ahidjo . In 1990 John Fru Ndi founded the Social Democratic Front (SDF) as an opposition party. It wasn’t until later that year that then president, Biya, legalized the creation of new political parties. Despite, or maybe because of, significant opposition from the ruling party, John Fru Ndi was a highly competitive presidential candidate in the 1992 elections. By most accounts, Fru Ndi actually won the 1992 elections. However, President Biya managed to stay in power. From then on, Biya has made sure that he is secure in his position, winning elections by 80% or higher. 

Front of the house.

When we were in Bamenda in October, we also met with a member of an illegal Anglophone secessionist group. Cameroon remains divided between Anglophones and Francophones, or those living in former British ruled Southern Cameroons and those who come from the former French ruled Republique du Cameroun. The group we met with does not consider themselves a secessionist group because, based on international law, Southern Cameroons never legal agreed to join the Republique du Cameroun. They consider themselves a restoration group, looking to be granted their human rights. The lecture was very interesting and gave us a new lens through which to consider Cameroonian history and politics

Both of the lectures/visits we has last time have helped me in my ISP. The secessionist group lecture gave me insight into the history and some of the tensions between Anglophones and Francophones. It’s also important to remember that in Cameroon, being an Anglophone doesn’t simply mean you speak English. There are many Francophones that are English speaking. Anglophones and Francophones are seen as two different ethnic and cultural groups.

 I have also already paid John Fru Ndi another visit to get his opinion on my ISP subject. Just as Dorothy and I arrived at John Fru Ndi’s Wednesday night, another car pulled up also containing Americans. They are in Cameroon in the behalf of the University of Minnesota, working to start an abroad internship program for some of their graduate students. The five of us were asked to stay and eat. While John Fru Ndi did not join us, we had some really interesting conversations. They also tried to convince me to apply to their International Development grad program next year. The evening was a lot of fun and Mr. Fru Ndi told me that I should come back sometime while I’m still in Bamenda.

The view from Sacred Heart College.