And we are back in Mama Africa which is not surprising as a big portion of the world’s sovereign states are in Africa. For some ‘the world of sport’ people in our group, Cameroon rings a bell due to several football players (proofreader note: I would put ‘soccer’ here, but mother turns around and says “Football is football! the one in America is eggball!”) who play in different European leagues, the most famous being Samuel Eto’o. Even I know who that is. Unfortunately, we have heard he has been in the news lately for other things than football.
Cameroon is also a divided country with over 250 different languages and a vibrant music sector. It is often called ‘Little Africa’ because of its wide cultural and linguistic diversity. Cameroon has high literacy levels but also rampant corruption. Currently Cameroon is facing several challenges: half a million people have been displaced in the Far North Cameroon due to the security situation, instability in the Northwest and Southwest of the country have made another 500,000 people flee their homes, more than 350,000 Central African Republic refugees have fled the insecurity in CAR to end up in Cameroon. Thousands of schools have closed, which means many children are lacking education. Since 2017, violent clashes between the French speaking and English speaking parts of the country have widened the divide between the two, as the government has been seen to favour the French speaking population over the Anglophone one.
But first, as always. Food.
The Cameroon night
The Cameroon night gathers the same crowd as the Burundi night, fifteen Virtual Nomads around the table: my partner JK, my daughter L (17) and her boyfriend NA (very recently 18), my stepchild FK (15) and CH, the Special Advisor to Virtual Nomad (who has been to around 140 countries and counting). Also in attendance are seasoned Virtual nomads AK, DK and their adult children AK and MK. And then we have my old friend L* and her daughter S* (my daughter L’s first friend in Australia when we moved from Europe) as well as my good friend SA, her husband JJ and her son JJ2 (15). My son A (11) is away and will miss the Cameroon night. We gather around a table of food from Cameroon and good chats about school, work, life and food.
The main dish is Ndolé, prepared by JK. Ndolé is considered to be Cameroon’s national dish, especially among the Bantu-speaking communities and prepared on special occasions (such as a Virtual Nomad night!). According to the traditional recipe, Ndolé is made from cocoyam leaves (but we use spinach) and cooked with peanuts and usually meat (or fish), said to combine the bitter taste of leaves with the rich flavour of peanuts and meat to create a perfect balance. It is a festive dish with strong nutritious value, said to symbolise hospitality and respect for guests. The dish is passed down through generations and a Cameroon night would be incomplete without it. Our Ngolé is very well received – the meat-eating Virtual Nomads hail its creamy texture and wonderfully blended flavours. It is definitely a hit.
Another huge hit (L’s favourite!) is the Cameroonian Brochettes, prepared by AK. Brochettes are a common part of Cameroonian cuisine and are basically grilled meat skewers with spices. The seasoning of brochettes depends on the region. In Cameroon, brochettes are also sold by street vendors and small-scale food sellers – which not only provides income but also makes brochettes relatively inexpensive and accessible for the general population. AK’s brochettes are very well received, and present Virtual Nomads comment on the texture, the tenderness of the meat and the lovely blend of spices. Overall, the brochettes bring the party together as they are said to bring friends and families together over a meal in Cameroon.
Another plate that AK prepares is Sangah (also known as sanga in some parts of Cameroon). It is a stew made with corn/maize, palm nut juice and cassava leaf. As cassava leaves are not available in Sydney at the moment, AK substitutes with spinach. Sangah is a traditional dish which is very popular in south-western Cameroon (especially among the Bakweri and the Bafaw people). It is a thick stew formed from cassava/spinach leaves which are mashed and cooked together with the other ingredients..
The last dish is Ekwang, prepared by newbies SA and the JJs. It is a dish traditionally prepared with beans and corn, sometimes with grated cocoyams, palm oil and spices. It is a traditional dish popular especially among the Bakweri and other coastal communities. In Cameroon, Ekwang is prepared as a communal activity between women and cooked with local ingredients. Our Ekwang is prepared as a side dish for the more meaty options and it provides a lovely balance to the more marked flavours.
FK (15) prepares the dessert called beignets. Basically they are deep-fried donuts made of dough with sugar and vanilla (L had about 7 and then felt a bit ill). They are delicious and puffy.
Multicultural mosaic, a divided nation
There have been different civilisations living in Cameroon since the times unknown. The Bantu people, Sao people, then the Kotoko – and then the Portuguese unceremoniously arrived in 1472 but malaria outbreaks mostly kept the Europeans away. During the Portuguese presence, Cameroon was a key place for slave trade.The name Cameroon actually comes from Portuguese, meaning the River of Prawns (Rio dos Camarões). Sometimes in the 19th century, the Fulani people populated northern Cameroon. Then Europeans were again in a colonising mood. After being taken over by the Germans in 1884, as Germany was unsuccessful in the 1st World War, Cameroon was divided between France (4/5) and Britain (1/5), both with their own piece of the pie. Independence was achieved in 1960 and 1961 respectively for both parts (after a rebellion for an independent, united Cameroon in 1955 that claimed thousands of lives).
The first President from 1960 to 1982 was Ahmadou Ahidjo, and the President since has been Paul Biya, who is largely considered to be an authoritarian ruler and has the dishonour of being frequently featured on the “worst dictators” lists. He has constantly been accused of human rights violations, especially when it comes to the freedom of expression generally and for the press. There are speculations around details of his private life, including impregnating the sister of his first wife Jeanne-Irene and the unclear circumstances of her death. He and his family’s personal, recreational use of national assets has been widely documented. His daughter, Branda, came out as lesbian in July 2024 (Cameroon has strong anti-LGBT laws).
In 2016, Anglophone teachers, lawyers and other professionals commenced a peaceful strike intended to raise awareness of the issues with the “francophonisation” of the Cameroon government, education and legal systems. The protests spread with more people joining the movement to request reforms. The government response, however, was harsh, with widespread arrests and violence. By 2017, the protests had transformed into an armed conflict between the Anglophone separatists and government groups. The conflict has resulted in nearly a million internally displaced refugees,severe violence and human rights violations against the general population.
In addition, since 2015, Cameroon has jointly with its neighbouring countries been fighting against Boko Haram, the jihadist group terrorising the region.
Four books from Cameroon: the narrow place for women
My first book is by Imbolo Mbue, a Cameroon-born author living in New York. She has become a literary sensation in recent years, especially due to her debut book about immigration. She was born in Cameroon and moved to the US to pursue further studies. I have been recommended two of her books and the local library has both of them. I take this as a sign ☺ and decide to start with How Beautiful We Were (2021).
When I start reading the book, I can understand why Imbolo is a sensation. The writing is delicious. I am amazed at how engaging this book is with its astute, riveting storytelling full of nuance and clever imaginary landscape. At first, I am raving about it as I cannot put it down. “Five stars out of five”, I say to L (17) who loves to read. I tell her that this is a must read– an astonishing book about environmental destruction, poisoned soil and a fight for land and justice by an African village against an American oil company. Clever, exceptional, incredibly strong start. Unfortunately, at some point of the story, it loses its sharpness. The writing is still very good but the story starts dragging. The book is just too long,losing its fine freshness and becoming tiring in its multiple storytelling angles. The end climax is less impactful than it should be in a book of this calibre. I devoured the first two hundred pages but I struggle especially through the last fifty (it’s 364 pages) – and it is such a disappointment. What I thought would be another standout in the Virtual Nomad literature travel proves to just fail that margin. It is still a good book, not just as exquisite as it sets out to be.
Even if Imbolo’s second book was not as good as I expected at the beginning, I decide to read her debut book which is considered her masterpiece. The multi award-winning Behold the Dreamers (2016) is about an illegal Cameroonian immigrant family in New York and the white family they work for. I have a different experience than with How beautiful we were. At first, while the writing is good, it is not nearly as rich as the first book: more straightforward without the deliciousness of the storytelling but the plot is interesting. I am initially not very engaged, but towards the end I begin to really appreciate the novel, completely the opposite reaction than with Imbolo’s other book. When I read it and look back, the story is masterful, especially the second half of the book. It does not capture me emotionally very strongly but I command the treatment of immigration, race and class from an effective angle.
After the two books from Imbolo, I move to something different. Bearing witness: Poems from a Land in Turmoil is a collection of more than one hundred poems from 73 poets. The anthology starts with an overview of the Ambazonian conflict, also called the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon. The poems reflect a wide spectrum of themes related to the conflict, varying from displacement to loss and trauma – yet above all, death. The editors, Joyce Ashuntantang and Dibussi Tande are both scholars and writers. One of Dibusse’s poems When the Phone Rings says: “When the phone rings from Ground Zero, Our hearts skip a bat as we brace for bad news: Manyaka has not been heard, He left for school yesterday, His phone has gone silent, His parents are inconsolable” and “Little Asheri is in a coma, She was struck by a stray bullet, watching cartoons in the living room, No one knows if it was an Amba bullet, or a La Republique bullet. It was just a bullet.” It is an amazing anthology about terrible news – a young man killed because he wore dreadlocks and a bandana; a woman fleeing from the conflict on a boat, then losing her twins when the boat capsizes; an old woman not making it out of the village in time when it was burned down; senseless violence and the suffering of the people caught between. The poem One Grave, Thirteen Bodies is about a man who has to bury his whole family, and The Blood Festival tells about the constant killing, to whomever the bullets belong to. In another poem, a childhood friend burns down his friend’s house and kills his family. More than a hundred poems of violent death, sometimes for no apparent reason at all.
My final book from Cameroon is Les Impatientes (2017) by Djaïli Amadou Amal. Djaïli is a Fulani feminist activist who founded the organisation ‘Femmes du Sahel’ dedicated to promoting their education and development of ‘women in Sahel’ and to end violence against women. Djaïli is from Sahel, and was married to a polygamist household through an arranged marriage at age 17 . She has been called the voice of the voiceless due to giving light to the stories of powerless women in narrow, discriminating circumstances. The Impatients won the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens.
It is quite a remarkable book about forced/arranged marriage. It is shocking, devastating and profoundly disturbing, which makes it outstanding. Two sisters (of different mothers who are co-wives to one man) are arranged to marry, and while one had aspirations to study and have a career, she, as well as her sister, are considered property and condemned to a life of servitude, basically slavery, within four walls. Vessels without free will and completely at the mercy of their owners/husbands. When a husband rapes his young bride during the wedding night so violently that she needs hospital care, it is considered normal and that the hubby was just a bit too much “in love” with his new bride. The girls, as their mothers before them, are reminded that their sole purpose in life is to obey their husbands. “Accept everything that your husband does. He is always correct; he has all the rights and we have all the duties. If the marriage succeeds, it will be because of our obedience, our good character, our willingness to compromise; if it fails, it will be our fault alone, the consequence of our bad behaviour, our detestable character, our lack of restraint.”
Cinema: four movies on the bad things people do to each other
Cameroon might not be as known for its movie industry as neighbouring Nigeria or some other countries in the region are (looking at you, Burkina Faso), however, there are surprisingly a number of Cameroonian movies available on different platforms. Netflix has acquired several movies from Cameroon, especially from the Anglophone part. My intent is to see whether I get a hold of cinema from both Anglophone and Francophone Cameroon.
My first movie from Cameroon is Nganù (2023), the directorial debut by actor Kang Quintus. It is a movie about domestic violence, abuse and childhood trauma. The main character Nganù – played by Kang himself – is a useless, hot-headed, pothead farmer who beats his wife and is aggressive towards others, including his only son. He has learned his ways from his violent father and does not try to change, until one day the change comes to him. There is an interesting intent of redemption and regret of a violent monster. While the movie does not even try to make him likable, there is a deep message about the effects that action (violence) has on others. Kang, the director, says that the story is based on real events, and he wanted to make a movie that tackles the issue of domestic violence that is a reality in so many households – he refers to Africa but we all know that it is a worldwide problem that really affects hundreds of millions. The violence shown is graphic and unforgiving. Therefore, even if the movie has some storytelling flaws, it is still to be appreciated as it makes no excuses for abuse, and culminates in a predictable but effective “what have I done?” moment.
Another movie that Kang has been involved with, as a producer and an actor, is the Fisherman’s Diary (2020, by Enah Johnscott). Kang really needs to be hailed for his involvement with important issues and not being afraid of playing the most reactionary, awful characters to raise awareness on important issues. He did that with domestic violence in the previous movie I watched – and now in this movie about girls’ education where he plays a father that opposes (to the extreme) his daughter’s wish to learn and study. It is a moving and very long movie filmed in Cameroonian Pidgin English. There are fairy tale elements to it, but mostly it is a movie about poverty, lack of choice and opportunities and the archaic role of women in the community. It revolves around the message of Malala Yousafzai about the girls’ right to education. Skilful acting by all actors (especially Kang and the young actress Faith Fidel) and a mostly compelling (albeit a bit uneven) story with effective and broad use of music from Cameroonian musicians.
Homosexuality is considered a crime in Cameroon with substantive jail time. The documentary Born This Way (Shaun Kadlec & Deb Tullmann, 2014) is a superb film showing several Cameroonian young people facing discrimination, threat, violence and criminal prosecution for their sexual orientation. It is an intimate portrait describing some of the absolutely horrific things they face or have been through, but also about finding a safe place and a community of support. I watched the documentary with L (17), who found it touching, and deeply appreciated moments of light, such as a lesbian daughter being accepted by her foster mother, amongst the dark reality of queer persecution in Cameroon. Deep and moving, it also features the important work done by Lawyer and Human Rights Activist Alice Nkom and how she tirelessly works for the rights of the LGBT community in Cameroon. While the documentary is ten years old, the situation is far from better. The Human Rights Watch (2022) reports several violent attacks against members of the LGBT community in Cameroon that generally go unpunished. The senselessness of homophobia is also referred to in the documentary, as someone compares a consensual LGBT relationship to paedophilia, showing the archaic homophobic mindset held by many.
As my last film from Cameroon, I watch the devastating and impactful documentary The Spectre of Boko Haram (2023) by Cyrielle Raingou. It is about childhood in the northern part of Cameroon under the armed conflict between the national army and the jihadist group Boko Haram. Founded in the early 2002s, Boko Haram is “known for its violent insurgency aimed at establishing an Islamic state, characterized by attacks on civilians, military personnel, and government facilities. The group’s activities have resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions.” Boko Haram is known for the extreme violence in the region and repeated kidnappings, such as the 2014 kidnapping of 276 Christian schoolgirls in Chibok, Nigeria (more than one hundred are still missing today). While making the documentary, Cyrielle was encouraged to change the title, but she resisted and wanted to tell a story of three children, one girl and two parentless-boys and their struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy. There is no overlay commentary and the documentary is basically an observation of the daily life of these children.
Soothing sounds of Cameroon
Cameroon is quite famous for the music scene, especially for artists such as Richard Bona and Manu Dibango. Richard plays a fusion of jazz and African sounds. He sings in his native Duala. Manu Dibango was a renowned jazz saxophonist.
While listening to Cameroonian music, we discover a lovely singer called Belvia Abinwi with a velvet voice.
Next stop: Canada
Thank you L for the proofreading
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