Hordes Flock to ‘Apparition’ of Jesus in Cameroon Home

Residents of Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital city, woke up on Wednesday, April 16, 2014 to the news that the image of Jesus Christ had appeared in a home in the Odza neighborhood. This sparked mass hysteria [fr] as the faithful and the curious flocked to the neighborhood to see [fr] the Easter miracle for themselves.

A few days later, Mgr. Samuel Kleda, the Archbishop of Douala, dismissed [fr] the alleged apparition as a hoax, but this did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the faithful who continued to throng to the home of Amougui Minkan. Some even scaled the fence around the house to avoid the long lines.

News of the apparition instantly became a trending topic in Cameroon on Twitter where users tweeted about the claim with incredulity and levity.

Blogger @ngimbis questioned what exactly people were seeing on the wall:

Man! You will need celestial telescopic sights to see him, right?

Many found it hilarious that Jesus would choose to appear in Cameroon of all places:

The fact that the apparition occurred in Odza, which is next to Nsimalen, a neighborhood where there was an apparition of Mary, Jesus’ mother, in May 1986 was not lost on many:

Apparently, Jesus and his mother have moved into two neighborhoods that are next to each other. Cameroon is blessed

@ntrjack could not resist going back to the age old debate about Jesus’ race:

So Jesus is white even in apparitions. This settles the debate

And @lesikanel teased:

I am still waiting for someone to post a selfie with Jesus at Odza

To some, the apparition was an opportunity for some social and political commentary. For @TjatBass, Jesus appearing in Yaounde was of no consequence:

Jesus really loves Cameroon! But there is still misery, lots of injustice and many people are dying.

@ngimbis on the other hand reminded Cameroonians that President Paul Biya had still not been seen or heard from since he attended the Africa-EU summit in Brussels on April 2-3, 2014:

If he is found, Jesus of Odza will serve as the interim for our president who has been missing since the EU summit.

Business has been booming in Odza since the apparition. Not wanting to be left behind, the owners of the home where Jesus is said to have appeared are now asking for donations:

Jesus the son of God appeared in Yaounde, Cameroon during Holy Week. In a house. There’s now an admission fee.

A week after the legend of Jesus of Odza began, many are still making the pilgrimage [fr] to Odza while the debate about the authenticity of the apparition rages on. In the meantime, the dominant view seems to be this one colorfully expressed by @Difredsimpson:

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