PNT Attitude shared her experience with crime in a recent post describing how her hand bag was stolen from her car:

…I pulled over to buy some mangoes. Mangoes bought, I open the door of the vehicle to put the mangoes on the back seat. Just then I saw this guy loitering on the other side of the car.

I paid him no attention. Suddenly he opened the passenger door, grabbed my red handbag lying on the front seat, and dashed into the market. I initially thought he wanted to do a carjacking, or was he just trying to make me uncomfortable by getting into the car? Could he be mentally deranged? I screamed “voleur” and ran after him with the mangoes, which I threw at him before he made the corner, thereby getting out of sight. Yes, you might be thinking I was careless leaving the bag there, fyi, it was hidden beneath that same seat until when I thought I had finished shopping!”

But the beautiful twist in her story is that some of the thieves in Yaounde could be really “kind”. Even the police know that if one is lucky they can have their personal belongings back by visiting the place where they were robbed (mugged). So she drove there:

I was told that a guy with a red bag came a few minutes after I left asking “where is the lady whose bag was snatched”. Since they didn’t find me, they took it away.

My friend and I searched around the escape route for a little bit and another person advised that we check with the nearby radio station. We went there and the receptionist said: “…yes we received a bag this morning and the contents belonged to…Ntemgwa…!” that was it, I was SOOO RELIEVED that I found the bag, she brought it out, I checked the contents and I said everything was in tact, unless of course the money and fuel voucher. She added “10.000frs, withdrawal fee”. I tried to argue and realised whatever was still in that bag had more value than the amount requested. I however negotiated for 5.000frs and I got the bag, went back home, happily.”

After such an experience here are some of the lessons learned by PNT:

- Not all thieves have evil intentions, some are opportunists who are just hungry;

- There exist organised (petty) crime in the Mokolo market, beware in all you do whenever you find yourself there, organised because all they want is your money, and everyone around knows where you can find your bag after the incident, who knows if there is more to the whole setup than meets the eyes?

- It is normal to be attacked in such crowded markets, the policemen played down the whole drama, wondering y I was feeling bad (at all), yes there is no service to take care of trauma victims in the police station since it is “normal” to be victimised like that…
- I miss those mangoes and I have nothing against them;”

Speaking of buying fruits in Yaounde, a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer blogging at Adventures of Aubrey seems to have been haggling a bit over the price of apples. The conversations with those selling the apples certainly reveal a lot about the perceptions associated with race which engender misconceptions:

During my trip to Yaounde this week I went to buy apples, twice. The first time I was walking down the street and saw a man with an apple cart. I asked him the price and then told him that was the white person's price and apples should cost this and that I wanted to buy these two apples for this much. He laughed and went down in price but not enough. We talked back and forth a few minutes and finally he wanted 50 more CFA (like 10 cents) and I wouldn't pay it and so I grabbed a plastic bag and bagged my own apples and left the money on his cart while we both laughed and I walked away saying thank you and that I would come back next time (this is a common way to leave a conversation in Cameroon - saying thanks, next time).”

…I saw another man with an apple cart outside of a white person store in downtown Yaounde (that was mistake one, trying outside a white person store). I asked him how much the apples were, went into the store with my friend and her mom, and we came back and I decided I wanted apples and began to bargin. He got angry and started screaming at me that why would I assume the price could change - he told me the price and I should have accepted it and blah blah blah. So I laughed it off telling him, this is Cameroon you discute for all the prices and tried again to bargin with him. He got angry again. Then, I got mad. I told him he was very rude and that I didn't care what his apples cost now I wasn't buying any from him. He yelled back that I was rude to try to bargin with him when I was rich (aka white). I repeated that he was rude and wouldn't get my money today or in the future and left. A year ago that interaction might have upset me but now I simply ran to catch up with my friend and her mom and repeated it while laughing and saying that I guessed it wasn't my day for apples.”

Instead of nearly running into trouble haggling, maybe Aubrey (or anyone else planning a stay in Cameroon) should use pay-as-you-go mobile airtime credits as legal tender. It seems a much easier way of buying things without cash if one goes by PNTs Attitude:

I almost finished buying the items on my list when I decided to go into a lingerie shop to look for an item that has been on my shopping list forever: a seamless wireless bra.

I was very lucky to find it in this shop, and as fate would have it, it was the last one available and I hadn’t seen it in any other shop. The salesperson said it cost CFA 4,500. Behold I had just CFA 3,500 on me! I tried to haggle the price to the amount I had on me, in vain. I thought of taking a much dreaded along walk to the car and also the possibility of paying partially by a telephone credit transfer. The latter option seemed more likely.

So I asked her if she had an MTN phone so I could complete the payment through a phone credit transfer. She said no, she had an Orange phone. However she added, “I have a friend on the MTN network you can send the remaining CFA1000 to”. Problem solved, I went away with the much-sought-for bra, smiling as I walked away.”

Paul Biya's message to his compatriots stressed the importance of the country's peace and stability in a generally turbulent continent as a major achievement. But Voice of the Oppressed did not quite fancy this argument:

Without much to showcase to languishing Cameroonians, Biya had no choice but to hide under the canopy of inert and sometimes illusive concepts like peace, unity and democracy to present as his hallmarks for the past 27 years, as if a hungry man knows peace or the thwarting of the constitution to enable him rule ad infinitum was a democratic precedence.

The fact that he highlighted the deprivation of basics like food, health, shelter, and education to a majority of Cameroonians, confirms the intensity of the failure of Biya and his Stale Deal policies. He just didnot want to belabour the points on persistent power cuts, water shortages, bad roads and dilapidating infrastructure, which are characteristic of his failed policies, aggravated by the extreme egocentric manner in which he and his associates embezzle state funds

However, Christopher Ambe Shu in a post on the blogzine –the Entrpreneur – thinks it is unfair to dismiss Mr Biya’s 27-year stay in power as wasted years because “his successes in the political, social, economic and diplomatic domains are there for any person of good faith to appreciate”:

Politically, to begin with, when he assumed the presidential office on November 6, 1982, the country was a one-party system. Democracy was barely practiced within the party. But in March 1985, he transformed the lone party – the CNU - into CPDM, introducing democratic reforms within the party. He reintroduced multi-party democracy in 1990, against protests from some learned Cameroonians.

Today, Cameroon has over 200 political parties, with citizens free to belong to any of their choice or even to form more. With the multiplicity of parties came greater freedom of expression. Cameroonians under former President Ahmadou Ahidjo did not actually enjoy freedom of expression.

Since 1992 elections - notably presidential, municipal and parliamentary - have been organized for Cameroonians to democratically choose their leaders and representatives. It is true complaints of electoral fraud and rigging have been alleged by mostly loser-opposition parties such as the SDF, but the Supreme Court has always adjudicated on such complaints.

As if to buttress Christopher's views a Cameroonian who claims to a supporter of Mr Biya's ruling Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM) party, posted some of the President's achievements since 1982 as a comment on Gef's Outlook:

“When president Biya took over in 1982, the coffers of the country were depleted. Thanks to his reasonable foresight and sharp economic acumen, Cameroon pulled herself from the grim situation majestically. In the BEAC regional block, we have the highest standard of living. Citizens of neighboring countries flock to our shores because the country is economically buoyant.

(5)President Paul Biya took over the leadership of Cameroon with very few all the year roads. But today, even the most far off lands like Akwaya are being dis-enclaved.

(6) On the diplomatic front, President Paul Biya used his great diplomatic prowess to secure an invaluable piece of real estate for the country, the Bakassi Peninsular. This is wonderful. He has instructed his legal team which, I am a member to sue the Biafras, for the return of the Obudu Cattle Ranch as well. We go for peaceful solutions even though we are tough as the lion.

(7) Cameroonians are freer and more secure within and beyond their borders than before. This is a real achievement.

But his views were countered by Louis who had a direct reply for the President:

“Dear Mr President,
I do appreciate your efford as president of the Republic of Cameroon. But your effords have consistently been proven not good enough. 27yrs of leadership is more than enough time for Cameroonians to be smiling instead of knocking heads. Your leadership and management skills are way below the bottom line of a development framework. Mr president, we all love our country more than you are telling us in your letter to.
All what we want is a leader who can motivate us by applying the values of leadership, management and governance. A leader who can build the “yes we can” spirit among us. Many cameroonians living abroad including myself are very willing to come back home and do something remarkable and benefitial for the country, but lawlessness and insecurity are big hindering factors.
Sorry Mr president but leadership and governance has been proven not to be your descipline. Give up men! If you really love us, then consider this crucial moments as the perfect time to sacrifice power for the happiness of your fellow citizens.
Thanks
Lou »

Present day Cameroon was created in 1961 by the unification of two former colonies, one British and one French. The country’s official languages are English and French but over the years many voices among the minority Anglophones have accused the Francophone majority of marginalization and this has since led some Anglophones to call for a separation of the country.

The debate over Paul Biya’s letter on Gef’s Outlook mutated into passionate, (sometimes) harsh arguments exposing the latent Anglophone versus Francophone quagmire in the country:

Reacting a comment describing Anglophones as nonentities Rene Mbuli commented thus:

Mr Alain Dipoko I have been following your interventions on this network with keen interest and I must commend your consistency in backing the FAILED REGIME of Mr Biya and his veteran team of incompetent, corrupt and uninspired officials. How i wish your intelligence and dedication could be used for a much better course like the Independence of Southern Cameroon which devoted SCNC members like us are reflecting and battling upon. As a devoted supporter of the Anglophone cause , i must tell you that Anglophones are not “nonentities” and we are not being “tolerated” by the regime.We are actually the regime's nightmare. The desire by the Biya regime to ignore the Anglophone problem is a silent tactic to limit the rippling effects of its recognition.
The above presidential address sounds like a broken CD. In order words, its a deja vu version of the 1985 in-glorious memories and a lamentable attempt to recoup the disintegrated particles. We are sorry for this dying dictator who tries to gain currency by selling dreams of what he still hopes to do , while on a dying bed. As a piece of advice . which probably could help the rest of the Francophone people who are tired of their Beti brother but who lack the bile to air their views like the Anglophones; Biya needs to start making a balance sheet of his confused years in power and try to groom a successor who will do the image cleansing instead of hoping to squander more years at the helm of La Republic du Cameroun.

Alain Dipoko responded as follows:

Mr. Mbuli Rene, why are you people so evil? Why do you take delight in showing ingratitude? Mr. Biya has ruled Cameroon with diligence and conviction. We are a respected country every where in the world. You are able to write fine English better than an African Americans in America, the richest country in the world because, schools are free in Cameroon and they are not in the US. What else do you want?

You express yourself openly than Americans do in America because the Patriot Act forbids them to do so. What do you really want? I have written a letter to the leadership of the SCNC, that moribund, focus less, and mundane assembly of TrollVille illusionists trying to sell the Federal System to them but I am yet to receive a feedback.

Let me warn you Mr. Mbuli, you the Anglos are stretching our patience. Did you hear what happened in Guinea? You want that to happen to your wretched lives here? It is easy to do it. We are sick and tired of these ungrateful brats. Let me make myself absolutely clear, if you the Anglophones don’t like it here then go to the Biafras. You shall spare us the inconvenience of squandering our money on ungrateful sycophants like you.

Paul Biya is Cameroon's second President. Cameroon's parliament in April 2008 passed a controversial amendment to the constitution scrapping limits to the terms in office. This means Biya can run for a third term of office in 2011. He succeeded late Ahmadou Ahidjo who resigned on 4 November 1982 after nearly 25 years in office.

Cameroon’s foremost blogger Dibussi Tande chose to take visitors of Scribbles from the Den down memory lane with video images of the peaceful handover of power that was quite uncommon in Africa at the time.

The speech was published in its entirety on Up Station Mount Club which is fledgling one-stop-shop of Anglophone Cameroonian blogging. The comments give the impressions of a people appreciative of the bright speech but wary of rhetoric.

Augustine S, a Cameroonian based in Canada seems pleased with the speech's direct attack on corruption and bad governance but wants more:

Speech well delivered. It was above expectations. He struck on corruption and good governance, what i wanted to hear. African leaders are stifling the progress of their own nations. I wish his administration goes a long way to exposing corrupt African leaders, punish them by freezing their assets and issuing traveling bans on them and their families. Obama is the kind of leader we need in this world.

Still on the issue of tackling corruption and embezzlement by African leaders Oyez has some advice to western leaders like Obama:
Just two more things are required, and it will go a long way:

1) Deny African rulers, their families and their lieutenants the right to foreign bank accounts and foreign property of any kind.
2) Deny African rulers any kind of medical care outside of Africa.

Those are the only two things we ask the West to do, and we will take care of the rest.

A comment left by Nnokko Johnson brings the Obama speech to Cameroon's door-steps by reminding the country's President, Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982 and in 2008 oversaw the amendment of the constitution to cancel limitation of presidential terms:

Africa doesn't need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.
MR Biya please take note of this phrase and learn,we dont want u out,but we need strong institutions,please please…

However, reading from many of the comments posted one may come out with the view that Cameroonians see Obama's speech as “good talking” that cannot solve their problems. Emmanuel says:

Home run. Talk, talk, talk, all of it old crap, and ghoulish, to boot.
It does take two to tango. And, Africans are silly to listen to lectures on corruption from the leader of the hegemon of financial, moral and political corruption; it took two to tango with the slave trade, colonialism, and now the era of “partnership.”
Look, this talk of “partnership” is a lie. Only subststantive, not notional equals, can enter into partnerships.

Reex adds:

The same rhetoric… I wonder when people stop believing and start acting… We don't need speeches on hope and pledges -they serve to anesthetize the population, that their problems shall be solved -they should hope for the solutions. When the financial crisis hit the US, the President said something similar about the responsibility of Americans to take the charge…Well contri pipo, most Americans are not even in control of their financial lives, lest responsible for the financial collapse, which were created by a greedy clique of bankers….
Well, Obama's speeches are well-written by an impressive staff to do a formidable job. What else do we expect from him? Speeches from his heart about the realities of our current world?

The trend of thought seems to be that, it is for Africans to solve their own problems. As Reex says,

…let us Africans work out our solutions. We may afterward invite Obama to share roasted corn and groundnuts at the fire side and discuss the politics on the ground - neither Ivy League stuff nor the usual double-talk demonstrated by the Western World, those speeches could be reserved to later occasions, when every hungry stomach in Africa has been filled!

A comment from a visitor called Isat is less diplomatic:

What we should really keep as a reminder are these words:”Africa's future is up to Africans.”
And take note: Obama is not African. His grand-father who cooked for the Brits and his father were Africans. He is American and his country's interests rule supreme - no matter how many songs we sing in his praise.
Man wey yi get ear make yi hear.[In Cameroonian pidgin this means: A word to a wise is sufficient]

The Up Station Mountain Club, collective blog also carries a post - Barack Obama in Africa: “Beyond Yes We Can”, yes we must, from Cameroonian blogger Aloysius Agendia in which he exhorts Africans to make a change:

Yes, Africa can revolt against current misleading leadership and their shady deals that have impoverished the continent. Beyond the yes, we can, yes, we must implement the said changes to move forward

This blog also gives a rythmic flavour to this visit as the video of a Cameroonian musician hailing Barack Obama on his election is posted there. The song was released by Tata Kingue just before Obama's inauguration in January 2009 and Gef's Outlook had done a small translation at the time.
Barack Obama Cameroon Song

Two times before, Late Pope John Paul II visited The Cameroons and the effect on the already impoverished populace was nothing more than a religious euphoria at the expense of their personal financial contributions and the public treasury. The unanswered questions of the Biya's repressive acts were still unanswered.

Aloysius Agendia, a journalist and ex-seminarian in a post entitled Pope Benedict XVI visit to AFRICA : Going beyond spiritual rhetoric seems to suggest that the Church should denounce acts by states and politicains that harm the people's interest instead of being clothed in diplomatic robes:

We understand the Church and the Vatican as a state, and as a religious body, though with political connotations, sometimes has to be diplomatic in its approach. In my opinion, true religion must not be indifferent to injustices, oppression, exploitation, colonialism in all its forms and other vices. The Catholic Church has done much and is still doing a lot but a lot more still has to be done.However, diplomacy though good in its own ways, must not be of too common usage in the Church because, a spade must be called a spade. In trying to always use “subtle” means to explain burning issues, the message is either lost or the meaning/importance, seriously minimized. Church leaders must not choose to dine only with those in power, the rich, and the powerful. They must not necessarily be with the opposition, but, they should stand beside the weak, the oppressed, the sick etc.

He is clear about what he expects from the Pope:

As a spiritual leader who represents hope, he must not only tell us to just keep waiting and hoping. We expect him to be courageous enough to tell those thwarting the hope of Cameroonians and Africans to at least, have some feelings for human beings and or their fellow citizens.

On the other hand, Voice of the Oppressed wonders if the clergy particularly in Cameroon has the moral high ground to demand change from those who govern the country when they themselves are not shinning examples:

What lessons can an already morally impoverished society learn from a bishop or priest who fathers children haphazardly in his community?
What lessons can that society learn from a priest who has numerous ‘girlfriends' in his community, under the excuse that he is only as human as everybody else?
Or sponsored a girlfriend's trip abroad, away from his community, so she can bear him kids, and when he takes his vacation or study leave, he's welcome abroad by ‘his wife' and ‘children'?
Or a Principal of a school,who is a priest, who embezzles school money through fake bills and accounting?
Or priests that have become predators to vulnerable children put at their disposal?

To Aloysius Agendia should Pope Benedict XVI of the perceived waywardness of Catholic prelates in Cameroon:

As the Holy Father visits Cameroon and Africa , he should note this. First and foremost, the Catholic Church and most of its (shepherds) in Cameroon in particular, need serious “redressing” or “overhauling”. The numerous stories about promiscuity, extravagance and gallivanting attitudes of some of our priests including some bishops, some even go as far as bearing children, others fornicating with their students, peoples’ wives, parishioners etc must be addressed…

This blogger belives if these issues of corruption within the Roman Catholic Church in Cameroon are not handled by the Pope then the visit would have no meaning to him:

Mortgaging the Church and its assets for “loans”, as if to sell Jesus Christ again for FCFA 950.000. 000 as Judas did for 30 pieces of silver. Tis follows using a famous Cathedral in Cameroon as a security for a loan taken by one of its bishop. The serious and terrifying cases of embezzlement among others, merit papal attention. These are issues which if the Pope fails to address even in private with his priests, then his mission to Cameroon, I must admit, must have fallen far belowexpectations, and why not, a non-starter.

Will the Pope dare? That may be the next point of interest of the Cameroonian blogosphere.

Note: Part 1 of this post is found here.

1 All small shops, houses, vendor's stalls that don't look nice enough are being destroyed with a large caterpillar. The truck comes by, looks at your stall/house/whatever and if the driver doesn't like, he just destroys it with all its content. It all started about a week ago in the city centre. Suddenly the streets did not house streetvendors anymore, all the local shops at the post office disappeared etc. Now it's been extended all the way to the airport.
2 The road to the airport has brand new streetlights. But then ONLY the way from the airport to the town centre.
3 Tuesday (for sure, other days to be confirmed) the road between airport and town centre will be blocked. Note: the pope arrives in the evening, but the road needs to be blocked from EARLY MORNING. Hence nobody can get to/from work, school etc.

This post also links to another blog by an expertriate family Sander Elke en Milan that has has photos of the destruction to roadside shops in the streets of Yaounde.

This demolition has sparked a debate on the blogs of two expatriates in Cameroon. Συγκακοπαθησον a blog maintained by a missionary in Cameroon posted on the changes to the outlook of Yaounde as a aresult of the Pope's coming.

So what’s my take on the whole thing? It’s nice that the city is getting a face-lift - it sure makes things look a lot nicer, and the big street lights make driving at night or trying to get a taxi along the main route so much easier and safer - but it’s sad that this clean-up has to mean the destruction of people’s way of life. Unfortunately, these people were simply ignorant of the “rules,” some willfully so, and are now facing the consequences. The sad part is that it seems the government was content to just let things be (possibly for as long as 10 years or longer) until something big came up, like the Pope’s arrival. If they had taken these structures down as soon as they went up, there wouldn’t be this kind of destruction of people’s livelihood now. Then again, I guess the law is still the law even when it’s not enforced.

This point of view wasn't really shared by British-born VSO volunteer blogging at Our Man in Cameroon. His reaction in a post entitled Impossible Missionary was simple:

Street stalls are a way of life here. They are everywhere. It’s easy just to say they are illegal but they can be pretty solid structures. What’s more, if they are illegal I’d imagine that they have only been allowed to remain because someone, somewhere is taking a regular few thousands Francs in bribes.
People here struggle. You can bet these structures don’t turn over much and in a country where enterprise and entrepreneurship is so minimal…well what a way to reward it.I ask you, if you are in general agreement with what I have written and also find the missionary’s take as ignorant as I do, to leave a comment. Not below but instead on the missionaries own blog.

However, readers still commented on this story on the Our Man in Cameroon blog. The reactions got to a point that, Karis, the wife of the missionary stepped-up in defence of her husband:

Wow! I never knew my husband could cause such a stir. I think sometimes we think that only people that know us read our blogs and those people know how to take what we write instead of tearing it apart line by line without knowing us at all. Trav, thanks for putting in a good word. Dad A, thanks for the humor. You always put a smile on my face. I just wish all of you that commented here and on his blog knew my husband — you wouldn’t be so harsh as you pull apart sentences.
He and I have had many conversations about how horrible it is that people’s livelihood is taken away from them and all for a few days visit from the Pope. When we were in town on Monday and saw stuff being thrown into trucks, it made me sick to my stomach. More than once, we said, “But how are people going to eat tonight? and the next day and the next day?” It goes even beyond that in…
And then today, I saw him helping people move their sewing machines, their tables, their bags of stuff farther down on our road as the government came through with the bulldozer. No, that was not emphasized enough in this post to show all of our conversations and actions, but wow… that doesn’t mean that my husband doesn’t feel for the people here! Maybe I can convince him to write another post, but I’m not sure because it may be best just to leave this rather than getting things torn apart again. I’d better just stop. A wife sticking up for her wonderful husband isn’t much of a mind changer.

The exchanges did not end at that. This Papal visit has quite some twists to it on the blogoshpere!

In mid-November 2008, Cameroon's national TV (CRTV) featured the story of a four year-old boy called Bright Asangwei Fuh suffering from a rare orbital tumor that could not be properly handled in the country. Since then a group of well wishers have created the blog Bright Fuh Supporters, to raise support for the little boy's medical evacuation to the USA. In their own words, this is their mission:

We the supporters and friends of Bright Fuh, have come together to lend our joint efforts to leverage financial, material and human support for Bright Asangwei Fuh, the little Cameroonian child who is fighting for his life at just 4 years of age. He is diagnosed with a rare orbital tumor. Our goal is to help get this child treated in the United States of America. Please join us and volunteer in one of our committees to help get resources together to help Bright and deliver him from such a deadly disease. Join us in Prayers for Brigt and his family. This is a world wide effort for Bright and you may join Bright Fuh supporters in the USA, UK or Germany and more to come

The Bright Fuh Supporters blog has several pictures of the young boy that show the seriousness of his condition, such as the one on the left taken during the early stages of the tumor's growth. These impressive pictures have moved many Cameroonian bloggers to spread the word about Bright Fuh's case to fundraise and to help him get the operation he needs. For example, Mambe Nanje Churchill who wrote:

My eyes are filled with tears as I cry for this little boy and his parents, I guess its realy hard for them to take it. He is a four year old little boy from Bafut currently in Yaounde because he cant see with his right eye because due to an infection called “Right Orbital Tumor”. This picture is what I saw on his article on www.crtv.cm and I have never seen something like this before, so we are all called to see how we can help this little boy either by posting his story around or by just donating some funds so that this Cameroonian can live to be our next President, Doctor or Lawyer.

The contributors to the blog include medical doctors, such as the one that provided a medical description of his condition in the first post on the blog:

Bright is a jovial 4 year old, suffering from an aggressive Retinoblastoma, per initial discussions with his doctors in Cameroon. Retinoblastoma is a rare form of cancer that begins in the part of the eye called the retina, which is a thin layer of nerve tissue that enables us to see. Most cases are unilateral (involving only one eye) as in Brightʼs case, but some may be bilateral. If the retinoblastoma spreads, it can spread to the lymph nodes, bones, or the bonemarrow. Rarely, it involves the central nervous system.

The doctor-blogger further indicates what has been done to the boy and what still has to be done to save his life:

In Bright's case, his tumor is unilateral, and per conversations with the doctors taking care of him in Cameroon, it is growing aggressively. He had surgery 2 years ago to remove the tumor but it has recurred with a rather aggressive growth, now involving over half of his face, extending into his facial bone structures and also some involvement of his brain tissue.
We are also informed he began chemo therapy to slow down the growth of this tumor with very little success as you can see from the pictures. At this point, intervention will not only be a shot at improving his quality of life but also at saving his life.

The most recent post has two pictures taken by a journalist from Cameroon's national TV (CRTV), one of them reproduced below, with a note suggesting that Fuh Bright's condition is worsening:

The tumor is visibly larger that what we saw before and he is in a lot of pain and distress. We are asking all supporters of Bright at home and abroad to join forces so that together we can chanel all our energy towards helping this child. Please continue to keep Bright in your prayers, to make a donation for Bright please go to our website www.africanwomensfoundation.org and make your kind donation.

I am missing a dry, dusty Cameroon and the holiday season over there. It was always a magical time for me. My siblings and I would torture ourselves with excitement the days leading up to Christmas. We would wake up bright and early that day just to make sure the gifts were there. We would count them quietly, long before the household stirred. We would construct a deep foundation of resentment for those who got the lion's share of presents. We would cry injustice, then crawl back into bed and wait for things to unfold. “Maybe Brother has more gifts than me but mine will be sweeter gifts than his.” There was church on Christmas morning. If we could avoid it, we did, but if Father said it was necessary, then we were (at best) reluctant churchgoers. But the shiny dresses and shoes–the crisp, new Christmas outfits people wore–were always a delight. And we wore ours, too, fresh from the Chinese bubble wrap or the Bamenda tailor's shop. Then the presents and the delicious food were kissed and adored with our eyes, fingers, and mouths.

Bamenda Babe was certainly touched by the singing from a group of kids caught on video by a VSO volunteer based in the town of Bamenda in her native Cameroon who blogs at Our Man in Cameroon. Below you can see the video that he posted on his blog:

In the comments section of that post, Our Man in Cameroon explains a bit more about the kids on the video:

….to clue you in the 2 kids on the right just turned up on that day, and the kid on the left isn’t around much - the rest of them are regulars at my door - where they knock and holler till the whiteman comes to play.

It’s beats a Christmas card anyway.

BB - the kid in the middle is Mimi - quite a little local superstar - despite having just turned 3 on the day I filmed this, she seems to be one of those kids that everyone loves.

I bumped into here, as I normally do, on my way to work this morning and she hugged me around the knees. She then waits till I walk 10 yards away and says bye, then another bye after another 10 yards - until she is hollering it into the distance.

I bought a load of tinsel for the VSO Xmas party so they’ve all had bits of it - that particular piece in the film was the last - they couldn’t decide which of them should keep it - so it was cut into 6 tiny pieces.

Have a good xmas everyone…

From another expatriate's blog in Mbingo, a village in the heart of Cameroon's North West Region, we get another point of view about the Cameroonian Christmas. Christine of Mbingo Was its Name writes about the celebration at the local hospital in which she works:

And yesterday was the party of all parties! It was a combined Christmas celebration / retirement for 9 hospital employees, including our hospital administrator, the fathers of two of our anaesthetists, and the expat physio Pat (here since 1973!). I went down to the kitchen at 7am to see how they could cook (over open fires) for 1000 people. People had been working since 5am, most of them as volunteers. My photos are all blurry because of the amount of smoke in the kitchen! One can only be impressed at what folks here pull off.

In Cameroon it is customary to have an after-party at the home of persons celebrating an event and Christine recounts how she stepped into dancing mood:

There was another great party going on there – huge amounts of food (the women had been up til 3am cooking), and the venacular church choir members were singing their hearts out, with assorted drums and shakers audible from half a mile away. Once again I was ushered inside to greet Pa, and have my coke – and when I went out, the dancing had begun. The singers were now dancing in a circle while the drummers were in the middle, and all the kids (some carrying infant siblings on their backs) were dancing in their own smaller circle in the middle. More and more people joined in, and finally one of the older expat women joined and pulled me in too. It was just so much fun – not much to it except moving your feet and going in a circle, but the atmosphere is what is delightful, just the sheer joy of being alive to recognize the goodness of God. These people really know how to celebrate, and we westerners can learn so much from them!

Back in November 2008, Meenosha of Pink Post was already giving some thought to Christmas. She revealed how she ended up not believing in Father Christmas anymore:

I was about 5 or so, and I just heard about news Mr. HoHo coming to our school. Can you imagine how I felt? I was beaming, like I was told God was coming or something. I remember the day before I didn't sleep. We all dressed up how we wanted, no uniform (I was a Hawaiian princess, with my yellow two-piece outfit and my pink flower stuck in my kinky hard-to-comb hair). We sang Christmas carols on the way to school, and eagerly waited for our hero to come….

So Santa Claus shows up in the classroom…

HE IS BLACK!

HE IS LANKY!

HE SWIMS IN HIS OUTFIT!

And last but not least: He doesn't say “HoHoHo”! He lazily says: “Bonjour les enfants”, and hands over a thin bag full of… candies! Who told him I wanted candies? I got enough of that from my mom! Didn't he get my request list? I wanted a Barbie Doll in a mansion, a princess dress, and a playhouse! My world crumbled down in a few seconds…

Speaking of shocks related to Santa Claus (Father Christmas in Africa) Jess in Buea, South West Region of Cameroon has this to say in her blog Jess does da ‘Roon:

Forgive the pun, but every Christmas in Africa’s a white one for me… just without snow. I just walked into the internet joint and next door they’re playing fantastic hits such as “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas” and “I saw mommy kissing santa claus”. I’m shocked. Lately my neighbor’s been playing this famous Nigerian gospel singer and talking back to this CD she’s heard a gazillion times. The singer talks on the track, ranting about how people are “enemies of progress” and are jealous, and there’s some long spiel about her getting a pregnancy test… I don’t know. But anyway, my neighbor is sitting there sewing on her foot-pedal machine, just preaching back at the CD, “Hmm-mmm that’s right. Jealous fools. That jealousy will hold you down! Amen!” I’m glad that peaceful Christmas music might be replacing it soon…

While Jess is a US volunteer is living Christmas in Cameroon, Eric Tambe is a Cameroonian is re-visiting how the Day is celebrated in the US in his blog Infotambeblog:

The built up to the day itself is treated differently than say in Cameroon.In the US it is a day celebrated quietly at home with a few friends and family members.People spend money on Christmas trees,including decorating the tree.It is also a cold period in most of the US,so you would not see people dancing in the streets and children moving from one house to the other to visit with their neighbours as in the case in the African countries.People spend a lot of money buying gifts though for friends and family members.This is one period when you do not want to be broke.People will remember you for not providing them with a Christmas gift…

Merry Christmas to all then!

Dibussi says:

“I don’t think that there is any specific benefit that Cameroon will derive from either a McCain or Obama presidency. America’s “Cameroon Policy” is fairly middle-of-the-road, and has not changed fundamentally since the first Bush presidency of the late 1980s and early 90s. The most common theme among US ambassadors to Cameroon, from Frances Cook in the 1990s to Janet Garvey today, has been the regular calls for more political freedoms in the country, for less corrupt and more accountable state institutions, and for the establishment of a truly democratic system that all Cameroonians can identify with.

Cameroon has so far failed to live up to these expectations but is still the beneficiary of substantial US aid because of realpolitik calculations that make her a key American partner in the region. For example, Cameroon’s strategic importance to the US has increased considerably in recent times thanks to its strategic location on the Oil-rich Gulf of Guinea. Those vital oil routes along the Atlantic coast must be kept safe even if it means giving suspect African regimes a wink and a nod or even a free pass…”

In these dying minutes of the campaign, The Chia Report managed by a US based former reporter of Cameroon's state broadcaster (CRTV), accuses the Republican party candidate John McCain of deploying “vile and dishonourable tactics of fear mongering”.

What is this fear about? Here's what The Chia Report thinks:

“This time around McCain camp, and Obama haters, are crystallizing fear in the minds of Americans by suggesting that Obama is a Muslim; that he pals around with terrorists; that he is a baby killer; that he is not American enough; not a patriot; he is a socialist…etc”

What seems to worry The Chia Report is that:

“Senator McCain’s brand of fear is against providing any hope for African-Americans because of the results that it will procure. But much more than that, it is a brand of fear that stokes the fire of hatred against Blacks by extremist groups that have been hiding away in the woods like Osama Bin Laden in the rocky mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is a fear that is for perpetrating the stereotype that African-Americans are good for nothing and cannot be trusted with anything big and meaningful; that African-Americans are to be a subservient bunch, good for the entertainment industry.”

Neba-Fuh, a Cameroonian blogger based in Sweden blogging at Voice of the Oppressed, comments on Democratic candidate Barack Obama being tagged as a socialist.

He has the following advice for Americans:

“In a system where the laissez- faire option has failed, Americans should feel no sense of inferiority to try other options like Socialism in the short term, or stick to Mixed Economy in the long run. This will enhance the much needed regulation of the economy that is needed to avoid economic plunges such as the one we are facing now. Socialism doesn't hamper freedom if well managed for a short period of time. The Founding Fathers never prescribed a system of economy as American! Socialism if well managed is not a speed-break to freedom. A poor man is not free! Not being able to eat well or have a shelter or pay our bills isn't freeedom, and not being free is surely unAmerican I guess.”

Here is what he thinks would be the deciding factor when the voter drops in the ballot:

“On election day, the majority of the 90% of American folks who will vote will surely not bother whether the policy that will make them feel ‘American' or ‘Free Again' is called Socialism or whatever.
What will bother poverty-stricken Americans as they go to vote will be ‘how they will put food on their kitchen tables, pay their mortgages, pay tuition for their kids, buy fuel for their cars at an affordable price and feel ‘American' again.”

However Americans choose to vote, could Cameroonians learn anything from these elections? Dibussi Tande thinks so:

“Yes, Cameroonians have a lot to learn from American politics especially with regards to establishing a legitimate, fair and transparent electoral process. Unlike the Cameroonian electoral system which has only a veneer of transparency, accountability and fairness, and is heavily skewed in favor of the incumbent and/or the party in power, the American system is a truly inclusive, transparent and democratic system at the service of its people.
True, the American electoral system has its own share of problems as the 2000 presidential elections clearly showed, but it remains the most open system in the world. Here is a system, (unlike the Cameroonian situation) where the civil service stays above the fray during elections, where the military keeps its distance, where the rules and regulations severely reduce the ability of those in power to use or divert state resources to promote the candidate(s) of their choice, and where there are never-ending efforts to improve the system and make it even more representative, etc. So the American political and/or electoral system is replete with lessons for any country, not just Cameroon, which aspires to create a viable and vibrant and legitimate democratic system”

Now, let's wait and see how the Cameroonian bloggosphere reacts to whoever wins this US Presidential election.

Ourman in Cameroon is a VSO volunteer based in Bamenda, headquarters of Cameroon’s North West Province, he discusses “coping strategies” in this post:

“The phrase “coping strategies” is a VSO staple.
I’ve heard it a lot over the last couple of weeks. From the volunteer who is trying to deal with a house that is falling down around him, another struggling and isolated out in the sticks, another whose NGO is disintegrating just as she arrived, another whose house is so far out of town that she can’t stay out much later than early evening and visitors are unlikely.
To put it another way “coping strategies” means “what’s going to cheer me up?” or “What do I need to make this work?”
To some it’s investing more of their VSO allowance in phone calls home. For others it’s a night out, a new hobby or whatever.”

Whether it is a “coping strategy or not” Pecae Corps Volunteer Jessamyn Bowling is ready tro haggle to the end with taxi-drivers in Buea, the capital of the South West Province. Blogging at Jess’does Da Roon she has the impression that they think she is a bit stingy:

“I’ve been trying to work on my anger management since taxi drivers in a certain neighborhood HATE me. Hate being defined as: charging 50f (the equivalent of about a dime) extra. Today I yelled at a driver and people on the street all turned to watch “Oooo whiteman done vex!” My local friends tell me that apparently I’m more stingy than a Cameroonian… I take this as a badge of pride, and let’s be honest, I’ve been gripping nickles since I was 5 at the flea market wearing a fanny pack. I fight with my tailor about paying for dresses since I’m dead set on not paying more than locals do… but maybe I take it too far? I honestly think maybe I lived in an economic depression in some past life. Which might prepare me for my life when I get back to the States?”

Notwithstanding her stand-offs with taxi drivers, Jess even got a marriage proposal as a reward to her perceived thriftiness:

“I flagged down a taxi, and being cheap as I always am refused him when he tried to make me pay 50f more (again, like a dime) and he accepted to carry me home at my thrifty rate. When I got in, he said “I go marry you.” I replied, “You no go ask me? You just tell me?” He said “I get confidence.” I laughed. A minute later he said, “You know economics well, eh? I mean, you manage money fine.” Apparently my stinginess is a desired trait for Cameroonian men, this is new. Just as I was about to get dropped, he said “I should start getting money for your bride price?” I answered, “Yes, but it better be much, eh?”

Transport hassles aside the big problem facing these bloggers from out of town is power cuts. Ourman in Cameroon:

“I am sitting writing this at 19.44 on Monday night.
I am writing it by laptop battery power. The power has gone again.
It was off all day yesterday – I eventually gave up around eight and just went to sleep. There was literally nothing else to do.
The lights came back on earlier but the internet was still down.”

Rebecca Hartog Blogging at Small,Small Catch Monkey was happy to see Ngambé Tikar, the little village where she lives, finally connected to the national power supply :

“Recently, I’ve really felt more like I’ve been in a developing country than a third-world country. SONEL is the only (state-run) power company in Cameroon, and I didn’t really believe SONEL would ever bring electricity to my little village. I’d asked around and been told that SONEL said Ngambé Tikar was far too en brousse and it wouldn’t be profitable. Thus, when the generator that was powering my house every night broke in July, I thought I was going to be in the dark permanently. Fortunately, I was reassured that the deputy (kind of like the congressman for Ngambé Tikar) was going to bring a new generator to village in August.

Imagine my surprise when SONEL showed up in early August and began rapidly installing electricity poles and power lines. I stopped to ask the workers when they thought the power would be ready. They assured me “at the end of the month at latest.” Which could mean by the end of the month, but more likely meant I’d be lucky to see SONEL light up Ngambé Tikar before I leave in December 2009. So I was even further surprised when the power lines and poles were basically installed well before the end of the month.”

At times these posts seem to be irk some Cameroonians. For instance Small Small Catch Monkey received the following comment on the about electicity coming to Ngambé Tikar:

“Isat said…
Slight point of accuracy sister:
AES/SONEL is a private utility company run by AES Sirocco - an American based energy company. AES took over SONEL in 2001. Yes the state still has shares in AES/SONEL but the majority stakes are held by AES.

True: It is the only power supply company in the country.

Deputé is a parliamentarian. Just as you would have it in the UK or elswhere. Some sort of congressman … may denote ridicule. I hope I am wrong sister.
Have fun in Ngambé Tikar.”

Volunteer blogs (if I may call them that) do not just end at discussions about darkness and light in terms of electricity. Tim Hartman Blogging at Peace Corps Cameroon has an idea about the problem with Cameroon. He thinks it is to do with mentality and the absence of books to develop critical thinking:

…mentality isn’t just the equivalent of development, it goes beyond that. Mentality leads to happiness. And it isn’t just development that Cameroonians want. They, like everyone else in this world, want to be happy above all else.

So if a change in mentality that is necessary for development can’t be made from an outside source, then how could I promote a change in mentality that would lead people to be happy? The obvious answer is that I can’t, that the change needs to be initiated and come from within. The one missing link that I still see here on the ground in Cameroon, though, is books. Remember my first installment of What’s Wrong with Cameroon? It was about reading. For me personally, I’ve been able to grow immensely from books. They lead to creativity and critical thinking skills, but they also share others’ trials, tribulations, errors, and points of view. I feel like I have become a happier person and developed personally and spiritually because I had the opportunity to read so many books and gain from others’ experiences. I expedited my own search for happiness through reading….

…The first part of my strategy is to get books in people’s hands. This is what I wrote about in my first installment of What’s Wrong with Cameroon. I’ve already received some packages of books that I have distributed and I’ll tell you about where they went and my experiences with handing them out in my next blog. But I want to restate my request. Send me your books!”

Tim wants his readers to send books. Others’ wish lists are more basic. Here’s Jess’ wish list:

“-boxes of processed food (sauces, mac n cheese)
-little packets of tuna
-fun tea
-books! (anything awesomely good)
-art supplies
-beef jerky
-dried fruits
-MUSICCCC - I can play anything, VCD, CD, MP3, just send me stuff. I thrive on it! (And it helps to fight the battle against my neighbor's loud Nigerian films/loud Christian preachings)
-calls & letters!

Rebecca Hartog at small small catch monkey insinuates about postal security while making her request:

If you are so inclined to send me a package (apparently only $11 for a letter-size envelope, no matter how stuffed full!), the best address to send it is:
(Soeur) Becca Hartog, PCV
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 215
Yaoundé, Cameroon
I would recommend writing in red, and drawing religious symbols all over it. You may feel stupid doing that, but wouldn't you feel worse if it never got here?

Here is a list of things that will always be welcome,…:

- Parmesan cheese, the kind that doesn't really need refrigeration (ie Kraft)
-DVDs (burned copies welcome) of any movies or TV shows, (wish list: “the office” US version all seasons, but esp season 2; “30 Rock” season 2; “The office” British version, any/all seasons; “Curb Your Enthusiasm”)
- photos (physical, not digital) to remind me of you, of home
- dried fruits (apricots, pears, cranberries, cherries, blueberries etc)
- pretty much anything non-perishable from trader joes
- tea, especially Tazo or Stash black chai or variety pack
- clif bars (especially the NECTAR Clif pomegranate cherry… or any other sport bar that is very similar to this one)”

In the meantime some volunteers have already adapted to their surroundings and appear to be loving their stay. It is the case with Brad who is based in Dschang in the West Province of Cameroon,and blogs at Brad in Cameroon:

“I am very excited for the next few months. I am finally feeling at home so much here it doesn’t feel like im anywhere anymore, I'm just here. I am enjoying teaching my classes, hanging with friends and my alone time. Every once in a while I get frustrated with my situation or bored but far less frequently than last year and not as badly. I also have some guaranteed good times coming up. I am going to Yaoundé in November and will be there on election night on which I don’t plan on sleeping. You guys aren’t letting Obama lose right? I was serious about not coming back if he does. John McCain is alright (actually he's right-center…oh! I almost deleted this it's corny I no but better than no joke no?)”

Siobhan in Cameroon has also turned the page:

“I'm not sure if this has come across in my blogs or not, but I really really like living in Cameroon. I love the east province, people here are wonderful and i'm starting to crave cameroonian food (the other day I had juice from a hibicus that was sweetended and ice cold, it was amazing). I'm really happy being here and just in case I haven't extended this invitation formally, anyone at anytime is more than welcome to visit. It wouldn't be your typical vacation, but I promise it would be an experience.”

I decided with the credit crunch looming over our heads like bomb sirens, it’s no time to be frivolous. Mind you, the sound of my teeth noisily crunching away on Maltesers like they are going out of fashion is the only sound more overbearing than the credit crunch round here! I have decided to be very organised with my baby shopping. Instead of going all out on mad shopping sprees, I’ve sat down and painstakingly drafted lists and budgets. I’m getting so good at balancing the books; I think I could give the Chancellor of the Exchequer a run for his money.

In relation to parenting, Mabi’s World discusses the challenges facing grandparents who have to take up full responsibility for their grand children:

In many homes and communities, grandparents have always helped to look after their grandchildren. They are so happy that they travel long distances to be part of the action. Some grandmothers have had to travel abroad to “babysit”. However, for a growing number of grandparents, the brief visits to welcome the new-born baby have now been replaced by the responsibility of providing full-time child care, while Mom and Dad are busy at work.

This relatively new blogger also posts health advice on managing typhoid fever and draws from her late father’s personlity to declare teachers as leaders in commemoration of World Teachers’ Day on 5 October:

My father, Ntunibu James Azefor, was a teacher. One, whose leadership qualities still call for celebration today. His students still remember him as a selfless, respectful and determined person, devoted to the cause of sharing knowledge. Every one of his former students I meet has a story of how he influenced their lives. They describe him as a good teacher whose diligence, vision, attentiveness, and passion to teach and share knowledge enabled them to achieve success and reach great heights. In InterAction parlance, he would be described as “enabling others do great work”. That is leadership.

Mabi azefor Fominyen is a journalist, radio and TV presenter with Cameroon's state-run broadcaster (CRTV), who is interested in family, leadership, gender and women’s empowerment issues.

Speaking of women's issues, Rosemary Ekosso bounced back this September after a dip. She is not pro-polygamy and she is clear about it when she reacts to a BBC report on a man who married 86 wives in Nigeria:

There is no valid excuse for polygamy in today’s world, and we know it. Let us stop pretending to protect the interests of women in such situations when we know full well that we are only thinking about preserving the status quo either because it does not impinge on our lives or because it is to our advantage.

But one of her readers had a different point of view and had the following words for Rosemary:

Did the women tell you it is unfair to them?Did they say anything about being forced into it? They choose the lifestyle they want and we have no right to impose our notion of what we believe to be the “ideal” marriage scenario on them. That would be trampling on their freewill as humans.

On the artistic side of things, Dulce Camer who describes herself as “a young Cameroonian trying to live out her dreams”, interviews Anrette Ngafor, a trendy 32-year-old up and coming Cameroonian female photographer with great ambitions:

My goal is to have my own label, own company, own business and own studio one day. Not long from now this should happen as I am working towards that and I hope to achieve it and make my dream come true.

Style and fashion is also a point of interest for Germany based singer, song writer and media designer – Menoosha. In The Pink Post – she tackles the issue of weaves that do not enhance the beauty of African women:

My dear Afro Sisters! Here is my solemn petition for a BETTER TREATMENT FOR OUR HAIR!!! Whether straight, curly, kinky, fake or real, PLEASE!!!! let's TREAT OUR HAIR SHAFTS FAIRLY!!!! LOVE YOUR HAIR, AS YOU LOVE YOURSELVES!!!!

Finally, Bamenda Babe’s at My African Father blog provides a few recipes from Cameroon. After living for years in the USA, this blog is the lady’s way of connecting to her roots and one way is by cooking Cameroonian dishes:

Making kohki-corn here in the USA is quite an acrobatic feat. Where does one find the plantain leaves to use for wrapping up the kohki into bundles for steaming? And before this–before all else–where does one find the kind of corn that works? The corn sold at stores here is too soft, contains too much water, and is way too sweet. Are there any fresh cocoyam leaves around here?