Photo Update: The “Other” Africa That Doesn’t Make the News

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the delayed blog update, this past month has been very busy for my peers and I here in Cameroon: completing four research papers, preparing for my upcoming independent study project, and traveling in areas with little to no internet connectivity forced me to delay writing this post! I wanted to take a chance to reflect on one of the most important things I’ve learned over here in Cameroon: Africa is more than just poverty, war, and disease.

That seems pretty obvious, but it’s an important thing to stress. Nine out of every ten images we get in the US of Africa are poor children asking for donations, news reports talking about political violence and showing images of refugees, or stories about HIV/AIDS, Malaria, or Ebola. There are over 600 million people on the African subcontinent, and the vast majority of them have their lives characterized by much more than the news reports we see in the US. So, without further ado, let me give you a few glimpses into the lives of Africans that you won’t see on the news:

Rigobert, a middle aged taxi driver for SIT, looks out over the capital city of Yaounde. This was my first glimpse of the city in the daylight after arriving the night before.

An all-electric bus making the rounds at the University of Yaounde I, one of two state universities in the capital city.Yaounde I has over 45,000 students enrolled, and the bus serves to ferry students up and down the hill on which the university is built.

Hundreds of exercisers warm up together on a foggy Saturday morning in Yaounde. Each weekend, they come together early in the morning to catch up with friends and work out together by running up and down the hilly landscape of Yaounde.

A pottery workshop at the only professional art school in Cameroon, located in the city of Mbalmayo. The white man on the left has never made pottery in his life, and couldn’t to save his life, as he told our group when we went to visit. Rather, he helps to run the finances of the art school and leaves the training and sculpting up to the professional on the right and his students.

The three Cameroonian students on the program with us this semester: Ydrine (left, 26), Sarah (middle, 28), and Lamerant (right, 19). Ydrine is studying to be a lawyer at University of Yaounde II, Sarah just finished her masters in History at Yaounde I, and Lamerant is a Biochemistry major who was a Yale Global Scholar this past summer, travelling to New Haven, Connecticut to take courses on international relations, political science, and leadership.

Allison (left) and Serge (right) sitting next to Andre Manga, Cameroon’s most famous musician. Andre plays bass for Josh Groban on his world tours, and when he isn’t with “Josh” (as he called him), he splits his time between Los Angeles and Yaounde, working as a talent scout mentoring young Cameroonian musician.

My host family in the southern coastal town of Kribi.Jehovani (left, 10), Henri (middle, 22), and Charlenne (right, 14). Henri works for a construction company in town, and his dream is to one day earn his driver’s license and own a car.

A train of students returning home after school one afternoon in Kribi. Education is highly stressed in all the communities we’ve visited here, and you can tell which school each student goes to based on the color of the uniforms they wear.

Christiane (left), the academic director of SIT Cameroon, and her siblings admiring the clouds and the scenery at Saddle Hill Ranch in the North West region of Cameroon. The sky here is incredible… sometimes I wonder if the clouds are just trying to one up each other day after day!

A concert at the Goethe Institute (the German Cultural Center) in Yaounde. Singer and guitarist Elsa M’Bala (center) is one of the few women musicians who play an instrument in Cameroon. In an interview several of my peers and I did with her and her band before the show, they couldn’t think of more than 7 in the entire country.

My host brother, Frankie (16), on our way back from a soccer game at the chefferie in the rural village of Batoufam. Frankie’s dream is to become a commercial airline pilot, and when I asked him if he thought life here was difficult, he looked at me funny and said not at all. They have everything they need to live a good life, he told me: plenty of water (there’s a river nearby), highly productive land to grow food, and livestock such as pigs, chickens, and rabbits to breed and eat.

An after-school basketball game at the Lycee of Batoufam (High School of Batoufam). The students were preparing for the all-school tournament, which my host brother Mao (19, shooting the ball above) has helped his team win two years in a row. His dream is to play basketball professionally in Europe one day.

Picturesque sunset in Kribi… doesn’t get much better than this, listening to the crashing waves and contemplating the beauty of nature.

The throne room of the chief of Batoufam. Against all odds, traditional chieftaincies in the West region of Cameroon have remained vibrant and critical aspects of life in many rural villages in the area. The chieftaincy is hereditary, and when an heir is chosen after his father’s death, he becomes the servant of his population, mediating conflicts among the 6,000 residents and an additional 6,000 native Batoufam spread throughout the country. The chief of Batoufam has ruled since 1989, but by no means does he have absolute power. He governs along with several councils of notables and important individuals in the community, and once a week he is subjected to a judicial review of all his words and actions, ensuring he is effectively using his time to serve the community. He is well respected and revered by the community for his integrity and complete dedication to the wellbeing of his community.

The Chief of Batoufam, Nayang Toukam Innocent, poses for a photo with us after our Q&A session with him in the throne room. He is the 14^th chief of the village, and his ancestors have been chiefs dating back to the village’s founder over 200 years ago. His parting words to us (translated into English) were “Stand by your culture and traditions, work hard, and always consider others in your decision making. That is advice for the world, and it can lead to a brighter future.” – Sa Majeste Nayang Toukam Innocent.

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As you can see, this corner of Africa is a beautiful, vibrant region full of intelligent, passionate people. The next time you see a news report or read an article about the wars, poverty, and disease ravaging the African continent, I hope you remember these photos and know that there’s another side of Africa that most people never hear about.

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