In July 2009 I asked readers to send me any burning questions they may have about any aspect of my life/work in Cameroon. After receiving some excellent questions I answered them to the best of my ability in this post.
I feel as though it's now a good time to do it again. The reason being is that as strange as it is to admit it, life in Cameroon feels almost absolutely normal to me. Things that seemed exciting or bizarre in the first year are now feeling like just a part of the everyday. Nowadays it's very interesting to meet visitors that have just arrived and hear them talk about their initial impressions of the country. They have many of the same opinions and reactions that I once had to this culture, and they will often bring a fresh perspective; seeing the forest through the trees, so to speak.
So with that said what do you want to know on the topic of all things Cameroon? Believe me, I haven't run out of items to talk to you about. Far from it as this place never ceases to amaze. But seeing as you've taken time out of your day to read this blog, take a minute or two and leave a question on the 'Comments' section of this entry or send me a question at darchibaldpccam@yahoo.com. And if I receive any I'll be sure to respond to them in a future post. Thanks for reading and take care for now.
6.17.2010
6.13.2010
Cameroon In the News: June 2010
Algeria coach wants more African coaches (Associated Press)
Cameroon wins UN praise for corruption crackdown (Associated Press)
10 mln fear worst as Sahel faces new food crisis Associated Press)
Illegal Trade Threatens Grey Parrots in Cameroon (Associated Press)
Cameroon tensions pose risk of conflict (Reuters)
Cameroon Destroys Pigs Amid Outbreak of Swine Fever (Bloomberg)
45 killed in Cameroon bus accident (Associated Press)
Cameroon wins UN praise for corruption crackdown (Associated Press)
10 mln fear worst as Sahel faces new food crisis Associated Press)
Illegal Trade Threatens Grey Parrots in Cameroon (Associated Press)
Cameroon tensions pose risk of conflict (Reuters)
Cameroon Destroys Pigs Amid Outbreak of Swine Fever (Bloomberg)
45 killed in Cameroon bus accident (Associated Press)
6.12.2010
Le Monde Jouent
World Cup USA, Russia v. Sweden, July 1994
Nearly sixteen years ago my father took one of my sisters and I to a World Cup match at the Pontiac Sivlerdome in Detroit, MI. We were on vacation visiting family in Ohio and we made the jaunt to the motor city to catch a group match of the 1994 USA World Cup. For a ten year old American who had played soccer since the age of 5 the idea of seeing a match that didn't promise orange slices at halftime was foreign. Seeing a stadium packed with sixty thousand fans who weren't parents or kin was also a bit mind blowing. The 1994 World Cup held in the US may have been a bit premature for the American public at large, but I had already been playing this sport for a few years despite the heckling from kids at school who were convinced that soccer was for queers. I always found it strange that the most popular and one of the more physically demanding sports in the world was considered queer in my neck of the woods. Kicking a ball with one's feet across a field the size of Rhode Island? Apparently homoerotic. Men's wrestling? Inexplicably revered.
The first few years that I played this foreign game made for immigrants and communists (another popular slander) I was more interested in the bugs that I could find in the soil of the field than I was in the game going on around me. My old man coached the “Clifton Forge Force” youth soccer team. At about 5 or 6 years old I was put on the under 8's, the youngest age group at that point. I don't remember much about these games but I do remember vividly that when I was 5 years old, 7 and 8 year olds looked like they were on steroids. I doubt they were juicing, but picture yourself as a young boy on a field of play with an also young but much larger boy bearing down on you wearing cleats.
In my first soccer experiences, I can only imagine that I as a 5 year old reasoned that taking them on in athletic pursuits could only end poorly. In the interest of self preservation I took no interest in the game around me and instead focused on the bugs I could find in the grass. The first year or so of my soccer career consisted of my father or another coach looking over me speaking in a very Charlie Brown-esque “wah-wah-wah” tone in which I can only imagine that they were not explaining the local flora and fauna of the field.
Back to the Pontiac Silverdome in 1994: a stadium packed to the rafters on this day with rowdy Swedes and Russians. Not exactly the marquee game of the tournament but for these two countries national pride is on the line. I can imagine that no self respecting Swede would want to carry the burden of losing to a bunch of commies, and I doubt Mother Russia has any intention of losing to a band of lousy Scandinavians. We take our seats on the middle deck. Down below the Swedish fans, decked out in blue and yellow, are doing their best to make the entire stadium collapse.
I remember very little of the game itself. That's not to say that it wasn't entertaining, but the excitement and tension in the stadium is like nothing I had ever witnessed. With the game under way it was obvious that Sweden was the better team and Russia looked to just be delaying the inevitable breakdown as long as possible. The lower level of the stadium on the opposite side of the field was a rowdy sea of blue and yellow flags held up by people dressed and painted in the same colors. They were probably visible from space, and in case they were not conspicuous enough they filled the place with unbelievably loud and well synchronized chants.
Deep into the match and Sweden has owned every bit of the game. Its 2-0 in Swedens's favor and in the late minutes their star striker of that tournament, Martin Dahlen, puts one home to make it 3-0. Game, set, match. Unfortunately the Russian guy in front of us has had enough. He stands up and takes out his frustrations by pouring his entire beer on the head of a Swedish woman in front of him who had the audacity to stand up and clap when Sweden scored their third and final goal. I thought we were in the calm section of the stadium but this Russian guy just took things to another level. Unfortunately for him this was a sporting event that was taking place in the U.S.
We Americans love us some sports. I've been to some very contentious games in various sports and at various talent levels and despite the tensions between opposing fans I've rarely seen anyone get truly out of hand. The only exception would be a minor league hockey game in Roanoke, VA, I went to with my U-14 soccer team as a reward for our stellar season. A teammate and friend of mine punched an older girl behind us. Let's be honest; at minor league hockey they basically drop the puck and immediately afterwards drop their gloves so I would argue that its not a place to take young boys full of teenage angst and rage. In his defense she was being a massive “B” at the time.
So when Boris Badinov chose to dump his beer all over the Swedish lady in front of him, it took about .5 seconds for Detroit's finest to descend upon him and whisk him away to what I can only imagine was a very animated discussion of the fact that he had just assaulted someone on foreign soil. Russia got their ass handed to them in that game so I can only infer that the Russian embassy was flush with calls that evening about their citizens being detained in the Detroit metro area as a result of misdirected fits of rage.
A crisis of loyalties
As I write this 32 countries who have qualified have arrived in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. Supporting the United States is a no brain-er. And this year you could honestly say that we have a team capable of making a deep run in the tournament. Our first three games are against England (today!), Algeria and Slovenia. No disrespect to Algeria or Slovenia, but we should qualify from our group and be in the mix later on in the tournament. A victory over the Brits in our first game would be especially sweet. We play England this evening and I have traveled to Maroua where there is a bar with a projection screen outside. I am clad in a button down shirt and pants made out of Barack Obama fabric courtesy of my mother, and my friend from village is decked out in the same ensemble. I'm pretty certain that we look absolutely ridiculous, but I've seen more bizarre outfits and costumes worn by sports fans. Its possible that there will be a large American flag on hand as well, so I expect that we'll be a spectacle out of the ordinary from the normal bar patrons on match days. I ask any self respecting American reading this right now to watch the U.S.A vs. England match later on regardless of your interest in soccer. It's on a Saturday so you have absolutely no excuse. Home Depot and Bed, Bath and Beyond are probably open on Sunday, so sit your behind in front of the nearest TV around 10 or 11AM EST.
Over the past week I've been lobbying Cameroonians hard to get behind the United States for our game against England. It's not difficult. Most Cameroonians watched the Confederations Cup last summer when we beat Spain (#2 in the world) 2-0, and came close to beating Brazil (#1) in the final. After seeing a team like the United States, talented but by no means in the elite, take on and beat some of the best we've won many admirers in this country. Athletic, organized and capable of an upset, I dare say that the U.S. could go far this year.
Les Lions Indomptables
I enjoy watching African teams at the World Cup as well. They play fast and physical in a way that can be overwhelming for opponents. It's an interesting mix of innate attacking skill, tenacity in midfield, and total defensive chaos that defies comprehension. Yet win or lose, a match involving an African side usually promises entertainment. Being here in Cameroon I feel I now have a vested interest in an African team's success at the tournament that I've never felt towards any team other than the USA.
How is Cameroon going to fare? They are in a tough group with the Netherlands, Denmark and Japan and qualification to the next round is no guarantee. Netherlands is by far the best team of the group. Cameroon on its best day could get second place and just maybe contest Netherlands for first place. On their average day, which has been all too common recently, they would most likely get embarrased by all three teams. Unfortunately Cameroon has been frustratingly inconsistent as of late. They had an unusual amount of trouble qualifying for the tournament playing lesser teams such as Togo, Morocco, and neighbors Gabon. I have great hopes for them, but I always wonder when watching them when the meltdown is going to occur.
Yet Cameroon is arguably the most illustrious team in Africa. They were the first nation in Africa to get to the quarter-finals of the World Cup (in 1990) which is no small feat. They've won the African Cup of Nations numerous times, and claimed Olympic Gold at the 2000 games in Sydney. One of the more memorable moments of all World Cups has to be from their amazing quarter final run in 1990. Roger Milla was Cameroon's hero as they beat a number of more illustrious teams, including defending champs Argentina. He scored numerous goals and after each one he would sprint to the nearest corner flag and dance around it in celebration.
Unfortunately, the other recent World cups in '94, '98 and '06 (they didn't qualify in 2002) have been extremely disappointing for Cameroon. Each time they've been unceremoniously knocked out in the group stages and left their countrymen wanting more. If they qualify from their group this year I'd say that would be enough to keep people in this country from rioting and setting things on fire. Anything less than making it to the 2nd round would be a disappointment. However it all comes down to Samuel Eto'o, the most well known Cameroonian player. I want to say he is the hero of Cameroon but in truth, lesser players (Roger Milla) have done more for Cameroon in the past than this uber-talented individual. Spending most of his professional football career at FC Barcelona and just this past season at Internazionale Milan, he's won the Champion's League 3 times. Eto'o is among the greatest to ever play the game by winning this competition 3 times while playing a crucial role with every team he's ever won it with. In short he has been absolutely unstoppable for any professional team he has ever represented. The only problem is that Samuel Eto'o is inexplicably quiet when he plays for Cameroon. The entire Cameroonian nation, through all the day to day hardship and nonsense they endure, place many of their emotions into the successes and failures of their team. For their sake I hope “Les Lions Indomptables” step up to the plate this time around and give them something to cheer about. Either way the country will probably take to the streets. I'd just prefer they take to the streets waving the national flag and not pitchforks and torches.
Samuel Eto'o is by no means the only big name player on Cameroon's national squad. There are players who play at some of the best professional clubs in Europe: England, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and throughout countless other countries across the globe. Cameroonians are scattered about the professional ranks of these nations and are often at the most talented clubs and playing integral roles. The only question is if they can come together as a nation and put their individual successes and professional athlete persona's aside and make an effort to cause some upsets. “On est ensemble” (We are together) is a popular phrase in this country. Here's to hoping they personify it in on the field in South Africa.
And then there were 3
If splitting my loyalties amongst two teams wasn't hard enough, this World Cup has presented me with a third nation that merits my support. By some miracle New Zealand has qualified for the tournament this year. New Zealand booked their ticket to South Africa by beating juggernauts such as Fiji, Samoa and Bahrain. If you play the numbers and look at who New Zealand has to play in the World Cup you'll know they are up a creek without a paddle.
The kiwis find themselves with matches against Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia. Italy are the defending World Cup champions and have won the tournament five or six times. Paraguay, to qualify for the World Cup, had to play against the likes of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, etc. They are no pushovers. I really have no idea about Slovakia, but if they qualified from the European continent that tells me that they are a tough team. If New Zealand even scores a goal in their first three matches I'll be pleased. I mean no disrespect. Besides I imagine they are more concerned with the Rugby World Cup taking place on their home soil next year.
One thing I must state before we move on is to explain why NZ is actually in the World Cup in the first place. A few years ago, Australia's soccer team (the “Socceroo's,”...hows that for a lame moniker?) moved from the Oceania region to the Asia region. The reason for this was that Australia has a fairly strong football team and Oceania never receives an automatic bid to the World Cup (e.g.- New Zealand had to beat Bahrain, the 4th placed team in Asia, in a playoff before qualifying for the World Cup). I'm not crediting Australia for NZ's fortune. Those convicts can have Asia. They were just too afraid of Bahrain to stay in the Oceania region. That's right I said it. Australia is afraid of Bahrain. They thought “Crikey!, We can't beat those Bahrainis. Let the Kiwis play 'em.”
The best and worst WC moments from Cameroon:
1)1990- defeating World Cup champs Argentina
2)1990- Roger Milla's trademark cornerflag dance goal celebrations (click here to watch)
3)1990- Taking England to the wire in the quarterfinals but falling just short
4)1994- Losing to Russia 6-1.
5)1998- Pierre Njanka's ridiculous goal against Austria (click here to watch)
The best and worst WC moments from USA:
1)1994- beating Colombia 3-2 to advance to the final stages
2)1998- losing 2-1 to Iran. It was not pretty to watch
3)2002- taking down Portugal 3-2 in their first match of the tournament
4)2002- beating arch-rival Mexico 2-0 to advance to quarter-finals
5)2002- getting beat by Germany 1-0 in the quarters after a terrible penalty decision. The ref obviously hated freedom.
Opening Day:
The World Cup actually began yesterday. In the evening the hosts, South Africa (Bafana Bafana), took on Mexico (El Tricolor) and France (Les Bleus) played Uruguay. I don't like to watch any sporting event on an empty stomach, but what you might consider your average game day fare is a little tough to come by in Bogo. I explained buffalo wings to a friend and the concept of a huge heaping plate of nothing but wings and legs nearly made his head explode. What did you do with all the quadriplegic chickens???
But alas, I was planning ahead last week in Maroua and before returning to Bogo I stopped at Marché Abatoire and picked up some stuff that isn't available in village. And when I say marché I'm not talking about Harris Teeter. Putting together a game day feast here is perhaps more challenging. Wandering the stacks of veggies, colorful spices, butcher tables with piles of fly covered raw flesh, and young kids hawking everything in between I'm able to put together what looks like a decent bag of groceries to cook up something tasty.
Game day has arrived and I begin the day with a small amount of work in a mango orchard. Just enough to defend my intention of watching every single game of the Cup. Everything here shuts down during games anyways so I don't think its unreasonable to just work mornings for the next month :) The work is done early and I then made my way to the Bogo market for a few small items. Afterwards I drop some clothes off with the catholic mission where the cook will wash them provided I buy the soap and pay per article of clothing. I gave up on doing my own laundry here a long time ago. Anytime anyone sees me washing something they make a very disappointed clucking sound and seem to take great pleasure in explaining that I have no idea what I'm doing. Fair enough, you do 'em.
Returning home I begin the prep work for my game day feast. Its a very informal affair. A small number of folks are aware of my intention to prepare food, sit down and watch the South Africa-Mexico game, cook dinner, and then watch the France-Uruguay game while eating it. I've told them to come over for the games and a meal is on offer as well if they'd like. Come watch my TV and eat my food; the Coupe du Monde puts me in a strange frame of mind, I admit.
Peel and dice the mangoes. Juice the limes. Cut the green peppers and green beans. Wash, peel and cut the potatoes. Slice the onions, step outside to cry a bit, and repeat both steps a few times. Cut hot peppers without touching them as they are nuclear. Wash skins off the peanuts. Peel and chop the garlic. Peel and chop the ginger. Dice the basil and mint. Mix up a concoction of dried spices. And with that the prep work for my spicy mango salad and yellow curry is complete! If I told you which ingredients went where and when I'd have to kill you.
South Africa vs. Mexico- The game starts and Mexico looks to be the better team. Its 0-0 at halftime but Mexico had a goal disallowed by the referee. The linesman called offsides but it was not even close to being offsides. Its such a bad call that it begs the question of whether the refs are deliberately favoring the hosts. In the second half South Africa needs no such help and opens the scoring with what is the first, and when all is said and done, could be one of the best goals of the tournament. The team's goal celebration wasn't bad either. Canal Sport shows us the replay about 50 times at countless angles and speeds, and I can't see it enough. To make it even better it was scored by some guy named Tshabalala. Not only has he scored what could be one of the best goals we see throughout the Cup, but he is also a candidate for having the best name. Mexico looks to be in trouble, but then about 20 minutes later they score a nice goal off of a freekick to tie it up. The match ends 1-1 after lots of end to end entertainment. Keep an eye on South Africa in their next few matches. They are by no means a great team but they put together some really nice football and play without fear.
The mango salad is mixed and keeping cool in the fridge. The curry is assembled and simmering on the stove. All that's left to do is to crack open a cold Beaufort and prepare for the France-Uruguay match, fully hoping to see France crash and burn in their first game of a World Cup that they don't deserve to be in. In their last qualifying match the ref royally screwed Ireland out of an upset win over Les Bleus.
France vs. Uruguay (and dinner)- Sadly this game was nowhere near as entertaining as the first. I blame France. Uruguay actually looked like they wanted to score throughout the game. The french were just going through the motions and playing some really boring football. Uruguay had a player ejected in the second half, and they played the rest of the game stuck in their own half. Nevertheless they looked good and got a 0-0 result against France. In all truth they were unlucky not to pull off an uspet. The salad and curry are pretty damn good. Shame that I couldn't say the same for the evening game.
Interesting things to watch during the tournament:
-Can the Bafana Bafana (South Africa) make it out of their difficult preliminary group?If not they'd be the first hosts in history to fail to do so. The 1-1 tie with Mexico is a decent start.
-What uniform will Cameroon show up in? They've had some pretty crazy ones in recent past, most notably the sleeveless muscle shirts they wore a few years back, no doubt scaring the crap out of the opposition.
-Who will Bob Bradley choose as his starters? In his three or four years as USA coach I don't think he's ever picked the same starting eleven.
-Can an African team(s) break through to the end of the tournament? No African team has ever gotten past the quarter-finals. Cameroon did it in 1990 and Senegal did so in 2002. The Cup is on African soil this year so I think it can be done. Will it be 'Les Elephants' of the Ivory Coast, the Ghana 'Black Stars,' or maybe the 'Super Eagles' of Nigeria? Who knows, maybe even 'Les Lions Indomptables' of Cameroon could do it. They've all got a shot, and we here in Cameroon will be supporting Les Lions first and foremost. Yet I've enjoyed seeing Cameroonians express support not only for their nation but for all the African nations, as if there is a higher goal for the continent at large.
Nearly sixteen years ago my father took one of my sisters and I to a World Cup match at the Pontiac Sivlerdome in Detroit, MI. We were on vacation visiting family in Ohio and we made the jaunt to the motor city to catch a group match of the 1994 USA World Cup. For a ten year old American who had played soccer since the age of 5 the idea of seeing a match that didn't promise orange slices at halftime was foreign. Seeing a stadium packed with sixty thousand fans who weren't parents or kin was also a bit mind blowing. The 1994 World Cup held in the US may have been a bit premature for the American public at large, but I had already been playing this sport for a few years despite the heckling from kids at school who were convinced that soccer was for queers. I always found it strange that the most popular and one of the more physically demanding sports in the world was considered queer in my neck of the woods. Kicking a ball with one's feet across a field the size of Rhode Island? Apparently homoerotic. Men's wrestling? Inexplicably revered.
The first few years that I played this foreign game made for immigrants and communists (another popular slander) I was more interested in the bugs that I could find in the soil of the field than I was in the game going on around me. My old man coached the “Clifton Forge Force” youth soccer team. At about 5 or 6 years old I was put on the under 8's, the youngest age group at that point. I don't remember much about these games but I do remember vividly that when I was 5 years old, 7 and 8 year olds looked like they were on steroids. I doubt they were juicing, but picture yourself as a young boy on a field of play with an also young but much larger boy bearing down on you wearing cleats.
In my first soccer experiences, I can only imagine that I as a 5 year old reasoned that taking them on in athletic pursuits could only end poorly. In the interest of self preservation I took no interest in the game around me and instead focused on the bugs I could find in the grass. The first year or so of my soccer career consisted of my father or another coach looking over me speaking in a very Charlie Brown-esque “wah-wah-wah” tone in which I can only imagine that they were not explaining the local flora and fauna of the field.
Back to the Pontiac Silverdome in 1994: a stadium packed to the rafters on this day with rowdy Swedes and Russians. Not exactly the marquee game of the tournament but for these two countries national pride is on the line. I can imagine that no self respecting Swede would want to carry the burden of losing to a bunch of commies, and I doubt Mother Russia has any intention of losing to a band of lousy Scandinavians. We take our seats on the middle deck. Down below the Swedish fans, decked out in blue and yellow, are doing their best to make the entire stadium collapse.
I remember very little of the game itself. That's not to say that it wasn't entertaining, but the excitement and tension in the stadium is like nothing I had ever witnessed. With the game under way it was obvious that Sweden was the better team and Russia looked to just be delaying the inevitable breakdown as long as possible. The lower level of the stadium on the opposite side of the field was a rowdy sea of blue and yellow flags held up by people dressed and painted in the same colors. They were probably visible from space, and in case they were not conspicuous enough they filled the place with unbelievably loud and well synchronized chants.
Deep into the match and Sweden has owned every bit of the game. Its 2-0 in Swedens's favor and in the late minutes their star striker of that tournament, Martin Dahlen, puts one home to make it 3-0. Game, set, match. Unfortunately the Russian guy in front of us has had enough. He stands up and takes out his frustrations by pouring his entire beer on the head of a Swedish woman in front of him who had the audacity to stand up and clap when Sweden scored their third and final goal. I thought we were in the calm section of the stadium but this Russian guy just took things to another level. Unfortunately for him this was a sporting event that was taking place in the U.S.
We Americans love us some sports. I've been to some very contentious games in various sports and at various talent levels and despite the tensions between opposing fans I've rarely seen anyone get truly out of hand. The only exception would be a minor league hockey game in Roanoke, VA, I went to with my U-14 soccer team as a reward for our stellar season. A teammate and friend of mine punched an older girl behind us. Let's be honest; at minor league hockey they basically drop the puck and immediately afterwards drop their gloves so I would argue that its not a place to take young boys full of teenage angst and rage. In his defense she was being a massive “B” at the time.
So when Boris Badinov chose to dump his beer all over the Swedish lady in front of him, it took about .5 seconds for Detroit's finest to descend upon him and whisk him away to what I can only imagine was a very animated discussion of the fact that he had just assaulted someone on foreign soil. Russia got their ass handed to them in that game so I can only infer that the Russian embassy was flush with calls that evening about their citizens being detained in the Detroit metro area as a result of misdirected fits of rage.
A crisis of loyalties
As I write this 32 countries who have qualified have arrived in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. Supporting the United States is a no brain-er. And this year you could honestly say that we have a team capable of making a deep run in the tournament. Our first three games are against England (today!), Algeria and Slovenia. No disrespect to Algeria or Slovenia, but we should qualify from our group and be in the mix later on in the tournament. A victory over the Brits in our first game would be especially sweet. We play England this evening and I have traveled to Maroua where there is a bar with a projection screen outside. I am clad in a button down shirt and pants made out of Barack Obama fabric courtesy of my mother, and my friend from village is decked out in the same ensemble. I'm pretty certain that we look absolutely ridiculous, but I've seen more bizarre outfits and costumes worn by sports fans. Its possible that there will be a large American flag on hand as well, so I expect that we'll be a spectacle out of the ordinary from the normal bar patrons on match days. I ask any self respecting American reading this right now to watch the U.S.A vs. England match later on regardless of your interest in soccer. It's on a Saturday so you have absolutely no excuse. Home Depot and Bed, Bath and Beyond are probably open on Sunday, so sit your behind in front of the nearest TV around 10 or 11AM EST.
Over the past week I've been lobbying Cameroonians hard to get behind the United States for our game against England. It's not difficult. Most Cameroonians watched the Confederations Cup last summer when we beat Spain (#2 in the world) 2-0, and came close to beating Brazil (#1) in the final. After seeing a team like the United States, talented but by no means in the elite, take on and beat some of the best we've won many admirers in this country. Athletic, organized and capable of an upset, I dare say that the U.S. could go far this year.
Les Lions Indomptables
I enjoy watching African teams at the World Cup as well. They play fast and physical in a way that can be overwhelming for opponents. It's an interesting mix of innate attacking skill, tenacity in midfield, and total defensive chaos that defies comprehension. Yet win or lose, a match involving an African side usually promises entertainment. Being here in Cameroon I feel I now have a vested interest in an African team's success at the tournament that I've never felt towards any team other than the USA.
How is Cameroon going to fare? They are in a tough group with the Netherlands, Denmark and Japan and qualification to the next round is no guarantee. Netherlands is by far the best team of the group. Cameroon on its best day could get second place and just maybe contest Netherlands for first place. On their average day, which has been all too common recently, they would most likely get embarrased by all three teams. Unfortunately Cameroon has been frustratingly inconsistent as of late. They had an unusual amount of trouble qualifying for the tournament playing lesser teams such as Togo, Morocco, and neighbors Gabon. I have great hopes for them, but I always wonder when watching them when the meltdown is going to occur.
Yet Cameroon is arguably the most illustrious team in Africa. They were the first nation in Africa to get to the quarter-finals of the World Cup (in 1990) which is no small feat. They've won the African Cup of Nations numerous times, and claimed Olympic Gold at the 2000 games in Sydney. One of the more memorable moments of all World Cups has to be from their amazing quarter final run in 1990. Roger Milla was Cameroon's hero as they beat a number of more illustrious teams, including defending champs Argentina. He scored numerous goals and after each one he would sprint to the nearest corner flag and dance around it in celebration.
Unfortunately, the other recent World cups in '94, '98 and '06 (they didn't qualify in 2002) have been extremely disappointing for Cameroon. Each time they've been unceremoniously knocked out in the group stages and left their countrymen wanting more. If they qualify from their group this year I'd say that would be enough to keep people in this country from rioting and setting things on fire. Anything less than making it to the 2nd round would be a disappointment. However it all comes down to Samuel Eto'o, the most well known Cameroonian player. I want to say he is the hero of Cameroon but in truth, lesser players (Roger Milla) have done more for Cameroon in the past than this uber-talented individual. Spending most of his professional football career at FC Barcelona and just this past season at Internazionale Milan, he's won the Champion's League 3 times. Eto'o is among the greatest to ever play the game by winning this competition 3 times while playing a crucial role with every team he's ever won it with. In short he has been absolutely unstoppable for any professional team he has ever represented. The only problem is that Samuel Eto'o is inexplicably quiet when he plays for Cameroon. The entire Cameroonian nation, through all the day to day hardship and nonsense they endure, place many of their emotions into the successes and failures of their team. For their sake I hope “Les Lions Indomptables” step up to the plate this time around and give them something to cheer about. Either way the country will probably take to the streets. I'd just prefer they take to the streets waving the national flag and not pitchforks and torches.
Samuel Eto'o is by no means the only big name player on Cameroon's national squad. There are players who play at some of the best professional clubs in Europe: England, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and throughout countless other countries across the globe. Cameroonians are scattered about the professional ranks of these nations and are often at the most talented clubs and playing integral roles. The only question is if they can come together as a nation and put their individual successes and professional athlete persona's aside and make an effort to cause some upsets. “On est ensemble” (We are together) is a popular phrase in this country. Here's to hoping they personify it in on the field in South Africa.
And then there were 3
If splitting my loyalties amongst two teams wasn't hard enough, this World Cup has presented me with a third nation that merits my support. By some miracle New Zealand has qualified for the tournament this year. New Zealand booked their ticket to South Africa by beating juggernauts such as Fiji, Samoa and Bahrain. If you play the numbers and look at who New Zealand has to play in the World Cup you'll know they are up a creek without a paddle.
The kiwis find themselves with matches against Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia. Italy are the defending World Cup champions and have won the tournament five or six times. Paraguay, to qualify for the World Cup, had to play against the likes of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, etc. They are no pushovers. I really have no idea about Slovakia, but if they qualified from the European continent that tells me that they are a tough team. If New Zealand even scores a goal in their first three matches I'll be pleased. I mean no disrespect. Besides I imagine they are more concerned with the Rugby World Cup taking place on their home soil next year.
One thing I must state before we move on is to explain why NZ is actually in the World Cup in the first place. A few years ago, Australia's soccer team (the “Socceroo's,”...hows that for a lame moniker?) moved from the Oceania region to the Asia region. The reason for this was that Australia has a fairly strong football team and Oceania never receives an automatic bid to the World Cup (e.g.- New Zealand had to beat Bahrain, the 4th placed team in Asia, in a playoff before qualifying for the World Cup). I'm not crediting Australia for NZ's fortune. Those convicts can have Asia. They were just too afraid of Bahrain to stay in the Oceania region. That's right I said it. Australia is afraid of Bahrain. They thought “Crikey!, We can't beat those Bahrainis. Let the Kiwis play 'em.”
The best and worst WC moments from Cameroon:
1)1990- defeating World Cup champs Argentina
2)1990- Roger Milla's trademark cornerflag dance goal celebrations (click here to watch)
3)1990- Taking England to the wire in the quarterfinals but falling just short
4)1994- Losing to Russia 6-1.
5)1998- Pierre Njanka's ridiculous goal against Austria (click here to watch)
The best and worst WC moments from USA:
1)1994- beating Colombia 3-2 to advance to the final stages
2)1998- losing 2-1 to Iran. It was not pretty to watch
3)2002- taking down Portugal 3-2 in their first match of the tournament
4)2002- beating arch-rival Mexico 2-0 to advance to quarter-finals
5)2002- getting beat by Germany 1-0 in the quarters after a terrible penalty decision. The ref obviously hated freedom.
Opening Day:
The World Cup actually began yesterday. In the evening the hosts, South Africa (Bafana Bafana), took on Mexico (El Tricolor) and France (Les Bleus) played Uruguay. I don't like to watch any sporting event on an empty stomach, but what you might consider your average game day fare is a little tough to come by in Bogo. I explained buffalo wings to a friend and the concept of a huge heaping plate of nothing but wings and legs nearly made his head explode. What did you do with all the quadriplegic chickens???
But alas, I was planning ahead last week in Maroua and before returning to Bogo I stopped at Marché Abatoire and picked up some stuff that isn't available in village. And when I say marché I'm not talking about Harris Teeter. Putting together a game day feast here is perhaps more challenging. Wandering the stacks of veggies, colorful spices, butcher tables with piles of fly covered raw flesh, and young kids hawking everything in between I'm able to put together what looks like a decent bag of groceries to cook up something tasty.
Game day has arrived and I begin the day with a small amount of work in a mango orchard. Just enough to defend my intention of watching every single game of the Cup. Everything here shuts down during games anyways so I don't think its unreasonable to just work mornings for the next month :) The work is done early and I then made my way to the Bogo market for a few small items. Afterwards I drop some clothes off with the catholic mission where the cook will wash them provided I buy the soap and pay per article of clothing. I gave up on doing my own laundry here a long time ago. Anytime anyone sees me washing something they make a very disappointed clucking sound and seem to take great pleasure in explaining that I have no idea what I'm doing. Fair enough, you do 'em.
Returning home I begin the prep work for my game day feast. Its a very informal affair. A small number of folks are aware of my intention to prepare food, sit down and watch the South Africa-Mexico game, cook dinner, and then watch the France-Uruguay game while eating it. I've told them to come over for the games and a meal is on offer as well if they'd like. Come watch my TV and eat my food; the Coupe du Monde puts me in a strange frame of mind, I admit.
Peel and dice the mangoes. Juice the limes. Cut the green peppers and green beans. Wash, peel and cut the potatoes. Slice the onions, step outside to cry a bit, and repeat both steps a few times. Cut hot peppers without touching them as they are nuclear. Wash skins off the peanuts. Peel and chop the garlic. Peel and chop the ginger. Dice the basil and mint. Mix up a concoction of dried spices. And with that the prep work for my spicy mango salad and yellow curry is complete! If I told you which ingredients went where and when I'd have to kill you.
South Africa vs. Mexico- The game starts and Mexico looks to be the better team. Its 0-0 at halftime but Mexico had a goal disallowed by the referee. The linesman called offsides but it was not even close to being offsides. Its such a bad call that it begs the question of whether the refs are deliberately favoring the hosts. In the second half South Africa needs no such help and opens the scoring with what is the first, and when all is said and done, could be one of the best goals of the tournament. The team's goal celebration wasn't bad either. Canal Sport shows us the replay about 50 times at countless angles and speeds, and I can't see it enough. To make it even better it was scored by some guy named Tshabalala. Not only has he scored what could be one of the best goals we see throughout the Cup, but he is also a candidate for having the best name. Mexico looks to be in trouble, but then about 20 minutes later they score a nice goal off of a freekick to tie it up. The match ends 1-1 after lots of end to end entertainment. Keep an eye on South Africa in their next few matches. They are by no means a great team but they put together some really nice football and play without fear.
The mango salad is mixed and keeping cool in the fridge. The curry is assembled and simmering on the stove. All that's left to do is to crack open a cold Beaufort and prepare for the France-Uruguay match, fully hoping to see France crash and burn in their first game of a World Cup that they don't deserve to be in. In their last qualifying match the ref royally screwed Ireland out of an upset win over Les Bleus.
France vs. Uruguay (and dinner)- Sadly this game was nowhere near as entertaining as the first. I blame France. Uruguay actually looked like they wanted to score throughout the game. The french were just going through the motions and playing some really boring football. Uruguay had a player ejected in the second half, and they played the rest of the game stuck in their own half. Nevertheless they looked good and got a 0-0 result against France. In all truth they were unlucky not to pull off an uspet. The salad and curry are pretty damn good. Shame that I couldn't say the same for the evening game.
Interesting things to watch during the tournament:
-Can the Bafana Bafana (South Africa) make it out of their difficult preliminary group?If not they'd be the first hosts in history to fail to do so. The 1-1 tie with Mexico is a decent start.
-What uniform will Cameroon show up in? They've had some pretty crazy ones in recent past, most notably the sleeveless muscle shirts they wore a few years back, no doubt scaring the crap out of the opposition.
-Who will Bob Bradley choose as his starters? In his three or four years as USA coach I don't think he's ever picked the same starting eleven.
-Can an African team(s) break through to the end of the tournament? No African team has ever gotten past the quarter-finals. Cameroon did it in 1990 and Senegal did so in 2002. The Cup is on African soil this year so I think it can be done. Will it be 'Les Elephants' of the Ivory Coast, the Ghana 'Black Stars,' or maybe the 'Super Eagles' of Nigeria? Who knows, maybe even 'Les Lions Indomptables' of Cameroon could do it. They've all got a shot, and we here in Cameroon will be supporting Les Lions first and foremost. Yet I've enjoyed seeing Cameroonians express support not only for their nation but for all the African nations, as if there is a higher goal for the continent at large.
6.05.2010
Where the Wild Things Are
When you think of Africa, what most often comes to mind? I think many would first think of the exotic wildlife that can be found on the continent. In fact when first hearing of my plan to go live in Africa many friends back home offered pearls of wisdom such as 'don't get eaten by a lion' or inquired as to whether or not I'd be riding on the backs of elephants or zebras. The truth is that in my extensive travels around Cameroon for the past one year and nine months I have seen little to no wildlife. Domesticated animals aside, lizards, the occasional snake and plenty of mice is about all I've come across.
That's not to say there is no wildlife. I probably couldn't name a single species, but the country is known for its magnificent diversity of birds. Gorillas and various other apes can be found in remote jungle areas of the south. In fact just in the last few years CNN reported on a previously undiscovered population of lowland gorillas on the Cameroon/Gabon border numbering in the tens of thousands. In the north there are numerous wildlife reserves where lions, hyenas, elephants, giraffes, antelope and a host of other creatures roam. I'm barely touching on it but in short the biodiversity within Cameroon's borders is astounding.
In the Extreme North I am not far from Waza National Park which is considered one of the best in the West/Central African region. Bogo is about 60km south of the park so elephants pass our town periodically throughout the year on their endless search for fresh watering holes. However the entrance to the park is on the western side. A three hour voyage through Maroua, north to Mora and yet farther north to the actual town of Waza is required to enter.
My second (and last) dry season here is almost over, and this is by far the best time to see animals in the park as they often congregate around the last few dwindling water holes. I imagine the animals are pretty miserable. Little to no water, terrible heat, and a bunch of sweaty people with cameras being a nuisance. Seeing as it's my last best chance to visit the park two friends and I rented a jeep for the day to go see some of these animals in their most trying time of the year.
Our plan was to leave Maroua at 5AM and get to Waza around 7AM. That might give us just enough time to see lions and maybe even elephants before they retreated from the midday heat into some of the more inaccessible regions of the park. Our driver was on African time so we didn't get out of Maroua until 6:30AM. No lions or elephants, but here's a play by play on what we did cross paths with.
1st Encounter- About 10km south of Waza the road is running parallel to the park. On the right is the park; wide open savanna with the occasional scrub tree. On the left is more typical of Northern Cameroon; fields devoid of any plant life as a result of the recent millet and sorghum harvest. Assorted goats and cows lazily drag their noses across the ground looking for anything nourishing. We slow suddenly and just to our right on the shoulder of the road sit two light brown monkeys, ribs visible, staring at us with a very glazed over look as if to inquire if we've brought them anything. I'm pretty sure feeding the animals is a big no-no at any park. They lose interest before we do and wander back towards the park.
Getting to the park entrance, we sign in and pay our fees. One of my companions is Cameroonian and pays 1500 francs. The third person and I are both Americans with residency in Cameroon and we pay 3000 francs each. There are different categories, with visiting tourists paying the most at 5000 francs per head (about 10 bucks). All paid up and signed in, a park guide gets in the car with us and we head into the park.
2nd Encounter- Not far into the park we spot the first signs of life. Slowing down so as not to spook them we come upon three giraffes around a cluster of acacia trees nibbling the leaves off the thorny branches. As soon as we begin to approach their gaze is fixated on us. They retreat gradually as we come closer. We obviously mean no harm but I feel a bit guilty about running them off from the shade of the trees. There is little to no tree cover here and at 8:30 it is already brutally hot. As soon as we turn off the road towards them they bolt. We continue down the cracked earth and sand track and the giraffes take off in a gallop about 100 meters to our left and parallel to our path. Their long gait gives the illusion that they are painfully slow, but as the driver continues to increase his speed and the giraffes continue to outpace us its apparent that's not the case. The distance they can cover with just one long stride is striking.
3rd Encounter- Just down the road the fleeing giraffes have set off a mini chain reaction. We approach a few patches of brush where a couple of antelope emerge spooked by the commotion and waste no time in getting as far away from us as possible. A few seconds later a gruff looking warthog of generous proportions emerges from the bushes ahead of us. He looks to be more relaxed in his stride and at one point turns towards the side of our vehicle and charges with his head down for a few steps before making his way to an adjacent bit of scrub forest where he joins with another adult warthog and a few youngsters. We try to get as close as possible but our driver and guide are hesitant to anger warthog parents around their offspring. Sure we're in a vehicle and the warthogs are by no means the most physically imposing creatures out here. But they are angry, don't seem to appreciate visitors and brandish razor sharp tusks that can do some damage.
Hard to see, but a warthog family eyes our approach
4th Encounter- We advance a few more kilometers into the park and turn off the main trail and in the distance the guide spots a large group of ostriches. With good reason all the animals in the park want nothing to do with humans. We want a close look at the giant birds up ahead so the driver inches across the clearing as slowly and softly as possible. Yet we are in a bright red Jeep which doesn't exactly help us blend in. Coming up behind them on their left we get within 30 or so meters of them and they decide they've tolerated our presence for long enough. The giraffes gave us a sporting chance when they were escaping our attention. These guys appear even faster and while still large in their own right, they display a lot of agility on the run. They weave their way through the thickening scrub and within 30 seconds are out of sight. Too bad, as I could've gone for an ostrich steak and fries for lunch.
5th Encounter- It's late morning at this point and I'm hypothesizing that Waza is on average considerably hotter than Maroua and even Bogo. Later in the evening we'll return to Maroua and hear from another volunteer that it was 118 degrees in Maroua today. I want to see African wildlife in all its beauty, but I question the sanity of any animal that wanders out in broad daylight on a day like this. Unfortunately for the animals the only remaining water holes are almost all in direct sun with very little shade. So sane or crazy they really have no choice if they want a drink. It may speak more to our insanity that we're out here trying to watch them scratch out an existence in a near dead land. We hit a watering hole; devoid of stereotypical african wildlife but full off the birds that Waza is known for.
6th Encounter- Nearly noon and we have scoured most of the waterholes and shaded areas for any sign of lions. Getting up to the park late gave us little to no chance to find them and at this point in the day they are most likely far out in the bush taking naps and waiting for the sun to go down. We approach one of the largest waterholes still remaining for one last shot. There is plenty of shade here but no lions. Yet in the watering hole and all the surrounding trees is a staggering number of large birds of 5 or 6 different species. In the water they are packed together very closely, standing on their thin stick like legs. There are no crocs in Waza so these birds have nothing to worry about when soaking themselves.
My eyes are beginning to burn from the hot wind coming in through the car window and we've decided an hour or so with a cold drink in hand would do us some good. Exiting the park we have a few dining options available. There's the upscale and touristy Campement de Waza which I've heard has excellent food, but we're not tourists and getting up to and into Waza was expensive enough for volunteers such as ourselves. Instead we go into town and have a seat at a bar where a few mamas are cooking over their stoves in the backyard under the shade of a neem tree. I've had problems with Cameroonian cuisine (as I may have mentioned) but when prepared well and with a minimum amount of sand it's really delicious. I order a large Top Pamplemousse (grapefruit soda) and we each ask for a dish of whatever they've got on the stove. We are in luck today as we each receive a big bowl of white rice and another bowl of beef in peanut sauce. One of the mamas brings me my soda and apologizes that is partially frozen from the refrigerator. This is really no skin off my back, I tell her. The food is delicious (and cheap), but even under the shade and with a grapefruit slurpee in my hand the heat is so much that I can only stomach about half of the dish. I curse my feeble stomach and go back to work nursing my grapefruit slurpee to avoid overheating. After paying the tab we head down the street and buy a few cold bottles of water. This morning we thought we were clever in bringing more than enough water for the three of us. Unfortunately after just a few hours in the park we could brew tea with our old stash of bottled water.
7th Encounter- Back into the park to the few remaining waterholes we've yet to explore. Always in search of the big iconic animals of African safaris it can be easy to miss the more diminutive but equally impressive. One of my companions identifies something not so diminutive but difficult to spot in a far off tree. We approach slowly and get almost to the foot of a large but leafless tree on its own out on the savanna. On one of the middle branches rests what I think I considered one of my favorite sights of the day. All alone sits a gigantic eagle of a light brown color. Judging the distance between us it looks as though he would be waist height to me and is impossibly broad chested. We spend what felt like forever just sizing each other up, hoping all the while that he doesn't fly off. He doesn't seem too concerned by us. The animal is about twenty feet up in the tree and looks as though he eats village children for breakfast. He finally swoops down and makes his way effortlessly across to another tree. Sitting compact on the tree branch he looked imposing. Now displaying his wingspan he looks more like a pterodactyl. I've seen eagles in the United States, but they look like weenies compared to this guy. Field mice and rabbits? Mere appetizers...I think the antelopes around here better keep an eye to the sky.
8th Encounter- By mid May Waza National Park is at the end of a 7-8 month period of no rain. What is soggy/muddy marsh and grassland during the rainy season is now a parched and cracked expanse of earth with some dry patches of grass waving listlessly in the hot wind. Entering the park at this time of year I was wondering how life can, not thrive, but just make ends meet in such an environment. I come to find out that the answer for some of the unluckier or perhaps less adept inhabitants is that they don't. Flying down one of the main tracks back towards an area we wanted to double check, we came upon a large object off to the right of the road. At first sight it was assumed to be a termite mound, but getting closer the guide pointed out that it was an adult giraffe that died two days before. Laying on its side, its belly faced our vehicle and had been opened up by whatever scavenger had happened upon it before we arrived. It was a full grown giraffe and there was still plenty of it left for the vultures, hyenas and jackals. The guide explained that it had died of thirst just two days ago. It seemed unfortunate, at least for the giraffe, as not two kilometers away we had just stopped at a watering hole plush with acacia trees. Yet the way the giraffe was laying indicated that he was moving away from the watering hole when he finally gave up and hit the ground.
9th Encounter- We're back on a main track and I'm in a sweaty coma from the rice, beef and peanut sauce lunch, contemplating the hard luck of that directionally challenged giraffe. I'm jolted back to reality as the driver careens off the path towards two trees and the guide yells, “Laaru! Pobbi don haa to! Regardez ça! Il y a les hyènes là-bas!” Sure enough, two hyenas were tucked away under a shrub. At first sight one of them bolts for a second tree nearby surrounded by tall grass. The other stays where he is but stands up and circles the tree a few times trying to figure out what to make of this strange metal creature that's no more than 15 feet away. They are absolutely hideous looking with their dark fur, jet black eyes and bright red mouths filled with some impressively sharp teeth. When standing their sloping backs give them a bizarre posture. Their hind quarters look very small in proportion to the rest of their body but I don't think its so much that this part of their body is undersized but rather their head, shoulders and chest are massive. They are in full relaxation mode despite our arrival. The giraffe carcass is not far and I would imagine they have been eating very well the last day or so.
Hyena taking refuge from the heat
10th Encounter- Last stop of the day and we decide to hit the largest watering hole still remaining in the park in the hopes that the lions have started their evening activities early. No such luck. We come to the top of a hill, the only one I've seen all day, and as we come down the other side we set hundreds of antelopes into a panic towards the trees or the other side of the water. I'm sure if we hang around this herd for the evening we'll run into lion's soon enough. Unfortunately I don't believe normal visitors are allowed in the park after dark. I had wanted to stay atleast until dusk but after an entire day in this forbidding place I am ready to get back. Large wild animals aside, the road from Maroua to Waza is bandit territory at night if you are North of the town of Mora. Being relieved of my possessions would be a real downer, as meager as they may be, but we as Peace Corps volunteers are prohibited from traveling at night for good reason. The standard of driving is bad enough during the day. Add darkness to the equation and there is no reason, short of a life threatening situation, to be out on the roads at night.
So that was Waza for me. Amazing? Not quite amazing but I'll say it was definitely worthwhile. Wildlife excursions are hit or miss. I honestly don't blame the animals that stayed tucked away in the cooler confines of the more hard to reach areas of the park. I drank nearly six liters of water that day, plus another liter of ORS (Oral rehydration salts) upon returning to Maroua and my eyes were sore from the hot wind for two days after. I will say that everything we saw was inspiring. The massive eagle in the tree, the galloping giraffes, the thoroughly pissed off warthogs, the lightning quick ostriches, the frantic antelopes, and even the hideous but well fed hyenas. And to make it even better, we got back into Maroua just as the sun was setting, so there was no 11th Encounter with Kalashnikov-wielding Chadian bandits.
A Reverse Safari
If you ever come to Africa (and you should!), by all means visit a wildlife park or reserve. Virtually every country on the continent has some type(s) of exotic wildlife within its borders. Tourist dollars are obviously important to local communities, and can help better protect the many endangered species under threat from poaching and habitat loss.
But at the same time its a shame that so many people that visit Africa only go to these places, and do so in a manner that's completely out of tune with the continent. They fly into the country, stay at only the finest hotels, eat at the best restaurants, pay ridiculous prices for everything, get herded around the country in privately hired vehicles, and see the country from a car window. I stick out like a sore thumb everywhere, but you can spot these folks from a mile away. Reddened skin, sweating even more than me, and usually wearing something ridiculous that looks like it was stolen from Dr. Livingstone's wardrobe. Their contact with African people is limited to the help.
I remember last year I was biking out by the main road from Maroua where the pavement forks. One way leads into Bogo and the other way goes another 50km to Lake Maga. Maga, between November and April, is a popular spot for exactly this type of tourist. This man-made reservoir is a great place to spot hippos, and there is a hotel full with a bar/restaurant/pool that caters to large groups of westerners with far too much money. How do I know this? I've visited said hotel before and I think they marked me out as a grubby Peace Corps volunteer immediately. I bathed with soap that very morning and my clothes were at least respectable enough for a 2-3 star joint, but nonetheless I was treated like crap. The food and drink was astronomically expensive for an auberge out in the bush so I went out to the dusty streets of Maga for grilled meat and a cold beer for a fraction of the price. I'm not saying I'm too hardcore or too well integrated to spend my time in a tourist hotel. I just wanted to swim in the pool. What I am saying is that the smallest exchanges with people and the random things going on while I was eating freshly slaughtered cow washed down with a cold 33 Export were far more interesting than anything on a scheduled tour.
I digress. I was mentioning that a year or so ago I was out on my bike by the main road. I was returning to Bogo from a nearby village in the late afternoon and someone I knew was in a nearby field. There were no crops in the field, he had a confused “now how did I get here?” look on his face and I couldn't find any evidence that he was doing any work there. Nevertheless there he was in the field, and he began smiling and waving. I stopped my bike, he came closer to the road and we exchanged pleasantries. Cameroonians have a gift for the obvious. Asked what he was doing he said “I am in the field.” Yes, yes you are most definitely in the field, I thought. Nothing more to add. He was just in the field, and I was satisfied with this explanation. At this point I was not far into my service but all around Bogo I would run into friends and acquaintances in odd places out in the middle of nowhere where they really had no logical reason for being. Inquiring as to what people were doing (not where they were) I usually got answers such as “I am under the tree,” “I am in the room,” or my favorite a very demonstrative “I am supporting,” which I take to mean that he was “hangin' in there!”
So I am on the side of the road speaking to my friend who has graced this field with his presence today for no apparent reason. As we are talking a large bus approaches. Its going fairly slow and doesn't have anything attached to the roof so I'm thinking something is wrong with it. Funny how if I see a bus here that isn't loaded down with cargo and moving at light speed I assume that something is surely amiss. Passing us by slowly I see that this is not your average bush taxi. Its full of nasarras (white people), presumably French or German. I'm surprised to see them out here and my buddy nearly goes into shock from nasarra-overload. Its only after they have almost passed us by that I see from their confused look that they are equally shocked. I think I saw someone actually pull out a camera. They are now back home showing their loved ones this dirty white guy they happened upon out in the middle of the Sahel. It felt like a reverse safari trip for me. Should I approach the window and beg for a sack lunch? Should I run off into the field in terror to confuse them even more? I took the middle ground and waved to them. I received a few halfhearted waves back, but mostly just blank stares. I can only assume that they then yelled “don't stop!” to the driver.
One thing I find funny is that many of my Cameroonian acquaintances think that I know all white people. For example, I've given up trying to change their minds and have explained to a number of people here that, yes, I am indeed on a first name basis with Jack Bauer from the '24' TV show. After the bus filled with tourists passed us by my buddy inevitably asked “Who were they? Your friends?” If my friends passed me by on a dusty African highway I would hope they could at least stop to say hello and maybe inquire as to what I'm doing out here. I am at the side of the road! My friend is in the field!
So if I haven't made it clear by now, Africa is available to you and waiting for you to visit. Preferably while I'm still here to show you around! If you do take your chances of course you should pay attention to the safety information available, but don't let all the disheartening stories on the news keep you from seeing strangely beautiful places full of welcoming people. Stories about millions of Africans going about their daily lives with no problems whatsoever just doesn't make the news. Traveling here on a small budget or in an adventurous fashion is admittedly not for the novice, and I would never hold it against you if you chose instead to see Africa from posh hotels and the windows of air-conditioned cars. Just see it anyway you can. And if you see me out on the road while you're on safari feel free to toss me a sack lunch from the window.
An Afterthought
So it turns out that I didn't need to go to Waza National Park to see hyenas. Just the other day almost a week after our trip to Waza I was speaking with a friend in Bogo about what we had seen. I rattled off all the wildlife we had caught a glimpse of and then, perhaps because it was the most exciting moment of our trip, I mentioned that we had seen hyenas. He wasn't impressed in the least. Here I was feeling very proud of my hyena sighting, and he was having none of it. I almost felt insulted. In hindsight I have no idea why I felt so proud about my encounter with hyenas. We were in a wildlife park where one would tend to run into wildlife. It wasn't like I was stalking the beasts through tall grass carrying a spear.
I kept restating the fact that we had seen “hyenas!,” but he remained unmoved. This is because, as he nonchalantly told me, very late at night or early in the morning in Bogo hyenas come out of the bush and into the central market in town to look for any meat scraps lying around the butcher tables or food areas. He moved on to another topic as though large carnivores wandering our streets at night was a minor annoyance like something akin to, say, racoons in the trash bins or squirrels in the attic.
This bothered me in a number of ways. Firstly I had just paid money to roast my ass off all day looking for animals. Now I'm learning that a large predator of the African savanna strolls my town's market looking for midnight snacks. The hyenas were obviously the highlight of my day in Waza and now my friend has put it in no uncertain terms that I wasted a lot of money. Even with this new information at hand I would say Waza was still worth the visit. What bothers me a whole lot more is that I moved to Bogo in December of 2008. This conversation took place not long ago, in May 2010. If you are not picking up on my point yet, it took about one year and six months for someone to get around to telling me that hyenas frequent the marketplace at night!
I am usually in my home and most likely sleeping by 10PM at the latest. Depending on my work schedule I often find myself hitting the pillow not long after the sunset at around 7PM. Yet there have been a number of times when I've been on the Bogo streets later than usual. Walking back from the bar (through the market!) after a few drinks with friends on a Friday or Saturday night, returning from a dinner at a friend's home (also through the market!), or even being out and about for the occasional late night concert/soiree. I guess I can say no harm no foul on this one, but I know that if I lived in a town with this most unpleasant of nocturnal visitors I would let the out-of-towners know that they might want to keep their distance from the areas where hyenas may or may not be looking for a meal! Its not as if they were overwhelmed with other things to tell me about Bogo. “Hi Dan, welcome to Bogo. Here's the post office, here's the stadium, this is the bus station, this is the bar, and here's the central market. Oh and by the way, the hyenas come at night so don't come through here late or do so carrying a machete.” That's all I would have needed.
As a result of this unsettling discovery I've been casually slipping the topic of hyenas into the conversation at inappropriate times. Someone will ask me how my work is going or how I'm dealing with the heat, and I'll say something subtle like “Did you know that hyenas have some of the strongest jaws in the animal kingdom?” or “You know, when being chased by a pack of hyenas you should climb a tree, as they are not known for their tree climbing abilities.” Anything just short of getting upset because no one told me what I would consider to be very important safety information when living in Bogo.
Oh well, water under the bridge. I was never really too upset about it. Maybe just caught off guard. In fact I'm thinking it would be pretty sweet to spend the night in a tree at the market and catch a glimpse of them. Although I just recently watched the Lion King for the first time in I don't know how many years, so I'll be let down if the hyenas in the Bogo market don't sound like Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin. Don't laugh, I downloaded movies from another volunteer and it just happened to be amongst the collection. To preserve my masculinity I'll say I was really just downloading the Bourne Trilogy and Generation Kill. But when the Hakuna Matata song came on I somehow instinctively knew all the words.
And Finally:
Seeing as how teaching Americans about the place where I live is a part of the job description of a PCV, today I'm providing you with a wildlife language lesson in fulfulde! My fulfulde is nothing short of awful, but I've gotten to the point where I can go about my day in village speaking almost nothing but the native tongue. I'd say that currently I speak it on the level of a six year old. I know you are all very excited to learn about a language that you will never have any use for, but I realized during the Waza trip that while I knew most useful phrases and expressions, my favorite being the verb meaning nothing other than “to milk a cow,” I knew no names of animals besides chicken, cow, dog, goat and sheep. With a little help from native speakers and my french-fulfulde dictionary here are the fulfulde names for some of the wildlife in my neck of the woods (although most don't roam the marketplace). Note that here fulfulde is translated into french so some sounds are a bit different. You will be quizzed on this material next month.
Rough fulfulde pronunciation
a and aa- “aah”
é and ee- “ay”
i and ii- “ee”
c- “ch”
ɗ- not quite certain...imagine saying “d” but cutting it off halfway through
ŋ- long n
English- Fulfulde(singular/plural)
Animal- ndabbaawa/dabbaaji
Big Antelope- kooba/koobi
Little Antelope- hamfurdé/kampuré
Bird- sondu/colli
Eagle- dutal/duté
Fish- liiŋgu/liɗɗi
Giraffe- tireewa/tireeji
Hyena- fowru/pobbi
Leopard- cirgu/cirɗi
Lion- mbarooga/barooɗé
Lizard- pallaandi/pallanɗepallaaɗé
Monkey- waandu/baaɗi
Mouse- domburu/dombi
Plant- fuɗŋgo/fuɗŋgooji
Scorpion- yaaré/jahé
Snake- mboodi/boɗɗé
Tree- lekki/leɗɗé
Warthog- gaduuru/gaduuji
Wild animal- takkeré/takké
That's not to say there is no wildlife. I probably couldn't name a single species, but the country is known for its magnificent diversity of birds. Gorillas and various other apes can be found in remote jungle areas of the south. In fact just in the last few years CNN reported on a previously undiscovered population of lowland gorillas on the Cameroon/Gabon border numbering in the tens of thousands. In the north there are numerous wildlife reserves where lions, hyenas, elephants, giraffes, antelope and a host of other creatures roam. I'm barely touching on it but in short the biodiversity within Cameroon's borders is astounding.
In the Extreme North I am not far from Waza National Park which is considered one of the best in the West/Central African region. Bogo is about 60km south of the park so elephants pass our town periodically throughout the year on their endless search for fresh watering holes. However the entrance to the park is on the western side. A three hour voyage through Maroua, north to Mora and yet farther north to the actual town of Waza is required to enter.
My second (and last) dry season here is almost over, and this is by far the best time to see animals in the park as they often congregate around the last few dwindling water holes. I imagine the animals are pretty miserable. Little to no water, terrible heat, and a bunch of sweaty people with cameras being a nuisance. Seeing as it's my last best chance to visit the park two friends and I rented a jeep for the day to go see some of these animals in their most trying time of the year.
Our plan was to leave Maroua at 5AM and get to Waza around 7AM. That might give us just enough time to see lions and maybe even elephants before they retreated from the midday heat into some of the more inaccessible regions of the park. Our driver was on African time so we didn't get out of Maroua until 6:30AM. No lions or elephants, but here's a play by play on what we did cross paths with.
1st Encounter- About 10km south of Waza the road is running parallel to the park. On the right is the park; wide open savanna with the occasional scrub tree. On the left is more typical of Northern Cameroon; fields devoid of any plant life as a result of the recent millet and sorghum harvest. Assorted goats and cows lazily drag their noses across the ground looking for anything nourishing. We slow suddenly and just to our right on the shoulder of the road sit two light brown monkeys, ribs visible, staring at us with a very glazed over look as if to inquire if we've brought them anything. I'm pretty sure feeding the animals is a big no-no at any park. They lose interest before we do and wander back towards the park.
Getting to the park entrance, we sign in and pay our fees. One of my companions is Cameroonian and pays 1500 francs. The third person and I are both Americans with residency in Cameroon and we pay 3000 francs each. There are different categories, with visiting tourists paying the most at 5000 francs per head (about 10 bucks). All paid up and signed in, a park guide gets in the car with us and we head into the park.
2nd Encounter- Not far into the park we spot the first signs of life. Slowing down so as not to spook them we come upon three giraffes around a cluster of acacia trees nibbling the leaves off the thorny branches. As soon as we begin to approach their gaze is fixated on us. They retreat gradually as we come closer. We obviously mean no harm but I feel a bit guilty about running them off from the shade of the trees. There is little to no tree cover here and at 8:30 it is already brutally hot. As soon as we turn off the road towards them they bolt. We continue down the cracked earth and sand track and the giraffes take off in a gallop about 100 meters to our left and parallel to our path. Their long gait gives the illusion that they are painfully slow, but as the driver continues to increase his speed and the giraffes continue to outpace us its apparent that's not the case. The distance they can cover with just one long stride is striking.
3rd Encounter- Just down the road the fleeing giraffes have set off a mini chain reaction. We approach a few patches of brush where a couple of antelope emerge spooked by the commotion and waste no time in getting as far away from us as possible. A few seconds later a gruff looking warthog of generous proportions emerges from the bushes ahead of us. He looks to be more relaxed in his stride and at one point turns towards the side of our vehicle and charges with his head down for a few steps before making his way to an adjacent bit of scrub forest where he joins with another adult warthog and a few youngsters. We try to get as close as possible but our driver and guide are hesitant to anger warthog parents around their offspring. Sure we're in a vehicle and the warthogs are by no means the most physically imposing creatures out here. But they are angry, don't seem to appreciate visitors and brandish razor sharp tusks that can do some damage.
Hard to see, but a warthog family eyes our approach
4th Encounter- We advance a few more kilometers into the park and turn off the main trail and in the distance the guide spots a large group of ostriches. With good reason all the animals in the park want nothing to do with humans. We want a close look at the giant birds up ahead so the driver inches across the clearing as slowly and softly as possible. Yet we are in a bright red Jeep which doesn't exactly help us blend in. Coming up behind them on their left we get within 30 or so meters of them and they decide they've tolerated our presence for long enough. The giraffes gave us a sporting chance when they were escaping our attention. These guys appear even faster and while still large in their own right, they display a lot of agility on the run. They weave their way through the thickening scrub and within 30 seconds are out of sight. Too bad, as I could've gone for an ostrich steak and fries for lunch.
5th Encounter- It's late morning at this point and I'm hypothesizing that Waza is on average considerably hotter than Maroua and even Bogo. Later in the evening we'll return to Maroua and hear from another volunteer that it was 118 degrees in Maroua today. I want to see African wildlife in all its beauty, but I question the sanity of any animal that wanders out in broad daylight on a day like this. Unfortunately for the animals the only remaining water holes are almost all in direct sun with very little shade. So sane or crazy they really have no choice if they want a drink. It may speak more to our insanity that we're out here trying to watch them scratch out an existence in a near dead land. We hit a watering hole; devoid of stereotypical african wildlife but full off the birds that Waza is known for.
6th Encounter- Nearly noon and we have scoured most of the waterholes and shaded areas for any sign of lions. Getting up to the park late gave us little to no chance to find them and at this point in the day they are most likely far out in the bush taking naps and waiting for the sun to go down. We approach one of the largest waterholes still remaining for one last shot. There is plenty of shade here but no lions. Yet in the watering hole and all the surrounding trees is a staggering number of large birds of 5 or 6 different species. In the water they are packed together very closely, standing on their thin stick like legs. There are no crocs in Waza so these birds have nothing to worry about when soaking themselves.
My eyes are beginning to burn from the hot wind coming in through the car window and we've decided an hour or so with a cold drink in hand would do us some good. Exiting the park we have a few dining options available. There's the upscale and touristy Campement de Waza which I've heard has excellent food, but we're not tourists and getting up to and into Waza was expensive enough for volunteers such as ourselves. Instead we go into town and have a seat at a bar where a few mamas are cooking over their stoves in the backyard under the shade of a neem tree. I've had problems with Cameroonian cuisine (as I may have mentioned) but when prepared well and with a minimum amount of sand it's really delicious. I order a large Top Pamplemousse (grapefruit soda) and we each ask for a dish of whatever they've got on the stove. We are in luck today as we each receive a big bowl of white rice and another bowl of beef in peanut sauce. One of the mamas brings me my soda and apologizes that is partially frozen from the refrigerator. This is really no skin off my back, I tell her. The food is delicious (and cheap), but even under the shade and with a grapefruit slurpee in my hand the heat is so much that I can only stomach about half of the dish. I curse my feeble stomach and go back to work nursing my grapefruit slurpee to avoid overheating. After paying the tab we head down the street and buy a few cold bottles of water. This morning we thought we were clever in bringing more than enough water for the three of us. Unfortunately after just a few hours in the park we could brew tea with our old stash of bottled water.
7th Encounter- Back into the park to the few remaining waterholes we've yet to explore. Always in search of the big iconic animals of African safaris it can be easy to miss the more diminutive but equally impressive. One of my companions identifies something not so diminutive but difficult to spot in a far off tree. We approach slowly and get almost to the foot of a large but leafless tree on its own out on the savanna. On one of the middle branches rests what I think I considered one of my favorite sights of the day. All alone sits a gigantic eagle of a light brown color. Judging the distance between us it looks as though he would be waist height to me and is impossibly broad chested. We spend what felt like forever just sizing each other up, hoping all the while that he doesn't fly off. He doesn't seem too concerned by us. The animal is about twenty feet up in the tree and looks as though he eats village children for breakfast. He finally swoops down and makes his way effortlessly across to another tree. Sitting compact on the tree branch he looked imposing. Now displaying his wingspan he looks more like a pterodactyl. I've seen eagles in the United States, but they look like weenies compared to this guy. Field mice and rabbits? Mere appetizers...I think the antelopes around here better keep an eye to the sky.
8th Encounter- By mid May Waza National Park is at the end of a 7-8 month period of no rain. What is soggy/muddy marsh and grassland during the rainy season is now a parched and cracked expanse of earth with some dry patches of grass waving listlessly in the hot wind. Entering the park at this time of year I was wondering how life can, not thrive, but just make ends meet in such an environment. I come to find out that the answer for some of the unluckier or perhaps less adept inhabitants is that they don't. Flying down one of the main tracks back towards an area we wanted to double check, we came upon a large object off to the right of the road. At first sight it was assumed to be a termite mound, but getting closer the guide pointed out that it was an adult giraffe that died two days before. Laying on its side, its belly faced our vehicle and had been opened up by whatever scavenger had happened upon it before we arrived. It was a full grown giraffe and there was still plenty of it left for the vultures, hyenas and jackals. The guide explained that it had died of thirst just two days ago. It seemed unfortunate, at least for the giraffe, as not two kilometers away we had just stopped at a watering hole plush with acacia trees. Yet the way the giraffe was laying indicated that he was moving away from the watering hole when he finally gave up and hit the ground.
9th Encounter- We're back on a main track and I'm in a sweaty coma from the rice, beef and peanut sauce lunch, contemplating the hard luck of that directionally challenged giraffe. I'm jolted back to reality as the driver careens off the path towards two trees and the guide yells, “Laaru! Pobbi don haa to! Regardez ça! Il y a les hyènes là-bas!” Sure enough, two hyenas were tucked away under a shrub. At first sight one of them bolts for a second tree nearby surrounded by tall grass. The other stays where he is but stands up and circles the tree a few times trying to figure out what to make of this strange metal creature that's no more than 15 feet away. They are absolutely hideous looking with their dark fur, jet black eyes and bright red mouths filled with some impressively sharp teeth. When standing their sloping backs give them a bizarre posture. Their hind quarters look very small in proportion to the rest of their body but I don't think its so much that this part of their body is undersized but rather their head, shoulders and chest are massive. They are in full relaxation mode despite our arrival. The giraffe carcass is not far and I would imagine they have been eating very well the last day or so.
Hyena taking refuge from the heat
10th Encounter- Last stop of the day and we decide to hit the largest watering hole still remaining in the park in the hopes that the lions have started their evening activities early. No such luck. We come to the top of a hill, the only one I've seen all day, and as we come down the other side we set hundreds of antelopes into a panic towards the trees or the other side of the water. I'm sure if we hang around this herd for the evening we'll run into lion's soon enough. Unfortunately I don't believe normal visitors are allowed in the park after dark. I had wanted to stay atleast until dusk but after an entire day in this forbidding place I am ready to get back. Large wild animals aside, the road from Maroua to Waza is bandit territory at night if you are North of the town of Mora. Being relieved of my possessions would be a real downer, as meager as they may be, but we as Peace Corps volunteers are prohibited from traveling at night for good reason. The standard of driving is bad enough during the day. Add darkness to the equation and there is no reason, short of a life threatening situation, to be out on the roads at night.
So that was Waza for me. Amazing? Not quite amazing but I'll say it was definitely worthwhile. Wildlife excursions are hit or miss. I honestly don't blame the animals that stayed tucked away in the cooler confines of the more hard to reach areas of the park. I drank nearly six liters of water that day, plus another liter of ORS (Oral rehydration salts) upon returning to Maroua and my eyes were sore from the hot wind for two days after. I will say that everything we saw was inspiring. The massive eagle in the tree, the galloping giraffes, the thoroughly pissed off warthogs, the lightning quick ostriches, the frantic antelopes, and even the hideous but well fed hyenas. And to make it even better, we got back into Maroua just as the sun was setting, so there was no 11th Encounter with Kalashnikov-wielding Chadian bandits.
A Reverse Safari
If you ever come to Africa (and you should!), by all means visit a wildlife park or reserve. Virtually every country on the continent has some type(s) of exotic wildlife within its borders. Tourist dollars are obviously important to local communities, and can help better protect the many endangered species under threat from poaching and habitat loss.
But at the same time its a shame that so many people that visit Africa only go to these places, and do so in a manner that's completely out of tune with the continent. They fly into the country, stay at only the finest hotels, eat at the best restaurants, pay ridiculous prices for everything, get herded around the country in privately hired vehicles, and see the country from a car window. I stick out like a sore thumb everywhere, but you can spot these folks from a mile away. Reddened skin, sweating even more than me, and usually wearing something ridiculous that looks like it was stolen from Dr. Livingstone's wardrobe. Their contact with African people is limited to the help.
I remember last year I was biking out by the main road from Maroua where the pavement forks. One way leads into Bogo and the other way goes another 50km to Lake Maga. Maga, between November and April, is a popular spot for exactly this type of tourist. This man-made reservoir is a great place to spot hippos, and there is a hotel full with a bar/restaurant/pool that caters to large groups of westerners with far too much money. How do I know this? I've visited said hotel before and I think they marked me out as a grubby Peace Corps volunteer immediately. I bathed with soap that very morning and my clothes were at least respectable enough for a 2-3 star joint, but nonetheless I was treated like crap. The food and drink was astronomically expensive for an auberge out in the bush so I went out to the dusty streets of Maga for grilled meat and a cold beer for a fraction of the price. I'm not saying I'm too hardcore or too well integrated to spend my time in a tourist hotel. I just wanted to swim in the pool. What I am saying is that the smallest exchanges with people and the random things going on while I was eating freshly slaughtered cow washed down with a cold 33 Export were far more interesting than anything on a scheduled tour.
I digress. I was mentioning that a year or so ago I was out on my bike by the main road. I was returning to Bogo from a nearby village in the late afternoon and someone I knew was in a nearby field. There were no crops in the field, he had a confused “now how did I get here?” look on his face and I couldn't find any evidence that he was doing any work there. Nevertheless there he was in the field, and he began smiling and waving. I stopped my bike, he came closer to the road and we exchanged pleasantries. Cameroonians have a gift for the obvious. Asked what he was doing he said “I am in the field.” Yes, yes you are most definitely in the field, I thought. Nothing more to add. He was just in the field, and I was satisfied with this explanation. At this point I was not far into my service but all around Bogo I would run into friends and acquaintances in odd places out in the middle of nowhere where they really had no logical reason for being. Inquiring as to what people were doing (not where they were) I usually got answers such as “I am under the tree,” “I am in the room,” or my favorite a very demonstrative “I am supporting,” which I take to mean that he was “hangin' in there!”
So I am on the side of the road speaking to my friend who has graced this field with his presence today for no apparent reason. As we are talking a large bus approaches. Its going fairly slow and doesn't have anything attached to the roof so I'm thinking something is wrong with it. Funny how if I see a bus here that isn't loaded down with cargo and moving at light speed I assume that something is surely amiss. Passing us by slowly I see that this is not your average bush taxi. Its full of nasarras (white people), presumably French or German. I'm surprised to see them out here and my buddy nearly goes into shock from nasarra-overload. Its only after they have almost passed us by that I see from their confused look that they are equally shocked. I think I saw someone actually pull out a camera. They are now back home showing their loved ones this dirty white guy they happened upon out in the middle of the Sahel. It felt like a reverse safari trip for me. Should I approach the window and beg for a sack lunch? Should I run off into the field in terror to confuse them even more? I took the middle ground and waved to them. I received a few halfhearted waves back, but mostly just blank stares. I can only assume that they then yelled “don't stop!” to the driver.
One thing I find funny is that many of my Cameroonian acquaintances think that I know all white people. For example, I've given up trying to change their minds and have explained to a number of people here that, yes, I am indeed on a first name basis with Jack Bauer from the '24' TV show. After the bus filled with tourists passed us by my buddy inevitably asked “Who were they? Your friends?” If my friends passed me by on a dusty African highway I would hope they could at least stop to say hello and maybe inquire as to what I'm doing out here. I am at the side of the road! My friend is in the field!
So if I haven't made it clear by now, Africa is available to you and waiting for you to visit. Preferably while I'm still here to show you around! If you do take your chances of course you should pay attention to the safety information available, but don't let all the disheartening stories on the news keep you from seeing strangely beautiful places full of welcoming people. Stories about millions of Africans going about their daily lives with no problems whatsoever just doesn't make the news. Traveling here on a small budget or in an adventurous fashion is admittedly not for the novice, and I would never hold it against you if you chose instead to see Africa from posh hotels and the windows of air-conditioned cars. Just see it anyway you can. And if you see me out on the road while you're on safari feel free to toss me a sack lunch from the window.
An Afterthought
So it turns out that I didn't need to go to Waza National Park to see hyenas. Just the other day almost a week after our trip to Waza I was speaking with a friend in Bogo about what we had seen. I rattled off all the wildlife we had caught a glimpse of and then, perhaps because it was the most exciting moment of our trip, I mentioned that we had seen hyenas. He wasn't impressed in the least. Here I was feeling very proud of my hyena sighting, and he was having none of it. I almost felt insulted. In hindsight I have no idea why I felt so proud about my encounter with hyenas. We were in a wildlife park where one would tend to run into wildlife. It wasn't like I was stalking the beasts through tall grass carrying a spear.
I kept restating the fact that we had seen “hyenas!,” but he remained unmoved. This is because, as he nonchalantly told me, very late at night or early in the morning in Bogo hyenas come out of the bush and into the central market in town to look for any meat scraps lying around the butcher tables or food areas. He moved on to another topic as though large carnivores wandering our streets at night was a minor annoyance like something akin to, say, racoons in the trash bins or squirrels in the attic.
This bothered me in a number of ways. Firstly I had just paid money to roast my ass off all day looking for animals. Now I'm learning that a large predator of the African savanna strolls my town's market looking for midnight snacks. The hyenas were obviously the highlight of my day in Waza and now my friend has put it in no uncertain terms that I wasted a lot of money. Even with this new information at hand I would say Waza was still worth the visit. What bothers me a whole lot more is that I moved to Bogo in December of 2008. This conversation took place not long ago, in May 2010. If you are not picking up on my point yet, it took about one year and six months for someone to get around to telling me that hyenas frequent the marketplace at night!
I am usually in my home and most likely sleeping by 10PM at the latest. Depending on my work schedule I often find myself hitting the pillow not long after the sunset at around 7PM. Yet there have been a number of times when I've been on the Bogo streets later than usual. Walking back from the bar (through the market!) after a few drinks with friends on a Friday or Saturday night, returning from a dinner at a friend's home (also through the market!), or even being out and about for the occasional late night concert/soiree. I guess I can say no harm no foul on this one, but I know that if I lived in a town with this most unpleasant of nocturnal visitors I would let the out-of-towners know that they might want to keep their distance from the areas where hyenas may or may not be looking for a meal! Its not as if they were overwhelmed with other things to tell me about Bogo. “Hi Dan, welcome to Bogo. Here's the post office, here's the stadium, this is the bus station, this is the bar, and here's the central market. Oh and by the way, the hyenas come at night so don't come through here late or do so carrying a machete.” That's all I would have needed.
As a result of this unsettling discovery I've been casually slipping the topic of hyenas into the conversation at inappropriate times. Someone will ask me how my work is going or how I'm dealing with the heat, and I'll say something subtle like “Did you know that hyenas have some of the strongest jaws in the animal kingdom?” or “You know, when being chased by a pack of hyenas you should climb a tree, as they are not known for their tree climbing abilities.” Anything just short of getting upset because no one told me what I would consider to be very important safety information when living in Bogo.
Oh well, water under the bridge. I was never really too upset about it. Maybe just caught off guard. In fact I'm thinking it would be pretty sweet to spend the night in a tree at the market and catch a glimpse of them. Although I just recently watched the Lion King for the first time in I don't know how many years, so I'll be let down if the hyenas in the Bogo market don't sound like Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin. Don't laugh, I downloaded movies from another volunteer and it just happened to be amongst the collection. To preserve my masculinity I'll say I was really just downloading the Bourne Trilogy and Generation Kill. But when the Hakuna Matata song came on I somehow instinctively knew all the words.
And Finally:
Seeing as how teaching Americans about the place where I live is a part of the job description of a PCV, today I'm providing you with a wildlife language lesson in fulfulde! My fulfulde is nothing short of awful, but I've gotten to the point where I can go about my day in village speaking almost nothing but the native tongue. I'd say that currently I speak it on the level of a six year old. I know you are all very excited to learn about a language that you will never have any use for, but I realized during the Waza trip that while I knew most useful phrases and expressions, my favorite being the verb meaning nothing other than “to milk a cow,” I knew no names of animals besides chicken, cow, dog, goat and sheep. With a little help from native speakers and my french-fulfulde dictionary here are the fulfulde names for some of the wildlife in my neck of the woods (although most don't roam the marketplace). Note that here fulfulde is translated into french so some sounds are a bit different. You will be quizzed on this material next month.
Rough fulfulde pronunciation
a and aa- “aah”
é and ee- “ay”
i and ii- “ee”
c- “ch”
ɗ- not quite certain...imagine saying “d” but cutting it off halfway through
ŋ- long n
English- Fulfulde(singular/plural)
Animal- ndabbaawa/dabbaaji
Big Antelope- kooba/koobi
Little Antelope- hamfurdé/kampuré
Bird- sondu/colli
Eagle- dutal/duté
Fish- liiŋgu/liɗɗi
Giraffe- tireewa/tireeji
Hyena- fowru/pobbi
Leopard- cirgu/cirɗi
Lion- mbarooga/barooɗé
Lizard- pallaandi/pallanɗepallaaɗé
Monkey- waandu/baaɗi
Mouse- domburu/dombi
Plant- fuɗŋgo/fuɗŋgooji
Scorpion- yaaré/jahé
Snake- mboodi/boɗɗé
Tree- lekki/leɗɗé
Warthog- gaduuru/gaduuji
Wild animal- takkeré/takké
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