Douala to Bamenda

Trip from Douala to Bamenda:

Chocolate for the Road:

When we were on the outskirts of Bamenda, we made our first stop,  to gas up for the trip.  We paid.  After refueling, the driver took a container from under the seat and proceeded to ‘grease’ an area of each of the two front doors.  My jaw dropped when he began licking his fingers.  Chocolate!  Taxi drivers when in the city must display a registration number.  Travelling out to the country, he was turning into a chauffeur instead of a taxi.  Can you find the city licence covered with chocolate?

Police Stops:

We were probably stopped a total of 10 times.  They put out a road block sometimes using a pile of tires on each side, sometimes a spike belt, sometimes a striped bar.  Our driver had papers for outside the city, different from papers in Douala. The police stops have different requests aimed at money.   At our first stop, our driver said, ‘No speak.’   The longest and most difficult was when our driver refused to pay money so the policeman had our driver unload all the luggage on to the road, then put it back.  The funniest was when the guard went on and on and finally Allan produced a Canadian pin.  After that all was fine.  The village stops are easier because our driver knew exactly how much money to hand them.  But, at most stops all kinds of people surround and follow the car selling bananas, ground nuts, bread, vegetables, plums, etc.  Our driver bought a big bunch of bananas for his family whom we were going to visit along the way. 

Visit to the drivers’ family:

So our driver had not seen his family for more than a year.  He is number 6 of a family of 10.  Just before we headed down the road that looked impassable, we picked up his sister who would show us the way.  And just before that, he asked us to pay him in full for the trip which he immediately handed over to his mother. Sixteen hours driving time for him in one day.  Fortunately we declined the invitation to visit.  The two smallest grandchildren had chicken pox!  Here is our driver with his sister, two nephews and his Mother.

Welcome to the Sorflatens’

We were pleasantly surprised to be greeted at the hotel by an enthusiastic group from IDF, all dressed in their new shirts.  Oussematou in her ball hat, Norbert the driver, Evodia from Wum, Evelyn from Kumbo and Oussematou’s neice from Bana.  The hotel lobby served as a great spot to meet, quiet with nice chairs.  Here we are with Oussematou and Rotarian Paul Yemele from Bafoussam who just happened by.

   

We had a rough settling in.  Hotel Ayaba has not been well maintained. This hotel is government owned and run.   The rooms they showed us all had problems, the biggest being non- functioning air conditioning.  We sweated out the night determined to resolve the situation or find new accommodation.  By the next evening, we had a room with most everything working.  Seems the hotel has new flat screen TVs in every room that don’t work well, new electronic locks on every door but sinks and bathroom counter fallen away from the wall, generally poor maintenance.  Our present room is good.  Allan used duck tape to try and direct spurting water from the shower wall attachment into the tub. Since then hose to the shower has been replaced, the leaking toilet fixed, etc.   The hotel is very secure and we are comfortable.  The food can be very good.  Some dishes are very salty. We love the fresh fruit morning and night (papaya, watermelon and pineapple).

February 11, 2014.

Oussematou gave us warning  us to come early to the IDF office as there would be big crowds celebrating National Youth Day.  Thousands of children including university students marched past for four hours, all from Bamenda.  Here’s how it looked from our office window once we had made it through the crowds.  Every school in full uniform!  The second picture is nurses in training.

Cameroon; Rotary Seeds For Conservation Farming Demonstration Plots in Bana and Befang

Rotary Seeds For Conservation Farming Demonstration Plots in Bana and Befang

Our trip to Douala went smoothly.  The snow storm in Nova Scotia was well timed, ending around 4am.  Just in time to have the airport running smoothly and the main roads clear.  Our suitcases were checked right through to Douala.  We had to pay Air Canada $200 for our extra suitcase each despite our plea that we were volunteers.  Halifax to Montreal, on to Paris and then Air France to Douala.  Both long flights were 6 hours 35 minutes each.  Excellent really. 

One should really prepare oneself, if possible, for the airport in Douala.  Although much improved, it still is an experience.  Yellow fever check for the certificate is the first stop.  Then passport and visa checks.  All very easy, once you have gone through the grueling experience of obtaining the visa from the High Commission of Cameroon in Ottawa!  Temperature in Douala, 32 degrees and no air movement with our heavy clothes from Canada!  The flight was late (heavy winds in Paris) and the luggage was slow but it was so good to see that the suitcases had made the airport changes in Montreal and Paris and came through safely with us!  Once you have come through the characters waiting to ‘take you through the customs line’ once, you are prepared the next time to tell them you don’t need them!  Than outside the terminal, they surround you like flies to help with your bags (how is it we don’t need help anywhere else thanks to Allan).   Our loyal taxi driver, Euloge had waited two hours for us to appear.  He has a brand new yellow Toyota that he is so proud of!  He brings us to the Somotel Hotel where I have a nice swim and we enjoy supper and dive into bed.   No trouble sleeping.  We were 24 hours in transit.

Euloge was here to pick us up at sharp eight.  We go first to the bank where our TD and Scotia bank cards work well.  We bought a new SIM card for our Cameroon phone.  The new phone number is 237 52 50 37 97.  Then on to the seed store to buy seeds for Bana and Befang Farm projects.  Euloge takes us through the market to three seed stores.  Allan is looking for ‘Cover Crop Seeds’ that will increase soil fertility.  The seed store operator below sold him Morelle Noire seeds in bulk.  Allan carefully put the thin black bags full of seeds into his cloth carrying bag, first removing anything that might have a sharp edge!

 

     

We reviewed seeds at the next store, returning later to buy seeds that they had that the last and best store didn’t have (leeks, carrots).  The last store was great!  We bought two of everything, one for Bana and one for Befang.  Allan got several bulk bags of corn, containers of okra, pepper, tomato, basil, red cabbage, green cabbage, onion, beans, pimento and papaya.  We had the option of buying hybrid seed but it was very costly (10 times the price).  Seed containers varied from 4000 to 8000 each ($8-16.00 Canadian).  In total, we spent $200 Canadian leaving money to buy trees later.  We wanted to buy peanut and bean seed in bulk.  Not available so Euloge is phoning his mother who lives in Baffoussam who will go to the seed supplier today and buy peanut and bean seed in bulk.  We will pick that up tomorrow on our way to  Bamenda.  These seeds hold a lot of promise!

  

Conservation Farming Demonstration Farm Established in Bana

Conservation Farming Demonstration Farm Established in Bana

Thanks to digital technology, Mme Oussematou is able to keep us updated on developments in establishing a Demonstration Farm in Bana.  One of our last stops at Bana in December was at the hillside acreage designated by the traditional Chief here, King Happi Sikam, to be used for this conservation agriculture farm project. This large plot (estimated to be 14 hectares more or less) when we  first saw it was overgrown with bush.  At the bottom of the hillside is a beautiful river with a much smaller more level area.
Pictures taken November 25th, 2012


Mme. Oussematou Outlining the Area For the Demonstration Farm



 

Looking Down To The River From The Bridge

Walking Up the Hill:  Demonstration Farm Land is to the Left

Allan, Mme Oussematou and with the Engineer Behind (Demo Farmland to Right)

 

The Hillside (Lots of Work to Clear This!)
 

 

 

What Do You Think The Yield Will Be?

As we climbed the road up the hill alongside the designated land, we saw some small plots of beans and corn suffering from nutrient deficiencies.  



Traditional Methods - Corn Not Looking Good!
 

Beans

Beans-These Legumes Are Showing A Crop Of Beans Using Traditional Agricultural Practices

A group of enthusiastic, hard working people began land clearing.  These pictures were sent to us, taken Jan 13, 2012.  Joseph Tafrey, a dedicated agriculturist and farm leader from Befang  travelled by bus from Befang to Bamenda 6 hours, then a five hour trip by car to Bana to encourage and help this farm group get the demonstration plot going is pictured here surveying the progress.  Land clearing showing the mulch in rows, an important Conservation Farming concept in action.   Note that at this point, the mulch is very dry. 





Joseph Tafrey Farm Organization Leader on Left

Mulch in Rows

 

Using only cutlass, hoe, mallet and chisel, the hard work of splitting rock to form rock walls on the steep hillside to prevent erosion proceeded. Pictures taken May 5th, 2013.



Rocks Are Split and Arranged Across the Hillside

 

 



All Work Is Manually Done!



Holes filled with Fowl Droppings and Earth

Seeds being planted:  White yam, sweet yam, cassava, gwa, dashine or Tanya, One point of concern raised during the workshops was that a number of important traditional crops have disappeared in the Bana area: gwa and peanuts being two examples. 

White yam also seed of a product which is disappearing called  'gwa'

On June 17th, 2013 Mme Oussematou wrote:  'I was in Bana last Friday and Saturday, I convinced the team to start mulching to kill the grass and to reduce erosion and to keep humidity in the farm for  the plants to grow healthy. In fact there was lot of grass in the entrance along the road and I paid some holiday makers to clear the grass. At the moment I arrived in Bana with Nobert we realised that the grass was getting dried and we decided to collect them and make mulch. My sister arrived day before from Douala and we jointed and worked hard to do what you will see in the various pictures. It was so new for our new member Richard who was taught mulch cannot be done during raining season and that we should wait for dry season. I insisted even though he is a trained agricultural technician. Every body is happy. Now they will continue to cut grass and we extend to cover the whole farm if we can.'

 

 

 

Gathering Mulch.
 

A Well Deserved Break!



 Arranging Mulch

 

Tanya or Dashine (Healthy Plants!)

 



 

School Involvement:  Conservation Farming School Project

Several years ago, a school plot was abandon because of infertile soil.

This school plot has been revitalized under the leadership of an energetic school principal who took the Conservation Farming Workshop.

 

March 6th, 2013

Oussematou wrote:

They are using the technics of Conservation Farming to cultivate cabbage, Irish potatoes , corn. Mme Mbuy has also involve teachers who are presently doing it in their farm. My next visit in Bana will target them for visit. You see how cabbages are doing well with no chemical fertiliser.