February 4, 2011

February 4, 2011 - Friday
--By the time this day had ended, I was on sensory overload - oh my gosh! what we saw and did! this was an amazing day.
--We left early heading for Babungo to see the Fon’s palace – today’s road is mostly paved with only a short piece of VBDR. There are avocados left from yesterday, and we stopped in Ndop for breakfast of locally grown black beans and rice, spiced with hot sauce and the avocado which all together made magic.
--The Fon’s palace at Babungo was truly interesting.  Fon is a hereditary title that is used for the highly revered, respected and influential village and regional traditional leaders/rulers. The Babungo Fon’s lineage has been documented back to the 1400s.  All of the Fons in this lineage have been gifted carvers, and over time the people have managed to preserve much of their works which include masks, stools, beds, statuary, and ornamentation on walls, doorways, windows, and posts that support porch roofs, etc.
--We paid 2000 CFA ($4.00) each for admission, and another 5000 CFA ($10.00) for permission to use our cameras.  The Fon and his docent were not at home, but a very pregnant wife toured us through the Fon’s Dynasty Museum and then through the outer chambers of the Fon’s Palace – the inner chambers which include sleeping and food preparation areas and are never opened to the public.

Men Preparing for a Dance

Front Entrance to Fon's Palace

 

Carvings Made by Many Generations of Fons

Photo of the Current Fon

Secret Society House, Behind is the Secret Forest

--My heart sings! we visited a long term residential and outpatient psychiatric treatment center near Babungo – I can’t begin to say how very impressed I am with their philosophy and work.  Their treatment philosphy is holistic – traditional medicines are used together with western medications to treat the whole person.  Patients have 1:1 attendants 24/7 which assures that they don’t wander away, have unobserved seizures, or other crises necessitating someone to help. The staff are well-trained, mostly kind local people who donate their time.  That they really like their patients is obvious – they work, eat, rest and visit together in pairs and small groups.  Staff present culturally sensitive education programs with the patients, families and the surrounding communities and schools about the causes, symptoms and treatments for psychiatric illnesses, living with AIDS, AIDS prevention and treatment, environmental and personal sanitation and hygiene, etc.

The Setting of Babungo Integrated Health Center

Walking Toward the Patients' Quarters

--There are only two psychiatrists who live and work in all of Cameroon; one of them makes monthly visits here to consult with patients and assist with staff training.

--This center also provides medical care for the psychiatric patients “because they never have just one thing.” They are developing an outpatient health center to serve the neighboring villages. There is no onsite doctor, the nurses have learned through their years of experience and they are the primary healthcare providers.  I gave them the last of the medicaments that I brought to Cameroon.
--The buildings were built using village workers labor and Habitat for Humanity volunteers, and the building materials were bought with loan money which the center struggles to repay.  A Dutch psychiatric nurse has been a volunteer here for the past 8 years. A Swiss health aid group helps the center to get pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, but cannot meet the need. The center raises chickens and pigs which they eat and sell, they grow much of their own vegetables and medicinal herbs, they operate some wonderful guest houses, and the residents make and sell handcrafts.   All this, and the setting is beautiful.

--Next we drove to a crafts and pottery manufacturing center in Bamessing.  It is supported by the Presbyterian Church which facilitates export and international sales to international vendors including Ten Thousand Villages.  Ultimately the proceeds go to the potters and craftsmen.  The manager took us for a start-to-finish tour. The clay comes from an adjacent site, all hand dug. It is partially dried a few days, then wrapped in plastic and stored underground in a controlled environment till its needed. When needed, the clay is dried completely, then pounded by hand with a big stick of wood to a fine powder, then mixed with water, slacked for a time, and drained. Then it is ready to be shaped. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the soil chemistry and chemical changes that transpire during firing and glazing. With a foot-driven potter’s wheel he demonstrated he is an accomplished potter. Next we pots loading in the wood-fired kiln for firing, last how glaze is applies and fired. Finally we went to the sales room where we were dazzled with the array of pottery and other crafts. It was hard, but we chose 2 mugs which will help to make Peggi and Robert's morning coffee very special.

Pottery Plant Manager Throwing a Pot

Selecting Mugs for Peggi and Robert

--We returned to Bamenda where we were expected at a small Christian-based support center for Cameroonian prison inmates and social re-entry support for released prisoners and their families.  Again, we were startled with the welcome. Two gracious older gentlemen dressed in traditional Northern Cameroon garb talked about their 9-year-old program’s work.  Then we were introduced to a man who talked about having been incarcerated 3 times for a total 9 years, outside for a total of 5 months during that time. When he met the two older men, he realized he was wasting his life and hurting his 5 children and all his family. He found his faith, completed his sentence, and has not engaged in criminal activity for the past 5 years.  For the first time in his life he has recognition – he is the president of this organization that works to salvage prisoners and ex-convicts. Another guest and member of this movement was the Assistant Director of Cameroon Prisons. We talked about our respective US and Cameroon experiences with prisons and prisoners, and we agreed to do what we can to support this group and its work. After grace, we shared a meal of fufu and greens with Export 33. We took advantage of their showroom and bought several things made by prisoners who are learning trades that are expected will help them not to return to prison after their sentences are completed. A delightful unexpected and welcome surprise was seeing Juliette from the Traditional Healers’ Group – she donates traditional medicine to prisoners who are sick, and she was there on an errand.

Traditional Northwest Cameroon Men's Attire

Assistant Director of Cameroon Prisons

Founder of the Prisoners Reform Group

Rehabilitated Former Prisoner

President of Prison Reform Group and Joe - this man made Joe's hat

Founder, Joe, Barbara, President and Reformed Convict, Assistant Prisons Director, Traditional Man

--About suppertime Elizabeth arrived at the rest house with my dresses. House rules here do not allow anyone to come inside who is not a registered guest – we used the visiting area past our building as a dressing and fitting room.  It was tricky learning how to tie my new headgear and skirt, but Elizabeth is a patient teacher and I think I’ve got it.  I know that I’ll enjoy wearing my new finery.