Getting To Know You

My dear Cameroon,

I'll be arriving in your bustling port in just over 2 weeks. As the date of our meeting is fast approaching, I thought it was about time I get to know you a little.

I also just watched The King and I, so be warned, there will be quotes.

Douala

At first glance, your sprawling port city of Douala is quite different from the previous two which the ship has called home. A broad estuary, surrounded by wildlife reserves and wetlands, separates the city from the Gulf of Guinea. The Wouri River winds its way inland from there, and Douala straddles both shores. Your port is the largest shipping center in central Africa, and many tons of oil, cacao, coffee, timber, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera...are exported from your docks. This bustling international trade has allowed significant urban improvements, with some of the best infrastructure in tropical Africa.

Environs

Venturing inland from Douala's shores, your lands are incredibly diverse. You're a microcosm of African climate and geography, containing equatorial jungles, tropical savannas, and, at your very northern tip, desert. You are home to many volcanoes, including Mount Cameroon - the 4th highest peak in Africa - also known as Mongo ma Ndemi, or Mountain of Greatness. I have opinion that, in this regard, Canada is very backward nation. No volcanoes here.

History

The earliest residents of your lands were the Baka Pygmies, who still live in the southeast regions. In the 17-1800's, your northern regions were conquered by the Fulani, an Islamic people who displaced most of the previous inhabitants. Knock, knock, it's 1870, and Europe just developed anti-malarials. Time for colonization and slave trade, I guess. Portugal got the first run at this, but never got much further than costal trade. They did, however, exploit the surplus of shrimp in the Wuori, naming it "Rio dos Camarões" (Shrimp River), which eventually lead to the land being known as Cameroon. In 1884, Germany swooped in and claimed your lands as their own - adding infrastructure like railways and hospitals, but doing so via forced labour of the local population. In WWI, your lands were invaded by British forces, who afterward partitioned most of the country to the French.

A bloody rebellion emerged in the 1950's, eventually leading to the independence of your people from French and English colonial rule. The country was united in 1960 as the Federal Republic of Cameroon, with your capitol in Yaoundé.

Culture

You are one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, putting Benin to shame with over 250 people groups, each with their own distinct languages. It is a puzzlement! English and French are your official languages, however, with ~80% of the population speaking French.

 Your rich cultural traditions are displayed through dance, music, art, and we can't forget the FABRIC. It is so overwhelming walking through the rows and rows and rows of fabric shops full of glorious, vibrant fabrics. Picking out the right print is a nearly insurmountable task, but necessary for the scientific sewing of dresses.

Health & Economy

Your people, totalling over 24 million, face similar hardships to most in this region of the world. Life remains pretty tough, despite drastic improvements over the last few decades. Your life expectancy is around 55-57, and though the average woman will have 5 children, 6% of children born will not live to see their 1st birthday. Only 50-60% of youth will attend secondary school, and 20% of the population has access to the internet. As is often the case, urban infrastructure is reasonably modern, but in rural areas, safe water and sanitation facilities are harder to come by. Agriculture is one of your largest industries, though many are merely subsistence farmers, perhaps selling a small surplus at a market or roadside stall. Low government spending on healthcare means there is only 1 physician per 10,000 people (compared to 1:400 here in Canada). The advent of vaccines has led to a substantial drop in many infectious diseases, though Malaria, Tuberculosis, and HIV do still remain a concern.

Well, I will say no more, because there's no more to say! At least, for now.

I'm sure I'll have more to say once I arrive on board, so stay tuned. In fact, I PROMISE to be more diligent about posting once things are actually happening!

As a last note, I just want to mention again here how grateful I am for the overwhelming support I've received from the community and from strangers on the internet. You are all such an important part of this journey, and I appreciate each and every one of you.

Now, I better wrap this up and open my packing list.

À la prochaine!