Dschang

9 APRIL 2023

It was wonderful to sleep in a room in the middle of the countryside and wake up to the loud sound of birds. Later this was drowned by the sound of thunder and heavy monsoon type rain.

It's the rainy season. I have loved getting to know the conceptual plan behind the design of the Baham Bird House and the way it has recaptured the creative and spiritual significance of the artist group involved with its creation. This includes the figure that sits in the wooden-stooled circle outside in a clearing - a recycled giant figure, built from old rubber, pipes and metal parts. Imposing, but carrying a distinct message calling for the recycling of raw waste materials found all over Africa.

"Baham Bird House is an artist's church. A place of purification, meditation and creativity. A place where all my senses are awakened to take advantage and contemplate the wonders of life" Grace Borothee Tong

Today we set off in the car with our driver to Dschang. On route, the car was pulled over by the police who started asking for money. We left our driver to negotiate and then set off again.

Betina explained the presence of so many half finished expensive looking building constructions along the way. In W Africa it is very common for a family to pile its money into building a fine house in readiness for the funeral of the head of the household. These buildings are a sign of prestige and can be a lifetime's work.

Deschang surprised me as a location; there was a manmade lake, green walkways and a large well organised museum. I chose to go round the museum without a guide as all information was in both French and English. The information was arranged according to the four distinct geographical areas of the Cameroon and then gave more specific details about the social and economic identities of each area. The museum gave further information about the period of Cameroon history when Germany governed the coastal areas. Large plantations were established in the 1900s to supply Germany with cocoa, coffee, bananas, rubber and palm oil. There was clear evidence of local rebellion against the conditions of enforced labour and unsettlement amongst the local chiefs, at this time.

The area where we were staying ie amongst the Bamileke people, has seen significant unsettlement and fighting during the 1950s - 1990s. As a UPC (Union des Population des Cameroon) stronghold, there have been numerous uprisings against colonial governance and subsequent political parties. The last UPC Nationalist leader was shot dead in Bafoussan in 1971; all local people remember and have experience of this unsettlement and strongly maintain their cultural traditions and beliefs. As this area is close to the dividing line of what was once the English governed part of Cameroon, neighbouring on to Nigeria, there is English spoken and heavy police presence along the border area.

We drove up to the area on a hillside above Dschang town. This was where the German governors resided in the 1900s and their buildings and recreational areas still remain. This area was taken over by the French and kept exclusively for white colonial use until today when the buildings were turned into a hotel.

Each evening, our little party stops at the local market to get food for an evening meal. We buy local produce; leaks, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines, courgettes and avocados. All is fresh from the fields and as organic as you can get in these parts. It's good to be buying straight from the farmer of the fields too.