To all of my blog readers, I hope you will enjoy this entry written by guest authors: my 8th grade English students in Cameroon!

A Guide to Bafia

IMG_1754

Written by 4eme B (German and Chinese) of G.H.S. Bafia

Edited by Laura Preston, Peace Corps Volunteer, English Education, Bafia, Cameroon (2015-2017)

Government High School of Bafia/ Lycée Classique et Moderne de Bafia

Bafia, Centre Region, Cameroon

2015-2016

About this Guide

By Laura Preston

 

Some of the authors of this book

Some of the authors of this book

According to Wikipedia in Cameroon, only 5% of content online is about Africa, and only 3% is written by Africans. If Africans do not write about their culture, history, and important traditions, the world cannot understand and appreciate this diverse and unique continent from an authentic perspective.

It was with this challenge in mind that Miss Preston’s English class 4emeB (Chinese and German) at the Government High School of Bafia (Lycée Classique et Moderne de Bafia) decided to create a guidebook to help tourists, citizens, and any interested reader learn more about the city where these students live: Bafia. When they first started this project they were challenged by limited information available online. Through research, interviews with the community, and the students’ own opinions, this book gives the reader a new perspective on Bafia. We hope you will enjoy the guide!

 

Table of Contents

About this Guide

Introduction

Chapter 1: The City Centre of Bafia

Chapter 2: Local Football of Bafia: Team Cosmos of Mbam

Chapter 3: Agriculture in Bafia

Chapter 4: The Senior Divisional Office of Bafia

Chapter 5: Bafia Dance

Chapter 6: Pollution in Bafia

 

Introduction

By Ayangma Pascal and Babari a Betchem

From wikimedia

From wikimedia

Bafia is a beautiful city that is not big. Bafia is in the Centre region of Cameroon, after Ombessa and before Makenene. It has many districts, like the Residential District, the City Centre, Gondon, Plateau, the Night Market, the Good River, Ndengue, Bolingo, Kirai . . . etc. In Bafia there are  some good roads. In Bafia there is a lot of food like cassava, plantains, beans, pinapples, cocoyams, tomatoes, oranges, lemons, bananas, potatoes, ground nuts, corns, sugar cane . . .etc. In Bafia people raise animals like dogs, cats, hens, ducks, and birds.

Chapter 1: The City Centre of Bafia

By Nyam Marc, Djam Marcel, Dong Rodrigue, and Dang Brayan

A view from downtown Bafia

A view from downtown Bafia

  1. Introduction

Bafia is a city of Cameroon, precisely in the Centre region. It is located in the Mbam and Inoubou Division. It includes a large population of 50,000 inhabitants (www.wikipedia.org) The town is divided into many districts. They are many but we are going to write about one place, the place the most loved by its population: this is the Centre District or City Centre of Bafia.

  1. Research

The City Centre of Bafia has a very large population. This quarter occupies a huge part of the territory of Bafia and it includes the majority of the economic commerce of Bafia where we find many buildings such as bars and many microfinances such as MC2 ,   CCA,  Express Union, Express Exchange. The employees of these businesses are very competent in the accomplishment of their work.

III. Opinion (Interviews)

For our topic of the city centre of Bafia we spoke with many people from the district who clarified some points for us which had escaped our notice. This is what the chief of the quarter told us: “My students, the city centre has its origins as a place that was inhabited by a few people, but then in the 1990s it grew rapidly.” Mister Ali Ibrahim, the owner of many businesses in Bafia told us that that he was as amazed as anyone by the development of this quarter. “If a person has to ask my opinion about the city centre I would tell him that it is one of the best quarters of Bafia.”

  1. Conclusion

To conclude, we think that the city centre of Bafia is the most beautiful and calmest quarter of Bafia because the city centre is protected by the police officers who are very good and accomplished in their work protecting the centre of town. Therefore we believe that there has been a reduction of criminal activity in the city centre of Bafia.

Chapter 2: Local Football of Bafia: Team Cosmos of Mbam

By Mebengue, Nzeugang, Onanena, Kiki Cedric

 

From Team Cosmos' website: http://www.camerounsports.info/

From Team Cosmos’ website: http://www.camerounsports.info/

  1. Introduction

At the start of the 21st century, many sports will be created. It is for this reason that we have decided to write about Cameroonian football, more specifically about the Team Cosmos of Mbam whose office is in the Nkolndongo District in Yaoundé.

  1. Research

According to the Cosmos website, Cosomos F.A.’s strength is their distinctive characteristics such as their valor and their culture. “Cosmos F.A. was encouraged by their supporters at the beginning of last season,” said Rodrigue Dong from 4emeB (German). We have two opinions: Cosmos’ website, and Rodrigue’s interview. The opinion of Rodrigue is very reliable because he has followed the season. This season the team does not have good team work. This comes from a lack of training, financial stability, a lack of a good goal keeper, etc. The challenge facing Cosmos F.A. of Mbam is that these difficulties have a strong impact at the psychological level of all the players when they are out on the field. This team impressed their supporters last season but not this one.

III. Interviews

The Cosmos Football Academy of Mbam is a club which plays in the first division in Cameroon. According to Mr. Paul, a supporter of Cosmos Mbam, he thinks that this team played well in 2012 until 2014 and that their ability changed at the onset of 2015 until 2016. He also things that Cosmos of Bafia has been a very weak team this 2016 season because in the team there is an absence of fair play. Therefore the team is continually disqualified. Even Issac thinks the team Cosmos of Bafia is not doing favourably starting in 2012 until the match of the tenth of April, 2016 because out of 10 matches they have lost eight matches with invalid matches and one won match. Those who watch them see the results are not satisfactory and those who are speaking about the match Cosmos vs. Canon are disappointed with Cosmos, which lost 2-1 with Canon at 2 goals and Cosmos 1. This signifies that Cosmos of Bafia is the last team in the division with six points. This absence of capacity and engagement implies they are not going to play in the semi-finals and will return back to the second division as a result.

  1. Conclusion

We support our team more than others, but there is much work to be done and a need for teamwork for our own great club of Mbam to rise again from the level they were at this last season. “All will only be possible again when there is hope, and it is not too late,” Stendal said.

Chapter 3: Agriculture in Bafia

By Ayangma Pascal Rayan, Tougoua Gassi Litvine, Djam à Kiti Daniella, Babari a Betchem

Mr. Ogolong in his field in Bafia

Mr. Ogolong in his field in Bafia

  1. Introduction

Bafia is a city of Cameroon in the centre region whose principal activity is agriculture and raising animals, which is how the people of Bafia live. These people have many farms and land.

In Bafia we have many crops that we plant such as coco yams, yams, vegetables, corn, cassava, ground-nuts, beans tomatoes, and other things. We plant fruit trees like palm trees, plums, oranges, lemons, coconuts, mangoes, avocadoes, and many others. We raise some animals like hens, pigs, dogs, birds, cats, goats, cows, and others. We live thanks to agriculture because agriculture develops our city, and agriculture is how we eat and sell our crops.

  1. Research

“Agriculture in Cameroon is the principal source of growth and economy of the country,” according to Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org). Because agriculture develops our country when we harvest our crops we sell them or we eat them. If we do not have rain we cannot harvest our crops. The important crops of Cameroon are cocoa, coffee, palm oil and bananas, according to Wikipedia.

The problems in agriculture in Bafia or in Cameroon as a whole is that we do not give the means to the farmers to produce large quantities of crops, like tractors, seeds, and fertilizer. If we want to help farmers we can give them financial support or materials.

In the centre region of Cameroon we have some nondomestic animals like snakes, birds, hedgehogs, monkeys, hippopotamuses, hares, fish, and other animals. We can eat fish, hedgehogs, some snakes, hares and other animals. Some people eat monkeys, birds and other animals. Some domestic animals that people raise in Bafia are chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, cows, and other animals.

III. Interviews

Mr. Bidias, who is a farmer, said that in Bafia in the villages like Malabo and Donenkeng the season for agriculture is the rainy season. He said that in the city of Bafia we plant our crops in the month of March (the start of the rainy season). If we plant in the dry season in order for our crops to grow we must water the land ourselves. Mr. Bidias said that fertilizer permits the crops to grow, such as cassava, potatoes and others. He said that it is important to use natural fertilizer because chemical fertilizers pollute our environment and land.

Mr. Besco, who is also a farmer, said that agriculture in Bafia is one of the most important activities for the people who live there. He said that agriculture is important because we eat and sell our crops. In order for our crops to grow, we must use fertilizer. If we use chemical fertilizers we should not use large quantities because it pollutes our environment, land, and water. He said that it is good to use compost because it is a natural fertilizer.

  1. Conclusion

In conclusion, agriculture has developed our city because in Bafia agriculture is the principal activity for all generations. We believe that agriculture has developed our city because we sell our crops to make money; we also have some societies for agriculture. However we have some problems which disturb our crops like nondomestic animals which eat our crops in our farms, invasive plants, the absence of rain, we do not have tractors to work large parts of the land, and other problems. Nevertheless we work and we produce many crops which produce large yields like yams, cocoyams, groundnuts, and corn. We are happy because our farms produce many crops.

Chapter 4: The Senior Divisional Office of Bafia

By Ngo Yobot Genevieve, Eyamo Hermine, Mekeng Manuella, Tchapmi Victoire, Nkong Marie, and Ayele Yombi

students meeting with Senior Divisional Officer

students meeting with Senior Divisional Officer

  1. Introduction

The Senior Divisional Office is comprised of a building which shelters the favour of the senior divisional officer who is the head of the division, and the officer himself. He protects the population and he maintains the public order. The senior divisional officer is assisted by his first and second assistants, and also a security agent.

  1. Research

Cameroon is a country of Central Africa. It has ten regions, 58 departments and 360 subdivisions. At the head of every region there is a governor. In the Centre Region there are 10 departments, one of which is the Mbam et Inoubou. Bafia is the capital city of the Mbam et Inoubou department. Bafia is where the senior divisional office is located for the region, which is directed by Mr. Thioffo Sa’a Maurice. Currently his responsibilities are to protect the population, maintain the public order, etc. We learned this information thanks to our teacher Miss Bella, and by an interview with the SDO himself.

III. Opinion (Interviews)

Miss Preston, a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bafia said “I think the S.D.O is very approachable. He is always happy to listen.” Mr. Banda, a student in Bafia said “The S.D.O. does good work for Bafia.”

Mr. Wafo, a teacher of mathematics at the Government High School of Bafia said “The Senior Divisional Officer is a man who brings order. He is the head of the village, is a good father to his family, and he loves connecting with people.”

  1. Conclusion

In Conclusion, the S.D.O. is the biggest building in Bafia, the most beautiful of the Mbam et Inoubou, and the cleanest in our opinion.

Chapter 5: Bafia Dance

By Selouck Willy Francky

Students dancing the Bafia dance

Students dancing the Bafia dance

  1. Introduction

The Bafia Dance is one dance that permits us to see the culture of Cameroon. This dance is beautiful. Its origins are said to share many similarities with those dances of the Bamoun and Tikor people. Dances are traditionally held after successful harvests, although they may also be performed at engagements, weddings, and other official events.

  1. Research

According to Jean Paul, the traditional Bafia dance is performed by doing two steps in front and one step back. According to Martha, “the traditional dance of Bafia is seen to convey a sense of excitement and joy through posture and facial expressions. The Bafia term is nareueama.”

III. Opinions

According to Marie Bella, “The traditional dance of Bafia is one of the most well-known dances in the Mbam Region.” According to Brenda “that which characterizes this dance is its charm and elegance.”

  1. Conclusion

The Bafia dance is a symbol of the strength of the culture in the region, and is well – known by tourists, who come to Cameroon. The Bafia dance is a beautiful dance that deserves a lot of respect.

Chapter 6: Pollution in Bafia

By Assena, Tsionod Jacky, and Mafouma Blanche

Pollution in Bafia

Pollution in Bafia

Introduction

Pollution in Bafia has many effects. In the lines below we will cite the sources and consequences of pollution in Bafia.

Research

Pollution is the degradation of the environment which has many causes and consequences among which we cite:

From E-School Today (http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/air pollution/effects-of-airpollution.html) it is written that “acid rain destroys leaves of plants. When acid rain infiltrates into the soil it changes the chemistry of the soil making it unfit for many living things that depend on the soil as a habitat or for nutrition. Acid rain also changes the chemistry of the lakes and streams that the rain water flows into, harming fish and other aquatic life.”

Pollution of soil: People throw away plastics which stop the growth of plants and animals. We think that the population of Bafia is not interested in combatting pollution, and people even burn plastics which produce chemicals and acid rain which destroys the environment.

Opinion: Interviews

We interviewed Miss Preston, an English teacher and Peace Corps Volunteer at G.H.S. Bafia:

Jacky asked: What is your opinion on pollution?
Miss Preston: I think that pollution is a big problem because it affects everyone.

Jacky: Why does pollution exist?

Miss Preston: Pollution exists for two reasons: One reason is that people don’t know about pollution. The second reason is that people don’t care, or aren’t interested.

Jacky: How can we sensitize Bafia about pollution?

Miss Preston: We can sensitize students. Students can teach others in Bafia about pollution.

For our second interview we talked to Marie, a student in upper sixth at G.H.S. Bafia. Marie said: “Pollution is not good for the environment because it is unsafe. It destroys the health of the environment and also the people who live there. Pollution exists because of bad exploitation of chemical products. In order to sensitize Bafia about pollution we can make a speech in which we talk about the inconveniences of pollution. The government can support the reduction of toxic products.”

Conclusion

Through research and interviews we conclude that pollution is dangerous in any case. People are not making it possible to fight against pollution and they continue to pollute the environment by throwing garbage everywhere and by burning plastics. The government does not make it possible to stop them.