Where do you come from?

I come from Cameroon, all my family are from Cameroon, Douala is my region, Douala has a king. There are 284 languages, each village has its own language. All villages have a chief but all the chiefs answer to the king in Douala. There is a queen too who is the wife of the king. But all answer to the king.

What would you like people to know about Cameroon?

Ah Cameroon, it is like many genies in the bottle! Cameroon just needs the right person to open that bottle and let the genies out. There is sport, music, everything in Cameroon. It is a beautiful country, it is the political situation that is not good, the person who took charge of the country didn’t improve the situation, but the people are good. In my Cameroon, there is a possibility to be very happy there. Cameroon is a beautiful country, it has a tropical climate and there are many beaches. Cameroon has many kinds of religions, Muslim, Christian, Buddhism, many religions but it is also a country with its own culture, there is no Bible in my culture, the Bible is the nature. The king of my village doesn’t know the Bible, but he knows the wild nature. Culture is very important, it is a spiritual connection to nature. The Bible is the nature. There is an everlasting bond between Africa and me, you can’t run from Africa, even if you do, your children will return here. It’s spiritual, it is like an umbilical cord that connects a mother to her child- even when cut there is always that spiritual connection that keeps you connected to her. I want to see my friends, my brothers. If I return it will be the best time in my life when I get back to my friends and family.

There are many kinds of music where I come from,each village has its own culture, its own music, its own language as well as its own traditional dance. There is a lot of famous African music, when I listen to it, it speaks to my spirit. Baba Mal, Richard Bona (who is my favourite), Salif Keita, there are so many famous African musicians. But education in Cameroon is complicated, the person in charge does not care about education. Some people don’t have access to school or don’t go to school. I want to be able to help the people in need and change this. If you to go to school, you still need to make money, so you need to work as well. School can begin at 7am and finish maybe at 3pm or 4pm. I want to be my own boss. That’s my dream. I went to School in Cameroon before I left, I was in university and I worked. For example, I worked in transport and I worked in a nightclub. I studied Marketing, but I didn’t get to finish, before I left Africa.

Every day in Cameroon is a beautiful day, Cameroon is like my mother to me. Everyday in Cameroon you enjoy, you spend time with your family and with your friends but there are not opportunities for young people to prove themselves.

Here in Ritsona Camp is there a community of people from Cameroon/Africa?

There is a big African community here in camp but we are all together here, it is not broken into being from Cameroon it is just one big community here in Ritsona.

Dikanda et l’Afrique

Vous venez d’où ?

Je viens du Cameron, mon village est Douala et dans Douala nous avons un roi. Il y a 284 langues, chaque village a sa propre langue. Tous les villages ont un chef.

Qu’est-ce que vous voulez que les gens sachent du Cameroun ?

Le Cameroun c’est comme une bouteille où est enfermer plusieurs génies. Le Cameroun a besoin d’une personne apte à ouvrir cette bouteille et libérer les génies. Il y a le sport, la musique...il y a de tout au Cameroun. C’est un joli pays, mais la situation politique n’est pas très bonne, la personne en charge du pays n’a pas amélioré la situation, mais le peuple est bon. Au Cameroun il y a la possibilité d’être heureux. Le Cameroun c’est un pays magnifique, il a un climat tropical et beaucoup de plages. Le Cameroun a des religions différentes, les musulmans, les chrétiens, les bouddhistes, des religions diverses. Mais c’est aussi un pays qui a sa propre culture, il n’y a pas de Bible dans ma culture car la nature est notre, le roi de mon village ne connaît pas la Bible, mais il connaît cette nature sauvage. La culture est importante, c’est une connexion spirituelle avec la nature sauvage. Il y a un lien perpétuel entre l’Afrique et moi-même, tu ne peux pas fuir l’Afrique, même si tu le fais, tes enfants y reviennent. C’est comme le cordon ombilical qui liens la mère à l’enfant - même si on le coupe il y a toujours cette connexion spirituelle qui te maintient à elle. Mon meilleur moment que j’aimerais vivre est de profiter du temps avec mes amis et à ma famille.

Il y a plein de styles musicaux au Cameroun et chaque village a sa propre culture, sa propre musique, sa propre langue ainsi que sa propre danse traditionnelle. Il y a beaucoup de musiciens africains célèbres, mes favoris sont Baba mal, Richard Bona (qui est mon préféré), Salif Keira, il y en a plein de musiciens africains. L’éducation au Cameroun est gérée par des personnes qui ne se soucient pas de l’éducation. Nous avons encore des régions où l’accès à l’éducation est encore un problème. Mon rêve est de pouvoir apporter une aide favorable aux nécessiteux. J’ai étudié le marketing, mais je n’ai pas eu la chance de finir avant mon départ.

Chaque jour est merveilleux au Cameroun, le Cameroun est comme ma mère. Tu t’éclates au Cameroun, tu passes du temps avec ta famille et tes amis, mais il n’y a pas d’opportunités pour les jeunes qui ont du potentiel à apporter de leurs savoir.

Ici au camp de Ritsona, y a-t-il une communauté des gens du Cameroun / l’Afrique ?

Il y a une forte communauté africaine et de différents pays mais nous sommes ici ensemble. Ritsona est simplement une grande communauté.