From Cameroon with Love...and Insights

Been perambulating across neighboring country Cameroon for about a week now. Cameroon, an ex-french colony appears stuck in the past in everything from the moment one makes landing at the more than decaying Douala airport. Here, one will start appreciating the shack Nigeria calls airport in MMA.  The entire airport area is filled with filthy smell, no air conditioning and of course overran by beggars and errand boys. Getting outside, I quickly negotiated a Taxi to the Le Meridien where I was staying as the baggage boys literally begged me to pay them in Naira! Who would have thought so?

Visiting Project Sites with my Team across Cameroon

On getting to the hotel, quickly checked in and made some friends with some fellow Nigerian business visitors. Both human beings Funmi and Taiwo, were such a trip. It made the visit worthwhile to have familiar hob nobs about town. The next few experiences recounted below were somewhat our joint recollections of a country so full with potential yet suffering from a lack of human capacity to exploit them.

Easting fish at Limbe Water Side

"Driving through fields of football playing youths heading from the airport , one can tell soccer is life in Cameroon and you see the very reason why the Indomitable lions have been a thorn on Nigeria's side forever. Here, football is a state supported institution as the long time dictatorship of Paul Biya uses the sport to engage and distract the youths. Another pattern that emerged in Biya's strategy to hold on to power is the use of excessive cabinet positions to bribe the political class. God save you to ask for one date from a Cameroonian official, the long list of ministries and departments will give you a fit.

By far the freshest and tastiest bananas you'll ever get

The bureaucratic bottlenecks and sit tight-ism in this country knows no bounds. We had a raw taste of this as myself and my team hunt data for couple of studies I'm managing across the country. It was not like Nigeria where state secret may be the excuse; here, turf holding and obvious lack of interest to help you because of the protection of little favors is the open reason why you'll never get information out of any civil servant. A visit to government offices will for a split second remind you of a shopping mall in the West. Well, here the government is all powerful and suffocating and it is stifling the private sector.

A typical mountain neighborhood in the West of Cameroon

Speaking about the private sector, whatever that is is controlled by the French (more on that later), and some recently emerging East Asians (Chinese & Koreans). The commercial sector is largely Nigerian dominated in their larger "cities" of Douala, Yaounde and Limbe, and that is about it. Here business closes early, and opens late. It is like the entire country is on vacation. Opportunities abound around them and no appears to be seizing it except foreigners. There is not a single fast food eatery in this entire country, and no one is building any!  Mobile phones abound, but the rates are just plain exploitative!

Live in Yaounde

Speaking about foreigners, the country is an epitome of French loot ongoing at ex-colonies. More than once, we were told tales of progressive projects nipped in the bud because it puts French business out of order. For example, we found only about 8 KM of dual carriage road in an entire country - half the size of Nigeria. The plans to link main city Douala with capital city Yaounde with dual way was turned into a very good single , narrow but dangerous road to protect the snail rail system operated by the French. Projects to pipe petroleum about the country died since the rail and french ships do the shipping about the country inefficiently. A cement plan being proposed in Limbe will import Limestone from Canada and Korea when Cameroon have bountiful of it!

I got this white guy eating ero!

French prime contribution here is supporting an active sex trade industry which begins about dusk and ends at early dawn. Another great contribution is the near ever split between the bilingual country of anglophones in the West (two provinces) and the remaining eight francophone provinces. The Anglo don't feel ownership here, and they are bitter. Oh well, why did they leave Nigeria?

One day we went to a proposed project site at tourist town Kribi, on our way back late in the evening we drove 3 hours and so no electricity. Here this commodity is stable, but only if you're connected. Few are connected to the grid in this country and the southern region specifically is like a black out zone. One other thing here that struck me was how distant their food choice is to neighboring Nigeria. Largely no variety and often mimicking the French, I enjoyed food at Grenada more than this neighboring country. It was only when I got to the Western English speaking region that at least a bowl of ero and roasted fish made up for my forced fasting in the week!

In spite of this tale, what the country don't have in infrastructure and organization, it has in peace. The average city is largely peaceful here and an average Cameroonian is hospitable and goes about their business. One good bottle of drink, and the celebration of a weekend begins here just at the beat of a drum. Welcome to French Central West Africa."

Handicapped by a lack of Vision

Got a devotional from the First Lady today, as she so dutifly sends me everyday (God Bless her soul). It went thus (I'll copy and paste)..

25 Jun 2011Is there a better way?Let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything god has for us... Philippians 3:15We must never stop asking, 'Is there a better way?' You can't pray for progress and fight change. In 1829, Martin Van Buren, Governor of New York, wrote to President Andrew Jackson cautioning him about the future: 'President Jackson, the canal system of this country is being threatened by the spread of railroads. We must preserve the canals for the following reasons: 1) If canal boats are supplanted by railroads, serious unemployment will result. Captains, cooks, repairmen and lock tenders will be left without jobs, not to mention farmers now employed in growing hay for horses 2) Boat builders would suffer, whip and harness makers would be left destitute 3) Canal boats are absolutely essential to the defence of the United States. In the event of the expected trouble with England, the Erie Canal would be the only means by which we could ever move the supplies so vital to waging modern war. As you may well know, Mr. President, railroad carriages are pulled at the enormous speed of 15 mph by engines, which, in addition to endangering life and limb, snort their way through the countryside belching out smoke, setting fire to crops, scaring the livestock and frightening women and children. Surely the Almighty never intended people should travel at such breakneck speed.' Poor Martin - what would he think if he knew we were flying 33,000 feet high, at 500 mph sipping coffee and typing on a notebook computer? God is the author of all true progress, so we must never stop asking, 'Is there a better way?' Bible in a Year: Jer 14-17;  Mark 16:1-20;  Ps 21;  Pr 14:17-20;

On further reading on the man Van Buren, here is what Wikipedia says:

As Andrew Jackson's Secretary of State and then Vice President, he was a key figure in building the organizational structure forJacksonian democracy, particularly in New York State. As president, he did not want the United States to annex Texas, an act which his successor, John Tyler, would achieve eight years after Van Buren's initial rejection. Between the bloodless Aroostook War and the CarolineAffair, relations with Britain and its colonies in Canada also proved to be strained.

His administration was largely characterized by the economic hardship of his time, the Panic of 1837. He was scapegoated for the depression and called "Martin Van Ruin" by his political opponents. Van Buren was voted out of office after four years, losing to Whig candidate William Henry Harrison

Clearly, this was a man that lacked vision and was seriously handicapped by not having one! He even did not see why Texas need to be part of the union! Wow..guess all that oil and job creation would have gone the way of Mexico left to Van Buren. Or may be, we would have been spared GWB..or may be note. Dude's father is from Maine! Clearly, that stock lacks vision!

Do you suffer from inadequate vision? Have your dreams scared you lately? In the words of  President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf "If your Dreams Do not Scare you, They are not Big Enough"

http://harvardmagazine.com/2011/05/ellen-johnson-sirleaf-commencement-speech

Have your dreams scared you lately?

Unshakable Conviction- How Bhutto puts Men to Shame!

Been watching the PBS documentary on the life of Benzir Bhutto, first and only female Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. If the life of this incredibly brave and resilient woman have intrigued me, it was the chronicling of her death in this work that gives me perhaps the greatest shudder.

http://www.videoweed.com/file/4dca15e005a37

Born to an inherent political heritage of a father and Statesman, who like many charismatic and brilliant leaders overreached in his convictions, and got destroyed i.e. executed (or taught a "severe personal lesson" in the words of SoS Kissinger for embarking on the Pakistani Nuke Program) by an international conspiracy that led to local events triggered by coup that eventually led to the first in a series of tragedy that beset the resilient Bhutto family which today still seats atop Pakistan against all odds.

As a young lady, witnessing the execution of her father, poisoning of her youngest brother by State Intelligence, and exile and solitary confinement and finally seeing a short lived victory that led to disgrace out of public office; one got to be challenged regardless of our station in life to make a difference against all odds. Benzir was not necessarily dealt the best of hands being born a woman in a country that enshrined discrimination against the girl child; yet, against all odds she beat the system to be the leader of such conservative Islamic Society.

As if these were not enough, the perpetual political struggle of her second term- bearing the brunt of the death of another brother, and the clear intrigues behind the true power ISI that controls the Pakistani military state clearly inserting themselves in a family dispute will confound mere mortals. But not Bhutto. See, my first knowledge of this courageous woman was second hand negative ones from a co-worker- clearly of the old conservative order that found no reason why women like her should be in politics. Regardless however, the love which she still enjoys and goodwill extending to her family (Husband now President, and Son as Chair of the ruling PPP party) shows that she reaped fully the seeds sown by her father but more importantly watered by herself.

A series of judicial trials leading to 11 years incarceration for current Pakistan President and husband- of 17 years in marriage, exile and separation, raising children in exile as a working mother, return and first assassination attempt gives an insight to unshakable faith of a would-be martyr. For if two suicide bombs on the day of your return do not scare you, what will?

Indeed, for those of us comfortable with the luxuries of the good life and with plenty a one excuses for not doing something about the station of others especially our own, the life and times of Benazir Bhutto and her immediate family puts many of us to shame. What could we possibly not do for fear of harm? Loss of limb? to bring freedom, succor and comfort to many? Or to enjoy the convenient stations that life has afforded us while we squander away the opportunities for genuine change. This is a challenge. Democracy truly, is the best revenge.

P.S: This documentary offers perhaps the best insight into the inter-relation between CIA, ISI, Nuclear Bombs and terror in the world as we know it today. What goes around, truly comes around. Now we know why OBL was found at the doorstep of the military academy..or shouldn't we? It is my considered opinion that massive education reforms is what Pakistan needs, and that is where US should put the money not in buying arms for a military so compromised as recent events have revealed.

Updated June 13:

Speaking of women and shame, there is another nascent political; but this one is shame herself. Picking up the book "The Quotable Rogue" was sure a mistake. Full of trite, self effusive statements made from an apparent empty barrel, one quickly realize how such a dodgy adventure John McCain was about to engage the country and the world with such a circus show of a run mate!