Traveling to Douala on a Container Clearing Mission? A Foot Disease Awaits You!

The shoes that left me spellbound: 2000frs CFA on rents!

Traveling 322km from Bamenda to Buea, by night, was no small distance for me. It has never been. Passing through the Bamenda - Babdjou stretch, an approximately one hour distance that now takes up to three hours because of the dilapidated nature of the road, was enough to break every active bone my body carried. Over 8 hours on the road, from 10:00pm to 6:30am the next day, there was very little left in my body as strength to carry me for the next busy day. If not for the fact that I have become a power-house traveler, I wouldn't be able to take to the road for another travel on the same day of my arrival in Buea, a travel that is normally charged with active responsibilities in the City of Douala. Buea to Douala is another nightmare; the traffic along the Bonaberi stretch can cause one to fly through the car window like a bird until one gets to her intended destination. That is if witchcraft was ice-cream. Hehehe!

I love Buea, so going to Douala for a crucial container issue would mean I have a stop over in Buea, take a bath, and head out back to Douala. This is for no other reason but for the fact that I LOVE BUEA. I had become too comfortable with the process already as it took me more than a month of back and forth already. Now where was I driving at? Please ask me! I was driving at something really embarrassing but yet unavoidable issue. The Ports shoes.

After having traveled all night for 8 hours, in a road that has lost smoothness, I needed nothing but a relaxed trip to Douala in a hired Carina E. I needed to have my legs aired in a heel-less open sandals that would guarantee a pain-free busy day as I move from one angle of the port to the other for the inspection of my 40feet container. Sad to say I was already late, as a police officer held the documents of my driver that he had to pay bribe for having but a 'certificate of loss' of his driver's license. After spending almost 45 minutes on the police check point, explaining and trying to prove a point, I had to take the biggest risk of my life, to abandon the driver on that spot and take to the steering with a newly acquired driver's license. That was my first time of taking the road on my own in a busy road and town like Douala. I made it, but I made it minutes late and the inspection section of the port is strict with time. If you have ever gone there, you will testify with me. Sometimes I put on the good face and obedient chap when I know I am wrong, and that day, the good face and obedient chap worked for me, I was allowed to enter.

Container was cut open: Inspection of the 40 feet container

But STOP! I had open sandals on, instead of covered shoes. You just can't enter the container section with open shoes, you've got to cover it up. This time, the good face and obedient chap trick didn't work.

"Hey madam, you see that pa standing there, you can rent a pair of shoes from him and get in fast," a port authority cautioned. "Don't look at the shoe quality, just put it on and come in before we lock the gate."

I rushed, and begged the man to quickly give me a pair of shoes on rent. "Deux mille franc ma cherie," the man said. "Yes," I responded. "Bring it out quickly," I ordered. When this man brought the shoes out, my jaws dropped. I looked at my precious feet, then I looked at the shoes, and then I looked at the man, and then I looked at the shoes again. "Put it on and come in faster madam, we are locking the gate," the ports authority shouted. Jesus, I couldn't believe it. Gently, regrettably, and angrily, I put the shoes on and handed a 2000frs note to the man and left. As I walked into the inspection sector of the ports, my heart pounded and all I had in mind was how fast I was going to get done with the inspection and get the disease-infested shoes off my feet. Man, I spent over 6 hours in the port with those shoes on.

The shoes that left me spellbound

It was a sad experience, but I wouldn't let my readers go through that experience, that is why I am bringing you this blog post. And thank God, its been over 7 months now and I have not seen any signs of a foot disease. Should I say my medicated soap and lotions are wonderful? Or should I just say God is wonderful. Don't be a victim like I was.

What to do on the day of 'visite' or inspection of your container at the Douala Port:

1. Be at the Ports before 1:30pm
2. Wear covered shoes to avoid renting the dirtiest shoes on earth (no sandals or sleepers allowed)
3. Come along with a traffic jacket or you will buy one at 1500frs at the port
4. Go along with your clearing agent, if you have one
5. Be mindful of the Douala traffic and Police troubles, so leave your house like two hours early if you are coming in from another town
6. Beware of contraband products like groundnut oil, whisky, wine etc inside your container. They may cause your serious problems with the custom inspectors
7. Be sure not to leave the inspection ground with anything from the container for it might be seized from you as you are leaving the checking ground
8. Let your PURSE be FAT. You are going to spend more than you expected at the inspection ground. Hold a few hundreds of thousands. 
9. A car on hire from Buea to Bamenda, for example, will cost you 25,000frs CFA
10. Rememer, it will take you at least two weeks to complete the container clearing process at the Douala Ports. To avoid a million dollar stress, get a clearing agent to help you.
11. If you need contact of a clearing agent, contact me and I will link you to the best ones in the business.

And hey! You can drive down to "Down Beach Limbe" for the best roasted fish and beer after a busy Sunny Day in Douala. I did, almost everyday!

Don't Touch my Boobs & Thighs, Man: We are in a Night Bus, Not a Hotel Room

One of my night trips in 2012. A man tried touching me on this particular night!

My three years stay in Bamenda has been characterized by three years of long distance night travels to the South West, Littoral, and Center Regions. The desire to travel to these places either for work, school, or visiting is always marred by the thoughts of "who is going to sit next to me tonight." I scrutinize, with my eyes, every male passenger that steps in looking at his ticket to locate his bus seat. If its a guy, my jaws drop. Sad to say some men are mean enough to sexually harass women in public buses. Even in the discomfort of my tight traveling jean pants and thick protective jackets, these men have always sought to find their comfort in that situation. While I make conscious effort to protect myself from the night's cold by wearing long and thick clothing, some sexual harassers make conscious efforts to use a woman's body as their heaters throughout the entire long night journey. The turning off of the internal bus lights as the bus hits the road has become a nightmare to most women in Cameroon. 

On several occasions, I have felt the cold hands of different guys, sliding through my thighs and boobs in the middle of my sleep as the bus glides. Who would have imagined, that a man in his right senses would want to touch a woman he met in a night bus. Is this how mean some men have become. My first experience is one to remember, as I shouted in the middle of the night, to the top of my voice "Stop touching me, you fool!" My voice was loud to wake up almost all of the passengers who were already enjoying their sleep, but disappointingly, the driver didn't stop to ask about what was going on. Is it that he understood what was going on? Or that he has experienced that too often to the point where he doesn't consider it an issue? Well, for me, that was a big issue. At first I thought I was dreaming as the cold cement-paper hands started its rough moves, and then I realized it was an embarrassing reality.

Preparing for a night trip: Got my tight pants and long shirt on!

About two months ago, one little girl's experience of how she was sexually harassed as a 13 year old in a night bus has left me pained at what our girl children are going through during rentrer scolaire periods. We were in a bus, traveling from Buea to Bamenda on a normal  trip during the day and the bus was full to capacity. The little girl, who is about 20 years old now explained her ordeal.

This girl, whom I prompted to explain what happened to her as she initiated a discussion on her experience in a bus when she was just 13. She said a man old enough to be his father touched her sexually. 

"When I was in form two, I used to travel alone from Muyuka to Bamenda to attend school at PSS Mankon. One day, the 70-seater bus carried more than 70 passengers and as a result some passengers did not have seats -- they had to stand from Muyuka to Bamenda. After covering more than half (about 150km) of the journey the bus stopped at the popular 'kemkem' for people to rest, eat, and ease themselves. When the bus was about to take off, a man that had been standing close to my seat begged that he sit while i sit on his leg since I was small. Being a small and naive little girl I accepted. The bus took off and before I knew I fell deep asleep and like a daughter sitting on her fathers lap on a long journey, I found comfort on his body. Surprisingly, in the middle of the night, I felt this man's hands going down my vagina path, I got up, and he whispered in my ears that I should stay quiet and enjoy it. I became so tensed, but I couldn't talk. He had unzipped my trousers without me knowing and my zip was completely down. A man I can call my father, let me call him my father was sexually touching me. Unable to bear the trauma and stress of the night, I quietly got off his body and made a sit on the floor on the middle lane of the bus where others were sitting because they had no seats. That is one experience I will never forget," she explained.

Now, that was a courageous young girl, who was able to take that decisive step to step out of the mans lap and make a seat on the floor of the bus. Think about some of our shy daughters and or young girls who would find it difficult to take such decisions. They will definitely be violated and that experience will traumatize them for the rest of their lives. Let's think of how many of our children travel such long distances during school reopening. The girls are obviously victims of this evident malpractice. 

The issue of sexual harassment has been talked about and penned down by female bloggers who have lived the experience. Visit Commy Mussa's blog on this same subject http://sisterspeak237.com/journey-by-night-a-womans-nightmare/ . 

It should be noted that the distance from Bamenda to Buea/Douala/Yaounde ranges from between 350 - 400km. And this can be a big bore to a woman sitting next to a sexual psychopath. Something needs to be done.

It should also be noted that not all men harass women in night buses. There are still decent men out there.

If you are planning a night trip, have this in mind:

1.  Don't cancel your night trip because you read this blog
2. Be courageous and have it in mind that you might be sitting next to a man who will sexually harass you
3. Don't sleep out, especially when you are sitting next to a guy, you can never tell
4. Speak out when it happens, alert the bus driver and his aid
5. Shout if you can to let others know
6. Wear trousers and covered blouses to avoid easy access especially if you have to sleep. This will enable you to regain consciousness before the act goes deep
7. Generally, if your are traveling by night in Cameroon, remember to hold as many warm clothing accessories as possible (wraps, pullovers/sweaters, socks) because if you are lucky to sit beside a civilized man, you may be unlucky to find yourself in a dilapidated bus with holes all over. And the cold breeze coming from outside from such a bus can make travel hell for you if your are not protected. 
8. Safe travels!

Visa on Arrival Policy in Africa; Rwanda, a Perfect Example!

Who would have imagined that there is a country in Africa that has declared VISA ON ARRIVAL for all African nationals. That is one milestone that other African countries have to emulate.

My travel life has been characterized by queuing up at embassies or consulates to pick up travel visas. My Chinese, Macau, and American embassy experiences planted a stereotype in my head that traveling to any destinations entails a whole long process of paper work, visa application, interview appointment, and of course visa issuance or denial. Looking back at my hurtful experience at the American Embassy Yaounde in 2013 makes me want to think that embassies should review their best practices. After having celebrated the prestigious invitation to Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2013, an opportunity that doesn't come easily, the American Embassy Yaounde denied me a visa, on grounds that I didn't provide enough evidence that I was going to come back to Cameroon after the meeting. Disappointed at the whole drama, I lost interest in ever making an appointment with that particular embassy because I realized that visas are issued to those who are good at faking papers and telling lies. Well, that's not the story for today.

From January 1st 2013, Rwanda kept to its promise of issuing visa on arrival for all African nationals, sparing Africans the often cumbersome process of having to apply weeks in advance. Rwanda, a country that is fast recovering from a 100 days long genocide that took place in 1994 has one of the most technologically advanced immigration that uses biometric data and finger printing, according to News24.

When I decided to travel to Rwanda in November 2013, I never thought that it was going to be that easy. I did online research and contacted friends in East Africa to educate me on the visa procedure for Rwanda and i was told that Rwanda was actually implementing the 'visa on arrival' policy for all Africans. Not satisfied with the results I got, I picked up the address of Rwanda Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration by email and they confirmed to me that visa is given at  the port of entry provided you can produce a letter of invitation from your host in Rwanda. That settled, I got my air ticket and headed for the Douala International Airport on my travel date, still not sure I was going to sail through, but I did. The panic increased when I landed Kigali, I could not come to terms with the fact that there was no Rwandan Visa on my passport. But hey, the immigration officer took my passport, looked at me and asked:

"What is your mission to Rwanda, madam?" he asked with a broad smile.

"I am here to attend a 10 days journalism training," I replied.

"Can I see your invitation," he asked again in a rather friendly and hospitable manner.

"Yes sir," I answered quickly and handed him my invitation.

Ah! That was it. I was instantly approved a one month stay in Rwanda. "Welcome to Rwanda madam. Enjoy your stay here." Really? Seriously, really? I kept saying to myself. I walked away, towards the baggage pull section, still not believing that I have entered Rwanda without a visa from port of departure. Now, the Rwanda policy is one very important policy that other countries, especially African countries, have to emulate. It is stress free! And simple to!

 Rwanda/Cameroon exit and entry visas!

Now, this is what you need to know if you are planning a trip to Rwanda.

1. Have your invitation letter ready from whoever is inviting you to Rwanda. You will need to present it at your port of departure and port of entry [for the case of Cameroon].
2. Get your yellow fever shot/vaccination done.
3. Your passport should be valid.
4. Buy your flight ticket and be at the airport on time.
5. Kigali is a bit cold, so remember to go along with warm clothing.
6. Kigali doesn't allow non-biodegradable plastics so if you get there in non-biodegradable plastic wrapped bags, be sure to watch them peel it off your bags at the airport. 
7. Rwanda uses the Rwandan Francs but you will need to change your local currency to Dollars or Euro, or to Rwandan Francs itself. 
8. Rwanda is the internet hub of Africa and so you can access the fastest internet you can ever imagine.
9. All Rwandan bikers and their passengers wear helmets, at all times. 
10. No one dares to throw thrash along the road. If you do, you will be fined, so beware. The streets are very clean.
11. Rwanda has MTN. You can receive MTN calls from Cameroon for a while. Ecobank is also available. 
12. The 'visa on arrival' policy is for African nationals only. I can't say for other countries out of Africa.

Enjoy your trip to Rwanda!

Down to Donga Mantung Division: A Tale of the Making of a Great Cameroonian!

A journey of approximately 150km, on a more bumpy than a smooth ride, couldn't have been made for nothing. If someone ever told you that I have thrown away the experience of the Award ceremony and traditional titling of a great Cameroonian, that took place on Monday 31st August 2015 in Nkambe, then that person is telling a big lie. 

The North West Region of Cameroon, is one of the two English speaking Regions among the 10 Regions of Cameroon. Donga Mantung Division, is one of the seven divisions that make up the North West Region of Cameroon, and the farthest in the region, too. In a total population of 19.4 million Cameroonians, the North West Region has a population 1.8 million as of the 2005 Population and Housing Census published in 2010 and based on a growth rate of 2.6%. Nkambe, the capital of Donga Mantung division, has a population of 63,000.

In advanced economies, traveling that distance would mean taking up about 2.5 hours of your time on the road, because it would mean traveling on a good road. But the 150km distance to Nkambe that took over seven hours was a nightmare, but it was worth every kilometer and hour covered. It was like a road to heaven on that day, after all, the road to heaven is rough and narrow. 

At 8:00pm, on August 30th the journey started. I had had two nights without actual sleep because I just received an award myself, but imagining that I was going to catch a minute of sleep in that journey was the worse imagination I have had in 2015. Bamenda to Ndop, and Kumbo to Nkambe stretches had the worst of roads. An unfairly used 18th sitter bus made matters even worse; creek, creek, vrooaam, gboom, clack, the transport bus produced all sounds, characteristic of ready-for-the-thrash cars. Time and again, I find my buttocks bouncing up and head hitting the top of the bus as it unavoidably dive into the countless pot holes that can honestly stand out as touristic attraction to some tourists. 

After over 7 hours of of fighting with the road, I could see, through the deem light of the Nkambe-custom bus, a welcome board that read: Welcome to Nkambe! Thank God, I said to myself. How and when I had to leave that place was a problem left for my God to fix. Some minutes past 2am, I couldn't wait to jump into my hotel room, in my hotel bed, so as to catch a few hours sleep and get ready for the business of the day. 

Why haven't you asked me what the business of the day was?

Never mind, I will tell you, right away!

Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh, the founder and CEO of the Fomunyoh Foundation was receiving a twin award. He was awarded a national award as the CAMEROONIAN PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR, for his EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS, DEMOCRACY, AND ARDENT PROMOTER OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICAN COMMUNITIES, the award reads.

Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh receing his award as Personality of the Year from The Eye Newspaper

That’s not all. Dr. Fomunyoh also received a traditional title in the palace of the oldest reigning Fon in the North West Region of Cameroon, HRH Fon Ibrahim Japbu Nfor. Dr. Fomunyoh was traditionally baptized with a traditional title [Ta Nformi Cameroon] Christopher Fomunyoh. Ta Nformi Cameroon, I was told means Father of all Cameroonians. Did you see that? Now, that was huge to me and I sought out to find out what this man has done to warrant him this honour. 

 Ta Nformi Cameroon [Dr.] Fomunyoh immediately after receiving the traditional title

Cassian Fai, the publisher of the The Eye Newspaper, and the mastermind behind the award said Dr. Fomunyoh has left foot prints and impacted the life of Cameroonians from North to South, East to West. 

“Dr. Fomunyoh was one of the first Cameroonians who left all the way from the United States to Cameroon, to visit victims rescued from Boko Haram camps in the Far North Region of Cameroon,” Fai said. “That was way back in March 2015 when people didn’t see that as much of an issue. Today, the situation of the North has degenerated, meanwhile, if like minds like Dr. took positive action towards the situation, it would have been arrested, somehow.”

Fai added that Dr. Fomunyoh is a world class humanitarian, one who would sacrifice his all just to put a smile on the faces of people in need. His Foundation, the Fomunyoh Foundation, is a not-for-profit charity that has profited many in Cameroon – changing the lives of the needy for the better.

On what Dr. Fomunyoh himself thinks about the award, he said he has always been a believer in community development and democracy, he never knew that someone somewhere was watching him to the point where he thought he deserved an award. “I am humbled,” he added. He promises: “I will keep to the expectations, one step at a time, one step all the way.” 

On why he thinks he was given an award, he simply said “I have no idea! The Fon has been on the throne since 1959, if it came to his wise mind to give me the title only him and his collaborators can explain better, what they found in me. Again, I am humbled.”

 Ta Nformi Cameroon [Dr.] Fomunyoh, talking to the press after the awards

Hmmm, I am beginning to think Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh has more than award and traditional titles – he definitely has something to offer to Cameroonians, if given the chance. I have followed this man closely since he came to Cameroon in August this year, and he has been touching the soils of all the regions of Cameroon, encouraging and giving support to grassroot people. 

There is one more think you don’t know about this man. Dr. Fomunyoh is the Africa Director for the National Democracy Institute, Washington DC. He is a husband, and a father. He is a patriotic Cameroonian, one who doesn’t just travel for the fun of it but for the purpose of serving humanity.

 
Ta Nformi Cameroon [Dr.] Christopher Fomunyoh, thank you for inspiring my journey to Nkambe. If you ever think of visiting Nkambe, don't hesitate to do so. They have an amazing palace with lots of traditional artifacts. They have the longest reigning fun who have been on the throne since 1959. The have a very humble and dynamic fon who leaves his stool to serve his visitors. Before you go there, prepare your sweaters/pullovers because it is a very cold climate. 

1,804,695. In advanced economies, traveling to Nkambe, in Donga Mantung Division

The Dynamic Fon of Nkambe, Fon Ibrahim Japbu, serving Ta Nformi Cameroon [Dr.] Fomunyoh