Sunday in Douala

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  Douala, Cameroon
Sunday, September 16, 2007

This morning I was picked up at 9:30.  We again picked up Barthalémé and the Bikoés and drove to the hall.  I was disappointed to learn that the Spokesman Club secretary had neglected to give out club assignments so there could be no club meeting.  I encouraged them to plan a little farther ahead next time.  It is not an innate part of Cameroonian culture to plan very far ahead.  Life here is so unpredictable, and chaotic, that planning often turns out to be somewhat futile, since circumstances outside one's control can render planning mostly or completely without effect.  So people tend to live very much in the present, and not give much thought for the future.  That's not all bad, it allows them to get along in very difficult circumstances, but it does have some bad side-effects too, waste and inefficiency among them.  It takes some encouragement and real effort on their part to plan for the future and think through how to get where they want be.
 
We waited until 10:30 chatting about international politics, the war in Iraq, Al-Qaeda, the upcoming American elections, Libya's Khadafy, the Chinese presence in Cameroon, the nature of dictatorial regimes, George Bush (not in the previous context...), courage and a host of other subjects.  It was a stimulating discussion.
 
I set up my laptop and showed maps of the Holy Land during various historical periods, as well as the present day.  The goal was to give an overview of the timeline of Biblical history in its geographical perspective.  It was well received and stimulated a number of interesting questions about the Philistines, Moab, Ammon and Edom, Abraham's origins, where the Garden of Eden was located, and the origins of Israel both ancient and modern.  I had several more private interviews, and then we said our goodbyes and started for home, for them, and the hotel for me. As we dropped people off on the way to my hotel, we continued the discussion we had started earlier. In spite of the very strained circumstances in which people live here, they love to joke and poke fun at things and pompous people of which Cameroon has its share just like the US does. 
 
We passed a big soap factory, and my companions pointed out the huge building across the street which is the private residence of the CEO of the soap factory.  As he was building his mansion the company was experiencing financial difficulties and the employees, living hand to mouth under the best of circumstances went several months without being paid.  Constructions on the CEO's manor went on uninterrupted.
 
A few kms later, in front of a huge brewery, sat a very-stretched white Lincoln town car limousine.  I laughed and groaned at the same time when I saw it.  A more ill-adapted vehicle I couldn't imagine in a city with so many awful roads.  We had just traversed potholes so large the whole car drove down into them.  We had to drive with great care at times to avoid stranding our car in holes and wash ways in the road.  A Limo couldn't possibly do that.  It would be very limited in where it could go in the city. Possibly it only ran the boss to the brewery and home.
 
I groaned because of the idiotic ostentation of such a vehicle in such a poverty-crushed milieu.  But then I suppose ostentation is always idiotic no matter what the milieu.  Mr. Mabout was thinking along different lines.  "I wonder how much he has to pay for his vignette?" he said.  The vignette is a tax sticker that must be purchased every year for every car on the road.  The more the vehicle is worth the more expensive the vignette.  Mr. Mabout paid about 30 dollars a year for the sticker for his old Carolla.  "He must pay a thousand dollars for his sticker" mused Moïse, wondering at such an expense.
 
After I was dropped off, I decided to splurge for lunch, and have a pizza and the Hotel Le Meridien.  They have a pleasant pool and poolside grill, and serve wonderful wood-fire pizzas for 5900 Francs (about $12).  It was delicious and there enough breeze to make it bearable to eat outside.  This afternoon I'll work on more paperwork, publications and preparation for the upcoming festival in France.

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