Pygmies in the Southeast
The first population group on the program are the pygmies in the southeast of Cameroon . We’re flying to Yaoundé , the capital of Cameroon. From there we drive south-east for a day and a half. In Messok At a crossroads of sand tracks, we get out of the car. There are a number of porters waiting for our luggage and we start our hike. We immediately dive into the large and dense forest and walk for a full hour, with the middle part of the walk being wet and muddy and we have to slither over tree trunks. About 100 meters before we reach the camp, one of the porters starts shouting so that the women are aware of our arrival and greet us dancing and singing. The encampment consists of only traditional huts made of branches and leaves and is located in a beautiful clearing in the high forest. Fires are burning everywhere and smoke is rising. A mystical atmosphere.
We are deeply impressed by their way of life
Our tents are set up and we stay with pygmies for two days and nights and we get to know their way of life. The atmosphere is exuberant and in the evening there is a dance performance by the large campfire in which we also participate! The next day we go into the forest with seven pygmies and they show us how they live from and with the forest. They have traditionally been hunters and gatherers. It is impressive how great their knowledge is of the different plant and tree species and of their medical effects. They climb the tallest trees with ease, set traps, and hunt with nets, spears, and bows and arrows. They let us taste wild honey and we drink water from a vine. In the afternoon we go fishing with the women. They dam up a section of the nearby river on either side, scoop out the water using banana leaves and then search for fish. A small catch, for which they have to put in a lot of effort!
We are deeply impressed by their way of life. In many other places, pygmies have been driven out of their habitat and live a marginal existence outside the forest. They can easily be expelled because they have no land rights. Here we see how they live harmoniously and peacefully in this great forest.
After this adventure we drive back to Yaoundé and take the night train to Ngaounderé , towards the north. In Ngaoundéré we visit the palace of the lamido (sultan). Built in 1830, it is a beautiful traditional thatched building. The region around Ngaoundéré is called Adamawa ; it is a plateau with beautiful lakes and waterfalls where a lot of livestock is kept. We visit the impressive Tello waterfall . In Idoll we again find a traditional lamidat that is peacefully situated under tall trees. We spend the night in the beautifully situated ranch of Ngoundaba which overlooks a crater lake. Many Untamed customers would feel at home here!
Mbororo in the Northern Province
From Ngaoundéré we set course for the northern province, to police , located at the foot of the Vokre mountains . There we sleep in the yard of a Mbororo family, a sub-tribe of the Fulani who dresses colorfully and has black facial tattoos.
Dupa in the mountains
Poli is also the starting point for our visit to the dupa population living in the mountains. The car takes us to the village 9 km away Mango where porters are already waiting for us. Then we walk to the village in an hour and a half Mberic . It is beautifully situated, around the mountains, under tall shady cacedra and mango trees. There is hardly anyone present in the village where about five to six families live. Everyone is busy harvesting in the fields. In the late afternoon everyone returns; here the older women are still traditionally dressed in leaf skirts. In the evening there is a big party, but first we have to drink! Their home-brewed white millet beer is brought in in gourds. It is first sieved, warmed up a bit and then eagerly drunk! And then there is plenty of dancing. The women, who are now all dressed in leaf skirts, dance and the men set the rhythm on bells and drums.
The next morning they dance again to give us the opportunity to take pictures. Even now the women first drink themselves before they start dancing. It’s 7am in the morning! To our surprise, a man in full regalia now also appears as a warrior. On the back of his long robes he wears a tight antelope skin and a collar with captured animal horns and plumes. Very impressive!
We say goodbye to these friendly people with difficulty and go back to Poli, where the large colorful weekly market takes place on Saturdays.
Koma in the Atlantika Mountains
From Poli we set course for the Atlantic Mountains on the border with Nigeria, where the come on life. We drive on a quiet track right through the Faro Reserve where – despite the dense forest – we occasionally observe Kob antelopes, Patas monkeys and monitor lizards. In Wangai the local guide and porters report and we set off on foot again. In two and a half hours we walk to the village koilo . The scenery is breathtaking; we are surrounded by mountains, walk through the fields and occasionally see small, traditional thatched settlements. Just before we reach the village we see the first women, only dressed in leaf skirts. And where in other population groups the preservation of traditions is reserved for the older women, we are surprised to see that all girls and women, from young to old, are still traditionally dressed. Very authentic!
And again it’s party time, because strangers are visiting. Red millet is ground on the millstones for brewing beer that is brought in later in the day in large buckets. Everyone drinks in, even the young children are not indifferent. The women give a dance performance to the rhythmic drumming of two djembe players and the playing of a flutist. In the outer ring dance women who move more freely (more drunk) and swing their axes exuberantly. It is a beautiful and special spectacle!
Kapsiki in the extreme north
After our visit to these three isolated populations we drive on to the province of the extreme north. After two full days of bumping on very bad slopes we arrive in rhumsiki , the residential area of the Kapsiki . Here we consult the ‘sorcier de crabe’. He is a wise man who can be consulted for all kinds of life questions and for predicting the future. He works with a river crab that he lets walk around in a pot with soil in which all kinds of sticks and gourd pieces stand and lie. He makes his statements based on the crab’s movements. We are deeply impressed by the wise answers he gives us.
Tourou near the Nigerian border
Through a beautiful landscape of eroded volcano chimneys, which is known as one of the most beautiful landscapes in Africa, we drive to tourou to visit our last tribe. In Tourou there is a weekly market of the ‘helmeted women’, who wear a decorated gourd as headgear and also a nail in their nose. We arrive there quite late and it is already a happy place. Everyone enjoys beer!
We end our journey in maroua , a pleasant city where the settlers have planted many trees so that it is very leafy and pleasant. We sleep in hotel Porte Mayo, one of the nicest hotels in West Africa.
And then we have a long return journey. But what an experience! We were very deep in Africa, with no other tourists or white people. It was authentic and special!
