Although I've been to Kinshasa many times over the past decade I continue to be struck by the sheer number of people on the road after dark. That there seemed to be even more people on the road this time was attributed to the rain that evening. Many drivers preferred to avoid the heightened risk for accident in such weather. One can well understand that as you see cars with broken or missing windshields, vans without front or tail lights, deep potholes hidden by a mirror of water and few functioning street lights. In the somewhat better condition of roads in Yaounde I dislike driving at night. I detest driving on rainy nights.
With fewer vans on the road more people rely on their feet to carry them home. With little exception they were all heading away from the city center. The average walk was probably 7 to 8 miles. Many don't walk it though, they run. At first I thought the groups of 40-50 young men jogging by chanting marching songs were from a sports team. I've seen teams out running before, some dancing and shadow boxing like Rocky. But not tonight. These men were dress in street cloths, not training cloths. These were young men who work downtown, many of them work in the large market. They run not for exercise, but to cut their commute time. They join together for mutual encouragement for the long way home. Banded together, they become a force to be reckoned with on the streets. Whereas drivers here often act indifferently to individuals walking or running on the street, they drive with caution when approaching 40 young men chanting in unison. We came too close to one group spread over the road and they pounded on the van to serve as a reminder that we should give them their space.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The drive in from the airport
Friday, February 15, 2008
Educate a boy and you educate one person. Educate a girl and you educate a nation- Ibn Badis
February 10, 2008
With a three-day weekend courtesy of Youth Day, Christi, Salome, Naomi and I attended the inauguration ceremony of the Presbyterian Girls Secondary School of Limbe. This trip was an occassion for our girls to see some of our work and for our family to spend time together before I left for a two week visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The inauguration, part of a five-hour worship and thanksgiving service at the school, was presided over by the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, Rt. Rev. Dr. Nyansako-ni-Nku. As part of his entourage, fellow PCUSA mission coworker Rev. Shirley Hill, co-officiated the sacrament of communion.
Rev. Umenei, PCC Secretary for the Communications Department and Secretary for the General Scholarship Board, blesses the crosses of the school
While our girls are not anxious to repeat a five hour worship service, they wonderfully lived up to the occasion with patience and endurance.
Started in October 1999, this all-girl school is the realization of a much longer held dream by Presbyterians in the South West Province of Cameroon. It is the fruit of hard work, commitment and sacrifice by many Cameroonians. Referred to as a "young" school it already has some impressive accomplishments. The pioneer graduating class had a 100% pass rate on the National ordinary level exams. The second year realized a 92% rate, well above the national average. The third year there was again 100% passing. This places PGSS Limbe among the very best schools in Cameroon. The students have also successfully competed in sporting and academic competitions.
The moral development of the students, important in all the church schools, was given due attention in the songs written and sung by the girls and in the sermon preached by the Synod Clerk, Rev. Dr. Festus Asana.
Students of PGSS ligned up to sing their school hymn
Special thanks were expressed to the Presbyterian Church USA for the interest it has shown this school over the years. There have been numerous visits by groups coming from the US, including one with the Rev. Joan Gray, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Through generous gifts from individuals and congregations in the US, our church has been able to financially support the construction of a block of four classrooms, several dormitory rooms and a multi-purpose hall where we worshipped together. This has complemented the many other classrooms, dorm rooms, laboratories and staff housing built by the efforts of the Cameroonian community.
After the ceremony and meal, Salome and Naomi met and talked with several girls attending the school. Phone numbers and email addresses were exchanged and pictures taken. Already the next day our girls received a phone call from one of them.
Salome and Naomi with their newly made friends
We are thankful for Shirley Hill who both put us up and put up with us for three days.
We made this trip with the hope to give our girls some new experiences. Four people on a motorcycle is a fairly common occurrence, but they were surprised to see a taxi so full that the driver shared his bucket seat with a passenger sitting to his left. In another taxi a young boy was sitting behind the driver, but in the same seat. The next time you’re annoyed by a back seat driver, pause for a moment and give thanks they are not a “same” seat driver.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
HOME!
It has been a month since our return to Yaoundé, Cameroon. We've finally settled back into our former home on the historical Presbyterian hill of Djoungolo. Tonight we've once again been able to enjoy the roaring cheers rising up above the city after Cameroon's win over the Ghanaian soccer team in the semi finals of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.
It means that this Sunday we'll have to make special arrangement to follow the Cup finals between the Indomitable Cameroonian Lions and Egypt's Pharaohs as we hope to celebrate the long awaited inauguration of the Presbyterian Girls Secondary School in Limbe. For our daughters, Salome and Naomi, this will be a great opportunity to connect with Presbyterian ministries serving their Cameroonian peers and experience another part of Cameroon's beautiful natural inheritance.
On the way back, Jeff will stay in Douala to catch a plane to the Democratic Republic of Congo for consultation with our Presbyterian partners in Kinshasa. He might fly up to Kananga afterwards, but that is not sure. Now that we have this blog set up, we will try and keep you abreast of his experiences there and anything particular that may be up for the girls and me here in Yaounde or with our son Matthias, who is studying in Wageningen, the Netherlands.
