trip to the North West

Thorsten had to go to Kumbo for partnervisit (as he often does) and this time, Jara, Lisa and I joined. We added a weekend in Babungo with friends and the holiday was complete!
The North West is one of the most difficult places to go to because of its inaccessible, very bad dirt roads. Interestingly enough, the North West is also the country of the opposition... In the hight of the rainy season it is almost impossible to go there due to the heavy rains that turn the road into a mud pool. We're at the end of the rainy season: roads are accessible, but you still have the odd shower to wash away the dust.
Click on the images to enlarge them!



The first part of our trip, we stayed on the "hill of immaculate conception" in Kumbo. Filip, the BD cooperant working there lives on the bishop's hill and we stayed with him. While Thorsten was of doing his work, I hung around with the kids, strolled up and down the hill and watched the goats and chicken (especially Jara wanted to look for them).

Wednesday the kids and I joined Thorsten en Filip to Mbiame, a little village on a 1.5-hour drive, where BD's partner organisation ATP (Agricultural Training Project) has a demonstration farm. The drive was just beautiful! It was like driving through Scotland with bananatrees. I had to sit in the back and hold Lisa's head while she was asleep because of the road condition. I think her head would have fallen of otherwise.
ATP is training young (and older) promising farmers of the region in alternative farming technics. Over the course of one year they spend 10 times 2 weeks on the demonstration farm to learn through practice and theory. Afterwards they go back to their villages to do their own farming. For three subsequent years they will be followed up by the project in their villages to assist them with their farms and to give advise. It is a really promising and innovative project that can change the lives of the students!



Thursday we left for Babungo, a small village in the valley surrounded by waterfalls. Tom and Julie joined us on Friday and we spend the weekend just relaxing, not doing too much. The women (Julie, granny Jude and I) went to visit a nearby pottery shop where we saw pottery happening from beginning to end. I did some pottery myself in Thailand but never realised the lenghty process of getting the clay to be the way it's supposed to be. And of course we had to indulge ourselves in the shop...
The boys (Tom and Thorsten) went for a hike up the hill and the kids loved pottering around, having a communal pee on the potty and being the stars of the village. So everybody was happy.



Every village in the North West has a fon, so also Babungo. The fon is the king of the village or chiefdom and people go to him for advise, to solve problems etc. He's the cultural leader of the village. In Babungo, the fon is only about 35 years old, but has already several wives. In addition, on becoming fon, inherited many wives from his late father. His palace is packed with wooden statues that people make and donate to him. His living quarters are an interesting mix between traditional and modern goods. It's complicated!
Anyway, the fon's palace was well worth a visit as you can see on the pictures!