Laura Zera

Stories to Connect Cultures

  • Writing
    • Blog
    • Books
    • Portfolio
  • Speaking
  • About
    • Bios
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

Travel: Cameroon’s Far North Region

By Laura Zera 18 Comments

There’s no better time to go work in Cameroon than eight weeks after major surgery, I figured. With a fresh incision scar that went from belly button to pubic bone (a rather unwieldy thing had to come out), I got on a plane in 2007 and relocated to Yaoundé for six months, leaving my husband, dog and hot showers behind.

Cameroon map 2013 - CC licenseI went as a partner in the pilot of a telecommunications/microfinance program (the stories from which are so incredible that I’ve already done the outline for a future book). Fifty sites were chosen for this pilot, with half in what’s known as Cameroon’s “Far North” (also called the “Extreme North”).

If you can imagine what it must have been like to travel from the United States or Europe to the North Pole in the 19th century, then you’ve probably got a pretty good idea of how hard it could be to get to the tip of this West African country. Trains, planes, trucks—none of them were reliable. And we weren’t just out there, we were WAY out there, in a skinny neck of land, sometimes a mile or less from the borders of Nigeria and Chad.

The landscape in that area has been called “lunar,” and the temperatures were purely “solar.” But despite the constant feeling of burning eyeballs and a bone-dry throat (and don’t even get me started on the damage to my hair), I was fascinated. Here’s why.

Cameroon’s Far North is a place where villages look like this:

Village of Koza, Far North, Cameroon
Village of Koza

And where if you want to get a good cell phone signal, you build your hut like this:

How to Get a Really Good NW Signal - Cameroon Cell tower & huts - Far North, Cameroon

It’s a place where museums look like this:

Goulfey Museum
Goulfey Museum

 And museum artifacts like this:

Goulfey Museum Chainlink Goulfey Museum Artifact

It’s a place that is barren.

Rhumsiki, Far North, Cameroon
Rhumsiki, Cameroon

Village of Rhumsiki, Far North, Cameroon

And beautiful.

Women's Group in Extreme North Rooftops in a Village

 It’s a place where you do what you have to do to get along.

Dude with gun - Bus station, Maroua, CameroonTruck with load - Far North, Cameroon

Especially during rain season, when the road to the bridge holds more water than the river itself.

Flooded Roadway, Far North, Cameroon

It’s a place with animals.

Waza National Park, Far North, CameroonElephant in Waza National Park - Far North, Cameroon

Sometimes a LOT of them all at once (if the video is shaky, it’s because, well, I was shaking).

https://laurazera.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Elephants-in-Waza-Cameroon.mp4

 

And, of course, children, no less the hams than anywhere else in this fantastic world. 

Cameroonian kids hamming it up

When you think of extreme locations and lunar landscapes, which places come to mind for you? 

Tro-tros? Are Those Like Biscuits?

By Laura Zera Leave a Comment

“Are Tro-tros those chocolate-covered biscuit things?” someone once asked me when I told them the title of my first book.

“Er, no. I believe that you’re thinking of Tim Tams,” I replied.

It wasn’t odd that they should ask; few people have ever heard of tro-tros. So why would I name my book after them?Continue Reading

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Subscribe To Stay Connected

Search

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

© 2023 Laura Zera. All Rights Reserved · Log in