So Long Mary Ann: mai 2009

Between funerals, cultural nights, campus festivals, and national fest, I can't be bored these days! And there is no need to go away as you can find everything in the area :)

Let's start with the cultural weeks of the different villages around Dschang: each village starts its week with the "Girls Day", supposed to promote the girls's status in the modern african society. Then there are events like sport tournaments and the weeks ends with a Gala.
As I have been invited by different friends to all these events, here are some comments:

The Girl’s Days : I’ve been invited to 2 of them. The occasion to wear my pagne J The Girl’s day is actually a night where all the people from the village are invited : the chief of course, but also the parents, the students, and anyone willing to enjoy the culture. Traditional clothes and dances, songs in dialects, cheap and traditional dishes…
Here are some pictures, but not that much because of the very bad light

1. Girl’s Day of Fongo Tongo : Started 3 hours late because of a power cut… For the occasion, I made my own cloths from the same fabric they chose for the event.

2. Girl’s Day of Bafou : This time I was not only watching, but I also went dancing for the chief of the most important village around Dschang ! To close the cultural week, the village’s association organize a Gala. Again, these event are never on time, all of them started at 11pm instead of 8pm. And when it starts, it’s not that fun : you welcome the « important people » (meaning the president of the organization for example), satnding up and clapping (i’ve never been welcomed like this even as a president !) ; then you listen to several long and boring speeches, during which everyone sleeps and get hungry ; then you watch the « artists », students singing and dancing in playback (they love it) while they are covered with bills of 500,1000 and 5000 FCFA (we call it « farotage ») ; then, you eat traditional dishes (at 2pm, next time i’ll think about dinner before !) ; then, finally, you start dancing ! (at 3pm, but you’re so tired that you prefer to leave and go to bed…).

3. Gala of Fongo Tongo :

4. Gala of College St Albert :

5. Gala of Bamendou :

6. Grils day of Eton

My conclusion : the intention of all these event is good : promote the culture and encourage youth. But if they say that youth will change the country, it’s not by playing over the same game that previous generations ! starting 3 hours later that the hour announced, following the unchangeable « protocole » from welcoming the president like a king, presenting all the « important » people and speeches before serving the food, by order of « importance » allways (you can wait up to 2 hours before eating, standing up, if you are just a simple student…)

After student cultural events, let’s talk about official holidays. Starting with Labor Day (1st of may). As I’m not a fan of speeches and parades, I took advantage of the 3-day weekend to travel to the North West province (see previous article). But I took a picture of my colleague Benoit, wearing the “official” clothes for the parade (shirt and cap with the city sign), like all the people more or less involved in the Town Hall work. When you think that they don’t have enough money to make good roads, fix the water pumps or buy new trucks to collect the wastes…

May 20th: National Day

If I try to escape again (we had a 5-day weekend with the Ascension Day!), an invitation by the Prefect to his Gala and, especially, a dance show, made me stay for the day.

Preparation...

The Army (i know, we're not allowed to take pictures of them...)

The different schools (elementary, primary and highschool), all marching and singing in hope of getting the price of the best show.
(no i didnt take and upload a photo of each school, just a few to shox the different colors)

Then the clubs (I was with my dance club) and the City services (I refused to wear the shirt of the RDPC party so I stayed with the nautical club where I teach diving). Again, so much money wasted in shirts…

after that: reception at the Mayor's house (that day, exceptionnaly, water was flowing at my house, so i left my table to take my first shower at home!!!)