On 19 December Stephen and I go to the village Mfumte. This is one of the places where the children fall in the race almost, if they encounter a white person, because have never seen one.
In preparation for our three-day tour, I get told Mfumte is most remote parish in the whole diocese and all I had thought about Africa before I came here, this should apply: a place in the bush, snakes, thatched mud huts and dirt children playing.
Now on to my experiences in Mfumte: On the bike it starts on Sunday afternoon, packed with long pants, rain jackets and scarves wrapped around the head and neck, so that only nor the eye see out. Not because it is cold or even raining, but because we drive on the main road north of the "Ring Road" in a cloud of dust into the next. What was still mud in the rainy season, is now a centimeter thick as red-brown, very fine dust on the road or is, after the wheels of a Toyota up the hill have dug, stirred up in the oncoming air to find. So I'm sitting
with my backpack full of all sorts of vital things, among them 2.5 liters of water, as a passenger on the bike and hope that we soon reach the jungle.
But before we leave the main road, we need a break in the city Ndu lodge, drink Guinness and buy one of those sweet breads, as were such a good thing it is not in Mfumte. Then we move on. As the traffic density decreases, the more one approaches Mfumte, I can take off my jacket, under which I'm starting to sweat yet. After three hours we reach a junction. This last piece of the road that lies before us is through a mountain range and is not easy to know God. Only a few cars would be driving here in the rainy season and can no. I believe every word, partly because the road is to not recognize, but a furrowed mud, rocks and debris band, aufgabelt sometimes in the head-high grasses, loses yet again gets together.
When we have passed the highest mountain, I can see the houses of the first village of Mfumte. The sun is low and is in the air the smoke of bush fires that turn places the dry grass at a rapid pace to ashes.
We drive through the first village, Kom, on the marketplace, there are the only five square cell phone reception and then head toward the parsonage. It is situated on a hill next to the small church.
We meet Father Edwin, who is disguised as a woman just in front of the house and make-up of ten children can, because they practice for the flu game and he plays a queen. I get my room shown. Father Edwin has built everything themselves and it is very well equipped. There is a bed and even a bathroom with toilet and shower, where I can wash off the red powder, which has yet to set my skin. There's even power there in the rectory of the solar system next to the "rest place" where I sit a day later and write this report would be.
entirely, as the sun disappears behind the mountain peaks, Stephen and I take the prayer in the church in part to mark the conclusion of Sunday Youth program forms.
the congregation
For dinner, there is spaghetti with tomato sauce. Something unexpected for me and also for Father Edwin, who says that he just was in the process, his cook to learn. At dinner I learn something about the parish. Mfumte consists of 14 villages, some of which are so far apart or so inaccessible that it is driven by faster than Kumbo there. Only five of the 14 villages are accessible by car. They are two priests, one is but just in a place where there was never a Catholic priest. The parish has existed for eight years. I am dying Of course, the question of whether it is good people to do missionary work here or whether something is rather destroyed.
a question whose answer will become clear in the course of my stay.
clock at six in the morning is fair. I think though, why go back so early in the church? But I'm on at 5:30 so I can enjoy the sunrise. As it slowly brightens and awakens nature. The many voices of birds in the trees at the foot of the hill announce the morning, just as the chickens of the pastor. They prefer to sleep in a tree and it is fun to watch as one after another thirty chickens fluttering down from the branches.
The church is empty, but fills up during the service, so are other than us ten members of the community there. Sitting in the small room on a wooden bench to look through the windows as the sun rays pave gradually find a way through the haze and tickle the treetops on the slopes, feel the fresh cool morning air in the nose and hear the voices of thousands of birds while two chickens from the altar and abstolzieren, can even dare to believe that this valley is a unique creation of God. The rest of the world is strange. Inconceivable that somewhere in the world together people crammed into a subway ride to work.
on the Gospel follows the sermon. It is amazing what is possible interpretation to the conception of Mary. Father Edwin preaches about the laziness. One issue that we had at dinner. He said that people here are incredibly lazy. Basically they would grow corn, cassava and coco-yams. Actually it is because of the climate possible to have two maize crops per year, but this did not have them.
Father Edwin himself, who has planted this year, his three thousandth pineapple plant, Ananas next year will reap more than anyone else in Mfumte.
The sermon goes something like this: If you sit with folded arms in the kitchen, with folded arms in the school, with folded arms on the market and you only get moved to the palm wine, lazy since then her. Maria was not lazy when she conceived Jesus.
After the breakfast, which comes with bread from Ndu and I brought with sourdough bread, Stephen and I go to Luz, a village about two miles from the parsonage.
houses in Lu
where we want the "Single Parents Group" meeting. Actually this is another department of the Family Life Office, but since we're there, it's also in our program. First we will visit the couple, which coordinates the Family Life work in Mfumte. It is one of those mud houses with earthen floor, but even with a corrugated iron roof. We are joyfully received and are happy that they are aware of our visit. The children are very visible from the house me and even to shake hands. so here especially the smaller ones and peep shyly through her dirty little fingers to the "Mabuli" she photographed, and they themselves can look at my camera.
"Mabuli" I am called by the children and elderly people ahead of me or it echoes, because from every house the children come running up, waving. "Mabuli" is in the language of Lu's and is called "pure man". "Ma" person / people and means "bubu" purely clean. The meaning is very interesting. A white man is so pure and clean, while a black man is referred to simply as black.
Lu is a language in Mfumte. For there are three major tribes, each with its own language and understand each other can not. The two km remote communication is referred to also Lus, but a different dialect, but can be understood by people from Luz. It is amazing that in a parish three totally different languages and are not even talking a lot of older people pidgin English.
We walk through the village to the little church in the area called Usa (pronounced with short o, Usǒ). The church is so small because the majority of the 4,000 residents of Luz and in the whole parish Baptists are only 130 Catholics. The missionary in Mfumte started in 1935 by the Baptists.
We are at half past ten in the church. Actually, on time, as the meeting was scheduled for eight clock. It is only a father present. So let's look at the new and first Catholic Primary School ". Here 100 children are taught, of which only 15 can pay the school fees themselves. The rest is supported by the Family Life Office. There are five teachers for two classes of the Nursery School and the 6 classes of the Primary School. Up to the fifth and sixth grade are two classes taught by a teacher.
After several times the bell was rung, the people gradually arrive, eight of 12 members. Of the twelve members are only three Catholic, because our program is built but after the Catholic doctrine, but to all people oriented, need help.
We start the meeting with a presentation by me. Stephen speaks in Pidgin, which is then translated again in all Lus. We let ourselves informed of all activities, which they did last year. The group has a capital of 250,000 Francs. It does not mean that individuals borrow money to pay back because they can not. Therefore, it was already determined last year that only the group can act as a whole with the money. We can tell us how much peanuts, oil, gasoline bought them and resold profitably. What is missing is the interest rate. For each loan has an interest will be paid by the end of the year, for example, bought food and distributing it among members.
is also a misconception. They thought namely, that capital is allocated among the Members and listed accordingly, no new members, so there are only twelve. In Next year they are to start again.
After the meeting, I'm still photos. Even though I have not said much, I get told how good but the meeting is run, because I was there. We get as a thank you gift bag sweet potatoes.
This is a grandmother with her two-year-old grandchild. Since the mother died, she must now take on the role of mother. It works quite old and weak, but I see in her face, the love with which she takes care of the child. As I still just to say "God bless you".
After that, I would like to see the market of Lu. This is not much going on, because market day only once every eight days. A few people sit in the shade, as the only policeman of Lu, who is sitting playing cards outside his office. There
the middle of the market, a stone pedestal, on which the Fon, or can his representative to make a speech. The Fon is the chief or king of the village. If the Fon rises to the podium, it may not touched by anyone and are not allowed to speak except for the Fon.
While we drink a beer is, just this deputy and want to talk to us. He is doing very important and Stephen holds a short speech, which makes the Family Life Office Sun Even though I have the impression that the deputy did not understand much, it's good that we have spoken to him.
On the way I photograph a couple of women who are engaged in producing clay bricks. This is namely the task of women, one of many tasks of women.
edit educate farm women, children, and we also cook the grass to cover the roofs. The man is only the finished blocks together and cover the roof. Then he can say that he built a house and perhaps take another wife, or send away the old woman if she is lazy. Otherwise, his life confined to palm wine drinking and making of children.
also something for which the Church struggles: the equality between spouses.
After lunch, rice and beans, I should rest. But I'm not there to sleep. So I start writing the report, take a walk and visit Father Edwin the fire wood columns.
impressions of the walk:
evening wears Father Pontiatus back from his trip. He is very young and before dinner, he tells of his experiences. The village, which he has sought should, according to some locals for half an hour from the road are, but it was a four-hour walk including through chest deep rivers. The people have mostly never heard of the Catholic Church.
The population of a village had to be thought of like this: Quite a lot of old people and young children more with their mothers. The men go away, if they can, or Douala to Yaounde. Life in the slums of large cities also offers a higher chance of a bit of money. Occasionally, as for Christmas, they visit their village. They come as men of the city with a little money for which it is easy to find a girl. Thus, the HIV virus is spreading in the most remote villages.
Globalization does not stop here. It is not at all the people who live happily with their religious nature. Therefore, it is good that at least the churches in these villages take to create a perspective in life and spread moral ideas of the modern world. Because the state is not expected. The UN currently provides advice on whether the villages in the mountains to Nigeria or Cameroon. The limits are in fact not entirely clear since independence.
Then we come to Germany to talk about democracy and so on.
The next morning, the program starts, so we actually got the transfer of tools for young people who start an apprenticeship as a carpenter. They should be ceremoniously in a mess hall, which is scheduled for nine clock. At half past ten we go. Father Pontiatus keeps the show alone, because Father Edwin spontaneously to the funeral a child's needs, which has given me the day before on the road or hands. Here there is a different relationship to death, especially in children.
The three would-be carpenters come from poor families. your Parents are either dead or on the basis of disease is not able to earn money. The Family Life Office is funding the tuition of many orphans, but what about after school? A university degree does not mean that one will find a job.
Pontiatus Father blesses the tools and before it comes to pass, I will give a speech. The biggest concern, namely, whether the tools are also used for the purposes intended and are not sold by any uncle. A tool kit will cost 70 000 francs (110 €). Since the money comes from the diocese of Limburg and I am the representative quasi, it is my job to encourage people to use responsibly the tools, and to convey that I came from Germany to see how and if they used the funds.
my speeches in English are always better, because this is expected at each event that they say something. Everything is filmed and I do not know how many times they have played the part with my speech this afternoon on the television in the rectory.
The tools are presented and then have very many pictures are taken with my camera, because everyone wants his picture in the report appears in Germany. So here are the pictures:
After all photographed, we meet the youth in the church to make our program of education and AIDS. This time, just says Stephen, because the children speak and understand Pidgin better than English. Then there is food. Two families of the lucky recipients tools have prepared food, from which we have two months might be enough: Fufu, chicken and goat meat, which I did not try. For it looks as if the goat at a time and then grilled over an open fire was cut into small pieces. Then in any case can close the black skin which, though of the Cameroonians in effort, but chewed happily.
Since we can not eat anything, are the other church-goers satisfied. Then we will get presents gifts: A Cock and plantains.
Now it gets a bit stressful, because we have to hurry to be on time even in Kumbo. I still prefer to quickly and Stephen loads the bike. The bag can sweet potatoes we leave some impossible and the tap all we need for Christmas. This may hang in a bag under the rear rack in front of the exhaust. It is indeed a very ugly cock, but he did not deserve it now. But he will survive the journey.
As with my backpack to the luggage mountain as high as I have even cleared out, all realize that the banana on it do not fit really. So we say goodbye to everyone and make our way home.
We take this time a different road, the worse. The advantage is that it has less slope and I must not descend so often and run up the hill, the downside is that the road a lot stony and studded with more boulders than the outward journey.
We are gathering dust at sunset in Kumbo on.
The trip was worth it and I will definitely come again to Mfumte.
Regards Maximilian
