Cameroon is a West African country reaching the Atlantic ocean in the south and bordered by Nigeria to the west and the Central African Republic to the east.
Established as an independent country in 1960, the current Republic of Cameroon arose from the merging of French Cameroun its colony to the south, British Cameroon. Today, both French and English are recognized as official languages. Despite the recent French and English influence, the name “Cameroon” actually derives from the Portuguese camarão, meaning prawn, due the abundance of these crawfish explorers found in the Wouri River.
People have lived in the region of Cameroon since recorded history began. The rainforests of southern Cameroon, Gabon and Congo were the home of the Baka Pygmie culture, the original people in the region. The Baka people have since been largely replaced and absorbed by people of Bantu origin, a collection of over 400 ethnic groups that dominate the population of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Today, the approximate 18 million citizens can trace their heritage to many different regional ethnic groups. About 40 percent of the people continue to practice indigenous tribal and ethnic religious beliefs; 40 percent of the population practices Christianity; 20 percent are Muslim.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCC) has a strong presence in Cameroon, serving 140,000 members in more than 900 congregations. The ELCC also sponsors an extensive educational network, including a theological seminary. But the needs are great too, with each of the 90 pastors representing an average of 15,000 members and 10 congregations. Evangelists and catechists support the pastor staff in the practice and sharing of faith throughout the country.
The ELCC is also actively involved in health care.
Columbus resident Dale Linder has been on mission teaching English and serving the health care community for the past three years. The health department runs three hospitals, three dispensaries, a dental clinic and a vision clinic.
The standards of hospital care are quite different than those for middle-class Americans.
For example, Lindner writes that the families of patients are responsible for preparing their daily meals. He also reports that medicines and modern medical machinery are in short supply and that patients must pay for medicines in advance or go without.
In addition the people of Cameroon face the spread of AIDs, a lack of clean water and pockets of malnutrition. Despite historical tensions, the ELCC reports Christians and Muslims are now actively cooperating in the northern part of the country to improve health care.
In comparison to many countries in Africa, the people of Cameroon enjoy relative political stability. Agricultural conditions are also favorable in the region, and the country has many natural resources, altogether supporting a fairly diverse economy. Still, unemployment runs close to 30 percent, and more than 45 percent of the population is estimated to live on incomes below the poverty line. Moreover, Cameroon has become a refuge for many citizens from Chad, Nigeria, the Central African Republic and other more troubled African regions.
Despite the many challenges, Lindner also writes fondly about his experiences and interaction with the local people. His ministry is supported by the ELCA, which is active in many global mission activities. The ELCA also sponsors the ONE Campaign, an effort to rally Americans “ONE by ONE” toward the cause of ending poverty. After preparing this summary on Cameroon, I can better appreciate the wisdom of the campaign. The challenges seems so huge, yet one person making a contribution, one person serving a mission, means one person less hungry, one challenge addressed – ONE by ONE – seems sensible to me.
Jim Sexton
About Cameroon
- Our English words Banjo, Gumbo, Safari and Zombie are derived from Bantu.
- Fried sweet potatoes or plantains are favorite treats.
- Paul Biya has served as the President since 1982.
- The capital is Yaoundé.
- Cameroon was a German colony at the time of World War I.
- Music, dance and “clubbing” are popular activities.
- Major exports include cocoa, coffee and petroleum.
- Cameroon is slightly larger in size than California.
- National holidays include five Christian and three Muslim holy days.
- Cameroon won the men’s Soccer Gold Medal in the 2000 Olympics.
Websites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameroon
http://www.elca.org/globalmission/
http://www.elca.org/countrypackets/cameroon/church.html
http://www.cameroon.net/index.phtml?page=Cameroon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bantu_language
