Wednesday, Oct. 1
Fongo-Ndeng, Cameroon
A few more interesting aspects of life in Fongo-Ndeng!
Villagers worship a God who lives on the top of the mountain just behind the Ndi Wamba house. It’s the biggest mountain in the village.
To the left, you can see the tree that marks the entrance to a path that’s used to climb the mountain. It serves as a shrine to the God.
When villagers pass, they leave gifts for the God, offerings like kola nuts and other small foods. In return, they hope the God will bring them good fortune.
Below, Mama Justine leaves an offering of fish at the shrine for the mountain God:
Religion here is deeply rooted in ancestral worship. When a person dies, their family members keep their head in a nearby room so they can consult the spirit for advice. Yes, the heads are covered. Here’s a bunch of them, under pots, in the kitchen of Justine’s sister.
Running with scissors? Try running with a machete! Lots of kids bring hoes that resemble weapons to school because they go directly to the fields afterwards to cultivate. Here’s Deuplace with his machete:
A photo of Cameroon President Paul Biya hangs in many homes, offices and schools:
The “toilet” at the Ndi Wamba house. Oh, don’t pretend you aren’t interested…
Regine makes candy using condensed milk and sells it at a boutique to earn a bit of money. Here she is in the kitchen with a few of her cousins:
Women descending one of the village mountains:
Inkslinging in Africa 
October 8, 2008 at 10:31 am
The same with the machetes in Buea. Even some students at the University of Buea carry them.
Also: they cut their lawns with machetes!
That’s also really interesting about keeping the heads. Now I’m curious as to what preservation techniques they use, if any. (If it’s too creepy to investigate, I’ll understand!)
Keep up the good work! I love the pictures
October 8, 2008 at 12:19 pm
The “toilets” are the same in china, especially the rural parts. The good thing is that most have stalls in urban areas, but all the holes have a “canal” that runs into a bigger one in front of all the stalls. It’s not flushing, per say, but at least it leaves, right?!?! Oh I was so appreciative of plumbing when I came back…
October 9, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Grandma and I enjoyed reading your latest blogs together! We hope the $$ got to the school.
Wonderful pictures!
Love,
Donna
October 13, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Wow.
You know, showing a bunch of heads under pots, and a dirt hold toilet really takes away some of the romance of what you’re doing!!
I’d say the heads are most shocking. What if the pot gets knocked off the head and they see what’s underneath? Is Father’s head there?
Whose job is it to remove the head?
October 13, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Whoops, meant “dirt hole” toilet.