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In the north of Cameroon
In the north of Cameroon
Bert Meyer
March 16, 2015
© Bert Meyer
“Cameroon, May 16, 2014. In the early hours of the morning, it’s already evident that the trip to the north of Cameroon is going to be an exciting one. Our plane is waiting for us at the military airport in Yaoundé. The local press only seemed interested in one theme today: the incursion of Boko Haram into Cameroonian territory. Months earlier, security had already been stepped up on the border to Nigeria. I am accompanying Catholic bishops from the south of Cameroon on a military plane flying to the extreme north of the country. The following day, about 30 bishops are due to take part in an episcopal ordination in Maroua stadium.
I know the area around Maroua very well. Between 1996 and 2008, I was in Cameroon on assignment as a carpenter on behalf of the Pallotti (an apostolic community). The country was my home for many years, and the people there became my family.
On the way from Maroua-Salak airport to the hotel the evening before the ordination, we make a stop: the Christians in this extreme northern region are getting a new cathedral. We stop at the building site. The Archbishop Emeritus Christian Wiyghan, Cardenal Tumi from Douala and the other bishops hear from the building manager, and then express their appreciation for the construction of the cathedral, a project that had been initiated by Philippe Stevens, Bishop Emeritus of Maroua. Afterwards we continue to the hotel where, with a temperature of around 41 degrees Celsius, we have drinks and a small snack. Unfortunately, during the night I have to do without air conditioning, as the same switch that turns off the light turns off the AC as well. Bad luck!
On the day of the ordination, around 5000 people celebrate with the Pallotti priest, Father Bruno Ateba, who is to take over from Bishop Stevens. The five-hour ceremony is surrounded by security. The military patrol everywhere. There is still no news of the three missing people of the order, who have been in the hands of the terrorists for some time. The tension created by the security forces is palpable.”
I know the area around Maroua very well. Between 1996 and 2008, I was in Cameroon on assignment as a carpenter on behalf of the Pallotti (an apostolic community). The country was my home for many years, and the people there became my family.
On the way from Maroua-Salak airport to the hotel the evening before the ordination, we make a stop: the Christians in this extreme northern region are getting a new cathedral. We stop at the building site. The Archbishop Emeritus Christian Wiyghan, Cardenal Tumi from Douala and the other bishops hear from the building manager, and then express their appreciation for the construction of the cathedral, a project that had been initiated by Philippe Stevens, Bishop Emeritus of Maroua. Afterwards we continue to the hotel where, with a temperature of around 41 degrees Celsius, we have drinks and a small snack. Unfortunately, during the night I have to do without air conditioning, as the same switch that turns off the light turns off the AC as well. Bad luck!
On the day of the ordination, around 5000 people celebrate with the Pallotti priest, Father Bruno Ateba, who is to take over from Bishop Stevens. The five-hour ceremony is surrounded by security. The military patrol everywhere. There is still no news of the three missing people of the order, who have been in the hands of the terrorists for some time. The tension created by the security forces is palpable.”
ALL IMAGES ON THIS PAGE: © Bert Meyer
Bert Meyer+-
Born in Nordhorn, Germany in 1970, Meyer spent the years between 1996 and 2008 in Cameroon, on assignment as a carpenter on behalf of the Pallotti (an apostolic community). It was there that he began to document his work with photographs. Since 2010, he is involved in joint projects with other Pallotti, helping disadvantaged people in Africa and India. More
© Bert Meyer
© Bert Meyer
© Bert Meyer
© Bert Meyer
© Bert Meyer
© Bert Meyer
© Bert Meyer
© Bert Meyer
© Bert Meyer