Steemit Engagement Challenge - Steemit Pakistan Community ("The Three Rs and Three Cs")

History

The name of my country was derived from the Worri River by the Portuguese explorers in 1472, who landed in the coastal city Douala. Initiating from the Rio dos Camaroes ("River of Prawns") because of the different species of crayfish found in river Wouri. My country has a distinct regional religious background, political tradition, and culture. The First War world resolution, which implemented the League of nation mandates led to the creation of the Anglophone and Francophone regions.

^Pixabay.com

The anglophone(English speaking) region is divided into two regions made up of the Grassfield people and Bakweri people. The Francophone (French-speaking) region is made up of nine regions largely Muslim north and Christian south. Cameroon has small ethnic tribes like Ewondo, Eton, Kum, Mankon Bulu Beti, etc.

Cameroon is geographically located by the Gulf of Guinea, covering an area of 179,527 square miles. Neighboring countries are Chad (North) Nigeria (West), the Central African Republic to the (east), and the People's Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon(south). The capital is Yaounde, and Cameroon has two seasons (Dry and rainy seasons). Due to colonial heritage, We have two official languages (French and English) with about two hundred local languages.

Reasons why I love my country

• National Symbols :

Our flag is unique and tells a lot about my country. The Cameroon flag is made up of three colors (Green, red, and Yellow) in that order, with a gold star at the center of the red color. What is so special about the Cameroon flag is the fact the different colors represent the different geographical regions of the country.

• Green color Rainforest
• Red color Savanna Laterite soil
• Yellow color Sands of the Sahel.

Another interesting part of the Cameroon symbol is the national anthem which begins with the phrase "Oh, Cameroon, cradle of our ancestors". From childhood, this created a strong feeling of belonging and a patriotic spirit that connected me to the ancestral forefathers of this great nation Cameroon. I can remember my primary school days when I was shouting at the top of my voice when singing the national anthem.

• National Food:

hahaha haha, I'm sure you already know why I will not miss this part of my country. I don't joke with my stomach, so what I have to eat is vital to me as my body needs it too. I love my country Cameroun because of the variety of food, and Cameroonian food is just the best. Well, I have not tested the varieties of food from other parts of the world, but just from the look Cameroon meal beat them hands down lol. The creativity of Cameroonians when it comes to food is just amazing, my mom can take one ingredient and prepare different delicacies.

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A simple is the Egusi(melon seed), it can be used to prepare soup for rice, plantain, sweet potatoes, etc. Same Egusi can be used to prepare pudding which can be eaten with meyondo(it a casava delicacy) wish I knew the English appellation for it. We have Corn, which can be roasted and eaten with boiled groundnut, Gride, and produce corn flour which is prepared for fufu corn, or Koki Corn(mixing with palm oil). I can go on and on.

• National Touch of Nature:

Wow, this is the part you don't only see, but you get to feel the touch of nature around you. Cameroon has a good number of places you can visit to take off yourself during stressful moments. Cameroon has the second oldest botanical garden(Limbe Botanic Garden) in Cameroon, which is located in the coastal city of Limbe and is the sanctuary for primates (Limbe Zoological Garden).

I know more about this sanctuary because I have lived on the premises for over ten years. Most of the gorillas and chimpanzees are orphans, as their parents were killed by hunters for a meal. The Western Lowland Gorillas and found along the south of the Sanaga River. These species make my country special when it comes to primates in the world.

Another touch of nature is the fact that Cameroon is bound to the ocean(sea). Here you have the chance to wander around the sea, take in some air and have the feeling of nature.

Three Changes I will expect

• The Anglophone Crisis:

This is a long story and situation in my country which is unnoticed. This crisis has been going on since 2016 when the lawyers and teachers went to the street and protested for better working conditions in their different sectors. As I mentioned, the English-speaking part is made up of two regions while the French are made up of eight regions. The root of the anglophone crisis is the feeling of the English-speaking minority having the feeling of not being adequately represented and culturally marginalized by the central government which is made up of the French-speaking.

So when this crisis sparked, the government responded by killing civilians, torching villages, and incommunicado detention. This act pushed the anglophone to the wall, and separatist groups took over the protest and turned into armed convicts. The crisis is 5 years gone, no concrete solution as the government is finding it difficult to appease the people.

I'm present in one of the regions strongly hit by this crisis, kids don't go to school on Monday. It is a ghost day observed by all in the anglophone regions, just a way to show solidarity with the separatist. Not Like im in support, but for the safety of your life, im compelled to respect this day.

This is the first thing I will love for my country to look into for peace to return and we can have back our normal lives. It is not easy living in a town where you have sounds of guns and the movement shut down for days.

• Crackdown on Political Opposition:

This is something my government is becoming a professional in, using the security forces to crack down on opposition demonstrations. The current government is too scared, what? I have yet to find out. Any demonstration by the opposition is not allowed to go on. Resent was the case of one of the opposition parties, MRC who tried to organize a protest, they were all arrested including their leader, and tried and sent to prison.

The government accused them of destabilizing the country. I can go on and on and list other politicians who have been arrested for speaking out on the pertinent issue in the country by criticizing the government.

Well, I wish this act of Crackdown on Political Opposition can be changed and give every political freedom to speak and protest when necessary. The funniest thing is the law gives room for the freedom of speech.

• Justice and Accountability:

Here, the thing just happens in my country, and you the citizens are at a loss if it is your country. Prisoners disappeared in our prison, cases are held pending for no reason. Some cases are held under closed doors, and an example is the case of the alleged killing of two women and two children in the far north region. The case was held behind closed doors, and the public is not even sure if they were sentenced to prison.

My government is fond of refusing any abuse done by the national security forces and will block any access to any information if any organization wants to do a deeper investigation.

Conclusion

I'm a proud Cameroonian, with a whole list of setbacks. We have an old president who I admire for his leadership. President Pual Biya(Force of Experience) has his way of managing crises, but I think no others will do better. Better days for Cameroon ahead. Long live Cameroon

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Cheers
Thanks for dropping by
@fombae