Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
UNDERSTAND CAMEROON
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Cameroon Today
Having re-elected presidential strongman Paul Biya in a contentious yet, broadly speaking,
free election in 2011, Cameroon has sealed its reputation as a stable and peaceful country.
For most people though, corruption remains Cameroon's major issue. For example, the
paperwork for opening a business can take an extremely long time to process, and many
people feel that paying bribes is the only way to get government services. The international
anticorruption organisation, Transparency International, consistently ranks Cameroon
among the world's most corrupt countries. Until this is addressed and genuine political
openness permitted, Cameroon will inevitably continue to limp along.
Yet the most spoken about person in the country is none other than the first lady, Chantal
Biya, who has taken on the mantle of an African Princess Diana. Her love of haute couture,
her famous 'banana' haircut and high-profile charity work mean she is a staple in the na-
tional press.
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History
Parts of what is now Cameroon were divided and ceded between European countries
throughout the colonial era until the modern boundaries were established in 1961, creating
a part-Anglophone, part-Francophone nation.
Prawns for Starters
Portuguese explorers first sailed up the Wouri River in 1472, and named it Rio dos
Camarões (River of Prawns). Soon after, Fulani pastoral nomads from what is now Nigeria
began to migrate overland from the north, forcing the indigenous forest peoples south-
wards. The Fulani migration took on added urgency in the early 17th century as they fled
Dutch, Portuguese and British slave-traders.
