Septentrion Visit
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Ambassador Garvey and Embassy Team Visit the Septentrion
Ambassador Janet Garvey led an Embassy delegation on a week-long visit to Cameroon’s North, Far North, and Adamaoua provinces, known collectively in Cameroonian French as the Septentrion, from September 21-27. The tour began with a presentation of the Embassy team, which included members of the Political/Economic, Commercial, Consular, Security, Peace Corps, and Public Affairs sections, at the American Corner in Garoua, in Cameroon’s North Province. The introduction was followed by a presentation on the upcoming U.S. elections and a concert explaining American history through folk music. She also announced the launch of a new website the Embassy has created to focus exclusively on the Septentrion, http://septentrion.usvpp.gov. Later in the week, the Ambassador returned to the American Corner in Garoua and met with young students who were benefiting from programs targeted at creating a culture of reading among Cameroonian youth.
In nearby Bibemi, the Ambassador met with Peace Corps volunteer Sarah Lavin and saw firsthand how funds from the Ambassador’s Self-Help program are allowing the community to build a workshop to teach masonry and electrical skills to local residents. That evening, the Ambassador invited more than 20 prominent Muslim women, including mayors, members of parliament, heads of religious organizations, high ranking officials, and journalists, to an Iftar dinner to celebrate the breaking of the Ramadan fast. During the meal, the dynamic women explained the challenges facing women in the Septentrion, such as underscholarization due to agricultural duties and early marriages.
On the third day of the visit, the Ambassador viewed the good work being done at the Meskine hospital, a facility near Maroua and run by Scott and Lee Pyles, two American citizens who have been working to bring medical care to the population of the Far North since 1992. Following the hospital visit, the Ambassador and Embassy delegation proceeded to the village of Rhumsiki, on the border with Nigeria. Here the Ambassador witnessed the great touristic potential of Cameroon as she admired the rugged, lunar landscape, visited the famous Crab Sorcerer, and was treated to traditional dances by the community. The following day, the nearby village of Djalingo demonstrated for the Ambassador how they are able to create cooking stoves made out of dirt from termite mounds and dung from farm animals that are significantly more safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly with the assistance of a small grant through the Ambassador’s Self-Help program and the dedication of Peace Corps volunteers Brooke James and Kathryn Ristroph.
In Maroua, capital of the Far North, the Ambassador and Embassy delegation were invited to an Iftar meal by the Lamido, a traditional religious and political leader, who had recently returned from an Embassy-sponsored program to the U.S. focusing on Religious Tolerance and Interfaith Dialogue. The Lamido was extremely complimentary, both of the program and his experience in the United States, and described his positive exchanges with Christians, Jews, and other Muslims during the visit. He especially enjoyed his interchanges with ordinary Americans during meals at their homes and said he was impressed by the welcoming nature, piety, and timeliness of Americans. Remarking on his trip, the Lamido said, “I could not believe before going to the U.S. that there are large numbers of Muslim communities and various denominations of people living in peace and harmony.” Also while in Maroua, the Ambassador met with the faculty and students of the Maroua Bilingual Secondary School and saw the progress being made to prepare for the upcoming National Festival for Arts and Culture, which will take place in Maroua December 19-23.
On the final day of the voyage, Ambassador Garvey spoke with 30 newly-arrived Peace Corps volunteers in Pitoa before traveling to NGaoundere, capital of the Adamaoua province. There she visited the Lutheran Mission and its American coordinator, Phil Nelson, in addition to touring a military base where Cameroonian forces will receive American-sponsored training for peacekeeping missions abroad.