Photos

Driving throughout different villages and towns in the north-west of Cameroon made me realize (or remember) few major differences between Europe and Africa.

Living in Africa is living outdoor first.

Living in Africa is living among the youth.

Living in Africa is realizing how schools are important for the future of a young Nation.

Indeed, I believe that any village we drove through had its little school like you can see in this picture taken in Nkambe. Around 1:00 or 2:00 PM roads were filled with pupils in blue suits walking back from schools. Some of them obviously had to walk several km before reaching their house. It makes you realize that Western countries are Old Nations compared to Developping Countries where most of the population is under 20 years old. And when you are 20 and you have no education, what kind of future can you expect, what kind of job can you get.

I was asked several times by people from the villages how was life in Douala, if there were any job. In Douala itself, I was asked several times how was life in Europe. I tried to explain that life could be as difficult because of the lack of employement. Most of them replied me that there was no work in those villages apart from the farm. How can you really convince them that their life may be better in those villages when they know from the TV how wealthy some people can become. Wealthy in a way that none of them can have a chance to be if they stay in those villages.

Little by little, you start to understand why big cities, why Europe, why the US are like magnets for them even if most of the time it means poverty, danger or even death when trying to sail away from their country...