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The 15 hour trip from Yaoundé to N'Gaoundéré was most interesting for I shared a compartment with the Bishop of N'Gaoundéré and a Hajj civil servant who were tolerant not only of their respective beliefs but also of my atheist stance.
The neighbouring compartment was occupied by the Sultan of Foumban with two of his wives. That gave me the occasion to learn something about the traditional monarchies of Cameroon and Nigeria which are sometimes mentioned, but seldom explained, in guide books.
You can see how the luxuriant vegetation of the south dries up as we approach N'Gaoundéré after an overnight train trip from Yaoundé.
Two more modest homes seen from the train.
And a small village.
A noisy crowd of traditional musicians (griots), accompanied by a score of elaborately dressed notables emerged from the station as I was about to enter it after getting off the train.
They were members of the court of the Lamido of N'Gaoundéré and his griots, coming to greet the Sultan of Foumban.
Here is the Sultan of Foumban under the yellow royal parasol, preceded by a member of the Cameroon Armed Forces.
This panorama opens on the Lamido's palace called "Lamidat" and pans to the right 90 degrees before moving to the left 270 degrees to show the rue de la Grande Mosquée. I could not do a 360 degree panorama because I had my back to the Grande Mosquée that you will see in the next picture.
I took the previous picture standing at the foot of the minaret on the right. The entrance to the mosque is a short distance up the rue de la Grande Mosquée on the right.
Sultans and Lamidos wield local civil authority and have the prerogative of choosing the Imam that leads prayers in the community's mosque.
These griots on the Lamidat's porch were waiting for the arrival of the Sultan of Foumban to go into action.
Here, the Lamido of N'Gaoundéré in white is greeting his visitor the Sultan of Foumban in the entrance of his Lamidat while the griots loudspeakers blare traditional music.
Past the entrance hall, the Lamido's palace is composed of a number of thatched roof huts like the one into which the Sultan's party is now moving
All this accompanied with amplified griot music.
This panorama shows some of the court of the Lamido of N'Gaoundéré waiting to meet the visiting Sultan. Each of these "notables" have a well defined traditional function from Chief of the Palace Guard to Lamido's Footman and Dresser. Actually they don't do much more than to chew the fat while they hang around the Lamidat in the shade.
This "case" (hut), is shown to visitors as the Lamido's case.
And here is the inside of the Lamido's "case". I do not doubt that it belongs to him but I suspect that a man as wealthy as the Lamido of N'Gaoundéré would normally live in a better furnished and more comfortable place. I would expect that someone who drives around in a big late model SUV would not do without modern conveniences in his home.
Here is the list of the 18 Lamidos who have reigned in N'Gaoundéré since 1830.
A short distance up the rue de la Grande Mosquée from the Lamidat is this great tree in front of the Grand Marché (Big Market).
As you can see, I got a range of reactions when I asked to take a photo of these guys loafing by the market wall. Two were indifferent, one was enchanted and the third glared with sullen disapproval.
Inside the market enclosure, I had a chat with this vendor of processed manioc (raw manioc has to be thoroughly washed to remove the poisonous cyanide compounds it contains)
Manioc, also known as cassava, yucca, tapioca and Brazilian Arrow-Root was introduced into Africa as a cheap starch foodstuff during the slave trade period. It has become a staple in many tropical countries. In Cameroon it is mixed with water and boiled to produce a gelatinous mass called "foufou" eaten with boiled greens or wrapped in leaves and fashioned into "batons" (sticks). It is rather bland, high in calories and poor in vitamins and minerals.
While we were chatting, his wife (or one of his wives) came with a tray of manioc "beignets" she had been selling in the market.
Both were friendly so I took their picture.
In the opposite, western, side of N'Gaoundéré from the Lamidat and Grande Mosquée, stands the catholic Cathedral, the domain of the Bishop that travelled with me by train from Yaoundé.
Nearby, the Complexe Marhaba, a popular night club and the best restaurant in town.
This section of the rue de la Gare had been recently worked on. Here again that brilliant red laterite soil found in tropical regions.
The butcher did not want me to take his picture but did not object to my interest in his shop.
Halfway up the rue de la Gare is the "Petite Mosquée", the "Petit Marché" and the Oumar Ndoumbe Stadium.
Two "guérisseurs" (healing shamans), were offering traditional medicine and charms on a street corner not far from the "Petite Mosquée". Here also the vendor did not want to be photographed (in his words, "filmé" (put on film)).
Most of the people here are Muslim, then come the Animists and last the Christians.
A bunch of sheep on the main street does not attract attention in N'Gaoundéré, it's normal.
Almost across the street from the Al-Hilal Hotel where I stayed was this brand new mosque also called "Grande Mosquée". Maroua further north also has two "Grande Mosquée".
The Al-Hilal was quite convenient because the early morning bus to Maroua left from a station next door.
