THE DIARY GAME 6/03/2021. My first day in Bokova village, Buea subdivision.

Dear members of Steemit, tradition still holds strong grounds in some parts of Cameroon, even in Buea.
Yesterday, i woke up very early around 6am because i had to go to a strange place (village) where I've never been. I call 6am early because i planned to sleep longer and maybe wake up later than that because i finished my exams the previous day so i had to recover all the lost sleep hours.
My program in Bokova was slated for 9am but i had to go earlier 1hr prior to time, thats because i needed to trace my way to the place early enough if that was going to cost me extra time.

Upon reaching the village, i was really scared because i know no one there and the place was really quiet unlike the noisy Molyko which am use to.
The venue for my rendezvous was the bokova community hall. Infront of the hall is a football field (playground) which is by the road side. It is very normal that anyone who comes to that place and maybe has a program at the community hall or around may likely pack his car in the football field.

bokova football field

Take a look at that taxi which u see from afar. The driver came came for the same program as myself. And being a stranger and reasoning like any other human being, decide to stay off the road and entered the field to pack his car. Then suddenly we heard the villagers around shouting "no pack for dey" then one of them came closer and asked him if he wants to pack his car and he said yes. The man asked him to go and pack under that tree (still inside the field). Suddenly the villagers, including the man who told him to pack there began shouting that he has committed an abomination in their land.

taxi packed under a tree in the field

Some boys of the community including the man who asked him to stop there, went to the small bush infront which seems like they've built a shrine there. They went and cut grass which they placed in the front and back of that taxi. The building you see with green roof is Presbyterian church bokova. In between PC bokova and the community hall is the shrine.

So i moved to them and asked why they did that and they told me it us an abomination in their land to pack a car in the field worse of all under that tree. Then they asked me where on earth have i seen a tree in a football field. That's what i wondered to myself even before that scene.
They told the driver to give them one crate of beer as the least they can take as pardon for his ignorance.
So i told them to warn the public with a signpost, that will prevent cases of future defaulters of their tradition and they told me NO. That they won't put any signpost claiming that the stones arw enough.
But i told them those stones look just as normal signs to demacate the field and nothing mysterious. They insisted that they wont put any signpost.
The driver had to provide them with the crate of beer before they could remove the things they tied on his taxi and let him go.

I didn't know that such tradition exist in Cameroon. How can a football field located by the roadside be made a sacred place?

bokova field

That kept me wondering for the rest of my day even after i came back home i just had to share the story with others. Then i concluded that whenever i enter a strange land, I'll stay on the main road till someone who knows the place takes me off the road. Just being careful not to break traditional norms unconsciously.
Thanks for reading guys. I guess we all have learnt from this my little experience.

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