International Women’s Day, March 8, 2007

In the US, International Women’s Day passes without much notice. Here, in Cameroon, it is a BIG DEAL! I found out about the big celebrations only the day before. It is usual for a woman to have a tailor-made dress for the occasion. You select one of three colors/designs but the design of the dress can be anything you want. So I didn’t have an "official" dress, which was the cause of some embarrassment since I was dressed so blandly in comparison.

The day is quite festive with the main event at the town grandstand. I finagled a seat inside (out of the hot sun). There is speeches, poetry, and dance competitions (with the men "officials" joining in – the cause of great mirth among the crowd). But the main event is a parade of the dozens and dozens of womens groups, all in their special dresses with flounces, flourishes, and fancy. Many were organized around HIV/AIDS, poverty reduction, and elimination of domestic violence. Many were rural groups, each with a banner or sign. It went on for about two hours with the high school band playing in the background. Afterwards, I hung out with some of the university women faculty who were a hoot. I met most of them that day – about time!

Flag Expedition

Some of you know that I was awarded an Explorer’s Club Flag. It is considered an honor to carry one. Each flag is issued "on loan" and has its own history. I applied to carry a flag for the research portion of this trip and was awarded Flag #50. It dates from 1932 and has been all over (and above) the world, including Ethopia, Easter Island, Farallon Islands, and a trans-global balloon flight. And now to Cameroon.

Part of the tradition is to take pictures of the flag at interesting points of the expedition. The first photo is with members of the faculty and administration at the University of Dschang. From left to right, Jonas Pinta, chair of the Botany Department; Pierre Tané, Dean of the Faculty of Science; Anaclet Fomenthe, Rector (President) of the University; me; and Ajaga Nji, Vice Rector for Research and Cooperation.

The second photo is me with the fon (king) of Oku. On my arrival in Oku, he had asked me to return with my observations. Following our discussion, we snapped this photo (and drank a little palm wine).

The third photo represents the true nature of the expedition. At the left is my main man, Isaac Fokom who has been part of my research from the beginning. At the right is Joseph Keming who joined my work in the second year. I couldn’t do this work without them. We are standing in front of Tree #2 in the Sacred Forest, one of the largest trees in the study. Unfortunately, it is dead because of harvest.