Along the way the deputy was given a grilling, and then dressing down, and left in no doubt as to what was expected of him. This was truly democracy in action at grass roots level. As we departed, one of the dissenters, high on red wine, harangued me, possibly believing that I had in some way influenced the decision that had gone against him. The next day I was horrified to hear that the gendarmes had arrived later and arrested him for behaving in an offensive manner to their honorary consul. But the real horror came on Wednesday, when it was announced on the radio that 31 people from that very village had died from drinking bad water.
Life is cheap in Africa.
Ironically it was at that very time that I learned via CNN that the long suffering people of my city of Sydney were complaining about a dictum urging that drinking water be boiled for the next two weeks. In Cameroon the story of the death of thirty one villagers didn't raise a ripple on the pond of every day life. This along with fresh french bread, available throughout the country, enables me to lead a healthy life whilst there, and usually lose two or three kilograms as a bonus. Camerounians on the other hand, are bemused by this strange character from the West who shuns, chicken, pork, beef, mutton, goat and fish. They laugh at my comment that I don't eat anything with eyes, and themselves take every opportunity to partake of meat sourced protein.