The Guider Cultural Festival

Monday, December 17, 2012 – The Guider Cultural Festival

Last weekend there was a cultural festival in Guider that happens every two years.  It ran from Thursday to Saturday, and PCVs from both the North and Extreme-North came down for it.  Several people from the last staj (the same one as my post-mate) were on their way to IST, the training that happens 3 months after you get to post, and came for the first day or two.  It was nice having everyone in town, and to get to show off my new post. 

Thursday we all went to the opening ceremonies.  It was interesting when we got there – I walked up with a couple of friends and we tried to move to the back of the crowd.  Immediately, an official looking man and four women in matching panja (the fabric their outfits were made out of) walked up and ushered us in front of everybody.  We were escorted to the VIP stadium seating under tents that only a small portion of the crowd was allowed in.  Until the ceremony actually began, we watched groups of ornately dressed musicians and dancers, either carrying their instruments or swords, and men on decorated horses with spears that would rush towards the crowd every now and then. 

The show began after a while with government ministers and other important people arriving in motorcades before being formally brought to the front, welcomed, and introduced to the crowd.  Traditional music and dances followed, largely performed directly for the VIPs.  Then came the speeches, all fairly long and incomprehensible do to a poor sound system and, of course, the language barrier that we still face. 

Finally came the act that everyone was waiting for.  A line of women (young girls) in matching panja wraps came out with men playing instruments behind them and started doing what would charitably be described as a dance, but was really just more of a shaking movement.  Before long, and accompanied by a loud applause from all of them men in the audience, those wraps fell away and the women continued their ‘dance’ topless.  While I knew this was coming, it was still fairly surprising considering the conservative culture of the region.  Two-thirds of Guider is Muslim, and those women normally can’t show shoulders, knees, or the tops of their heads.  Even the Christian third dresses conservatively, though slightly less so.  Either way, I’m not complaining. 

The opening-ceremonies ended not long after, and so we walked around the area, which was set up with stalls for people to sell things – everything from food to traditionally carved and decorated bowls, figurines, jewelry, artwork, mats, and instruments.  The entire time we were followed by a troop of children, who pretty much just stared at us, and met many of the locals.  For the rest of the evening we just went back to my post-mates house (which is much larger and better for gathering than mine) and had some dinner and drinks. 

Friday we headed up to the Gorges de Kola, which is about 10 KM from Guider.  It’s a really cool ravine made from a grey rock that is both fairly narrow and deep – I am curious how full it gets during the rainy season.  We climbed down inside of it and looked around before heading back to Guider.  That night I went with a few friends who were in town and their Cameroonian friends to a concert back next to the stadium where the opening ceremonies were held.  A band had been brought in from Yaoundé that was really good.  We had planned on showing up for a beer or two and ended up staying all day and into the night.  The band played most of the favorites that we have come to love from the radio, and I can honestly say that outside of weddings, I danced more than I ever have in my life, including getting up on stage in front of everyone.  One of our party even impressed the sponsors so much they she won a Castal umbrella (the beer company sponsoring the concert).  The only casualty was my phone, which was lifted from my pocket at some point during the dancing.  When being groped by Cameroonian men and women, it is hard to tell when that groping turns into stealing. 

The next day it was back up to Gorges de Kola for more of the festival.  A friend and I had a fairly awkward experience where traditional music was being played and these two guys literally knelt in front of us blowing these horns – that sound a lot like bagpipes – into our faces for a good 10-15 minutes.  Apparently they wanted a tip, which we did not have the money to give, and I think were pretty offended when we didn’t give one. 

Either way, it was a great festival and really interesting cultural experience.  It was a great introduction into my new community and really good to have so many PCVs visit.  Peace Corps was also great about it, with the regional logistician driving people to all of the events and calls from the Country Director to make sure planning for the festival was going well beforehand and that the festival was going well during it.