Today
was no different than any other day, a big adventure. A coworker of mine got
married today and invited us to it to see a traditional Cameroonian
wedding. He wanted to be sure Keith (Maura's brother) was able to see
one.
We
decided it was going to be a bit adventurous so only the boys would go - Keith,
Patrick and myself. The biggest adventure was getting to the
wedding. I thought I knew the town where the wedding was but it turns out
it was a bit further than I expected. We had problems getting a taxi to
take us there for a reasonable rate. I thought the ride was going to be
about 20 minutes but it turns out it was over an hour. So I was
negotiating the fare with this mindset and finally paid up to get a driver to
take us. The difference in fare was minimal but it’s the principal of
overcharging us because we are white so I sucked it up and paid $2 instead of
$1.20 that the fare should have been.
After
being smashed in the cab with 5 other people for an hour we got to the
edge of town where the police check vehicle papers. Our driver said he
did not have his papers so he pulled over and yelled to another taxi. He
said we should pay him and get in the other taxi. After another 30
minutes we finally arrived at the church where we were to meet our ride to the
house. The very first thing Patrick said once we got out of the taxi was
“I want to go home.”
Due
to our travel fiasco we were an hour late so I figured we missed the
event. Turns out we were still early by 15 minutes. First, there
was mass. Traditional weddings do not have a Catholic mass but the couple
wanted to have one to bless them. The mass was not for marriage, they
will do a church wedding in July.
After
mass we all gathered in the house for the traditional wedding. Each
family has an elder representative sent from their perspective tribes.
The representatives speak for the people getting married. The bride’s
representative is the head of the wedding. He started by asking why she
has brought all these people to the house. They pretend as if they don’t
know what is going on. The representative of the groom played along and
said he happened to be driving by and saw a ripe guava on a tree he wanted to
pick. A big jug of palm wine was then unplugged and a cup of it was given
to the bride. She is told to give the cup to the person who has brought
all these people. She was to search for the groom and finally she gave
him the glass of palm wine. Then the couple talks with the bride’s
representative to explain their intention. Finally, the bride
representative talks only with the groom giving him advice. The groom was
told he had other people to talk to that could not make it that day to get
their approval. Then everyone gets a glass of palm wine and a kola
nut. And, of course, we ended with a big meal.
I
had fun watching Keith taste many of the foods for the first time. He was
brave enough to eat cow’s skin and drink the palm wine. Patrick made
friends with a baby. The parents were trying to get him to hold the baby
and he refused so I was able to hold him for awhile. We socialized a bit
and we found a ride home so we were excited. When it was time to go, my
coworker wanted to take a picture of us with him and his wife but she was nowhere
to be found. We found out the elder women took her and locked her up from
him. He was to pay to get her back, like a dowry.
We left before he
paid up so we don’t know the outcome of that situation. The ride home was
much nicer in the air conditioning and only 3 of us in the back seat. By
the time we arrived at home all three of us were exhausted but it was a
wonderful day to be a part of. We are grateful for the generosity of our
friends here that allow us to participate in their lives.
Peace-
Ryan
