Sayings of Cameroonian origin
A cherry year, a merry year; a plum year, a dumb year.
You come with a cat and call it a rabbit.
A man’s wealth may be superior to him.
The elephant will reach to the roof of the house.
It is the pot that boils but the dish that gets the credit.
If everyone is going to dance, who, then, would watch?
The heart of a wise man lies quiet like clear water.
A building of sand falls as you build it.
She is like a road — pretty, but crooked.
One father can feed seven children, but seven children cannot feed one father.
The flood takes him in, and the ebb takes him out.
Knowledge is better than riches.
Thought is free.
Beauty is an empty calabash.
If the fight is tomorrow, why then clench your fist today?
However little you think of the elephant, you can’t say it won’t fill a pot.
Better a mistake at the beginning than at the end.
The cricket cries, the year changes.
However swift a man, he will not outstrip his shadow.
A friend is worth more than a brother.
When the poor man sets a trap only his dog gets caught.
Lying can get you a wife, but it won’t keep her.
You cannot produce one human being without uniting two bodies.
He, who asks questions, cannot avoid the answers.
An elephant will reach to the roof of the house.
Water always finds a way out.
Singing birds don’t build nests.
Every smart man is an ignoramus who abuses his ignorance.
Thought breaks the heart.
Better little than too little.
Rain does not fall on one roof alone.
A bird that allows itself to be caught will find a way of escaping.
If you ask questions, you cannot avoid answers.
If the panther knew how much he is feared, he would do much more harm.
The folly of a man is not broadcast like that of a woman.
The day did not know that night had fallen.
The fire cannot be put out with your hands.
When the vine entwines your roof, it is time to cut it down.
By trying often, the monkey learns to jump from the tree.
The darkness of night cannot stop the light of morning.
If love is a sickness, patience is the remedy.
It is better to be the victim of injustice than to be unjust yourself.
No matter how fast a man is, he cannot outrun his shadow.
If you do not step on the dog’s tail, he will not bite you.
What you don’t know, you will not recognize.
There is no doctor on the day you die.
The Republic of Cameroon
Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon’s coastline lies on the Bight of Bonny, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Cameroon is home to more than 200 different linguistic groups. French and English are the official languages. The country is often referred to as “Africa in miniature” for its geological and cultural diversity. Natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas. The highest point is Mount Cameroon in the southwest Region of the country, and the largest cities are Douala, Yaoundé, and Garoua. After independence, the newly united nation joined the Commonwealth of Nations, although the vast majority of its territories had previously been a German colony and, after World War I, a French mandate. The country is well known for its native styles of music, particularly makossa and bikutsi, and for its successful national football team.
Yaoundé is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of approximately 2.5 million, the second largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the centre of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,500 ft) above sea level. (An excerpt from Wikipedia)
“The Rallying Song” or “Chant de Ralliement” is the national anthem of Cameroon.
Cameroon National Anthem ( English Lyrics):
O Cameroon, Thou Cradle of our Fathers,
Holy Shrine where in our midst they now repose,
Their tears and blood and sweat thy soil did water,
On thy hills and valleys once their tillage rose.
Dear Fatherland, thy worth no tongue can tell!
How can we ever pay thy due?
Thy welfare we will win in toil and love and peace,
Will be to thy name ever true!
Land of Promise, land of Glory!
Thou, of life and joy, our only store!
Thine be honour, thine devotion,
And deep endearment, for evermore.
From Shari, from where the Mungo meanders
From along the banks of lowly Boumba Stream,
Muster thy sons in union close around thee,
Mighty as the Buea Mountain be their team;
Instil in them the love of gentle ways,
Regret for errors of the past;
Foster, for Mother Africa, a loyalty
That true shall remain to the last.