Bertoua - Luoghi Parlanti

City of Bertoua

East Region, department of Lom and Djérem, Cameroon

PERSONAGES WHAT TO EAT MUST-SEE PICTURES

PERSONAGES

King Mbartoua

The historical figure of the city is King Mbartoua who created and ruled the Gbaya kingdom and was killed in 1903 following clashes with the German colonial army. It was King Mbartoua who gave his name to the City. The settlers preferred the name Bertoua to that of Mbartoua, a word used in Gbaya to designate something huge and which means a large rock that cannot pass through the door of a house. Because according to oral sources, Mbartoua was a true Herculean who impressed with his size and build. Very hostile to the colonizers, he shone by his supernatural power that allowed him to disappear and his ability to make difficult the so-called civilizing mission of the Westerners in this part of the country. This led to his death.

Common Expressions

Mo sa'a mè ndé? = Did the day find you? = Hello
Mè tè nè dié ? = Where are you from?
Yine mè nè o ? = What is your name?
Yinam nè Alain= My name is Alain
Mi comè nè makit = I want to go to the market
Mi comè yong pain= I want to eat bread
Mi comè zok sayé = I want to visit the city
Mi comè= I love you
Mi comè na = I don't love you
Mi cona = I don't want to
Mè tè = Come

Every Hausa man with e kettle

The translation is "everyone has his own burden". First of all, it's interesting that many proverbs in Cameroon are in pidgin english. The Hausas (Hausa man) in Cameroon, being of the Muslim faith, have to carry a kettle of water with them all the time because they have to be ready to do ablutions for their daily prayers wherever they are. So, it is something they cannot drop off or leave for an extended period.

WHAT TO EAT

Culinary tradition

In Bertoua, we consume a variety of foods that are part of our culinary tradition. We can mention among others the kpeum (cassava leaves), okra, cocko, the Wiki (the Mbol), the bushmeat with a sauce composed of salt and chilli, with as main complement the cassava couscous. Food among the Gbayas is eaten with the fingers that allow according to our ancestors to better feel the flavor of the meal.

How to cook Mbol in Bertoua:

Ingredients: 2 cubes, 500 grams of pigeon pea flour, 500 grams of smoked meat or fish, 250 grams of crushed pistachio, 250 grams of dried shrimp, 1kg of manio flour.
Step 1: Mix shrimp fish, meat, salt, cube, chili pepper in a casserole and boil over low heat for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Remove some juice from this mixture let cool and then mix it with the crushed pistachio which will make it a paste.
Step 3: Add to the resulting dough in the pot by making balls with a tablespoon. Let everything boil for 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 4: Remove the pot from the heat and remove all the juice left to cool. Mix it gradually by whisking and make sure that it does not form a ball.
Step 5: Pour the brown sauce obtained into the pot where the meat fish, shrimp produced boiled and check the seasoning.
Step 6: Pour the cassava flour into the boiling water, and gradually add the hot water remove by stirring with a spatula.
Step 7: The Couscous will be ready when you get an elastic and homogeneous paste. Make balls with a ladle or bowl.

Ndolé

One of the best Cameroonian dishes is Ndolé which is somehow considered “the unofficial dish” of Cameroon. Ndolé is an aromatic Cameroonian spinach stew that is made of spinach and bitter leaves. The stew is flavoured with crayfish, garlic, beef and shrimps. It is one of the most famous dishes in Cameroon and is considered as a comfort food by the locals.

MUST-SEE

The artisanal village of Bertoua

It is a place created by the State to allow local artisans to be able to gather and exhibit their know-how. This is how we find in this place the all kinds of sculpture retracing the life of our ancestors as well as the different types of animals encountered in our forests because our region is entirely forested. The artisanal village is located at the western entrance of the city of Bertoua at a place called Koumé Bonis and is open to everyone from Monday to Saturday from 7:30 am to 5 pm.

The Dja Wildlife Reserve

The Dja Wildlife Reserve is a protected area of Cameroon, since 1981 is a biosphere reserve and since 1987 has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the largest and best protected rainforests in Africa (90% of the total area of the reserve is reserved only for animals and plants; only the pygmies that make up the local population are allowed to hunt using their traditional methods). The extraordinary biodiversity is one of the main reasons for the inscription among the World Heritage Sites; in the forest there are over 100 different species of mammals, 5 of which are in danger of extinction. The reserve owes its name to the river Dja, which crosses it and creates its natural boundary with the outside world.