We continue our series of anticipation short stories about the Congo Basin
As I rode towards the capital city of Cameroon, Yaoundé, with my wife Nalova, I wrestled with these thoughts. I had spent an entire week in Kribi with my family, but it was time for me to return to the capital. Vacations are good, but we need money to afford them, and to have money, we must work hard. That’s life’s golden rule. Unfortunately, these days, we have to work even harder. My children, Awasum and Manga, were reluctant to corne back with me; so, I had to let them stay for a couple more weeks. Only Epolle was undaunted enough to return to Yaoundé with me. But the city was not what it used to be. The closer we got, the more we couId feel the oppressive heat.
Unfortunately, the air conditioner in our car was damaged; so, we had to open all four windows as we drove. Honestly, if I couId, I would have removed the windshield itself to get some relief from the oppressive heat. The paradox of heat is how it affects our choice of clothing.
When faced with low temperatures, people naturally tend to bundle up in sweaters, pullovers, and scarves. But with high temperatures, we want to be as light and airy as possible – short sleeves, shorts, dresses, and skirts. Yet, the bizarre thing is that as the temperatures climb even higher, we start to behave as if we’re in a cold environment, we cover up our bodies trying to protect our skin.
I’ve long wondered about the traditional clothes of people in desert regions, like the Arabs and Tuaregs. I had initially thought it was simply an influence of religion, but living through the heat of Yaounde in 2085 has made me realize there’s more to it. Here, you cannot afford to walk around with bare arms or legs. My wife jokingly, but desperately, asked me, “
Are you sure the earth is still revolving around the sun? It feels like our country has moved closer to it!” Her question was not a scientific inquiry; heat can indeed make people say rather nonsensical things.
As we entered the city, we saw a huge sign saying “
Bienvenue à Yaounde !” “
Malvenue oui,” my wife quipped, and we both burst out laughing. In urban areas, there are rules to follow; so, we couldn’t just drive around freely like on the open roads. This meant we started feeling the full brunt of the city’s heat envelop us. Moreover, as soon as we reached the Mvan neighborhood, a sudden sandstorm hit us, forcing us to park for a moment. After the tempest passed, we decided to stop for refreshment at a place dear to my heart – not just because they made the best sandwiches in the city, but also because it was where I had worked as a student.
However, the place had changed significantly from my teenage memories. Several readjustments had been made, and it felt quite different now. Beside the building, there stood a towering windmill, the kind I had only read about in books and seen in movies. Windmills are typically built in very windy places; so, it was quite surprising to find one in Yaoundé. The large windmill was slowly turning, like a damaged fan, but it seemed to be generating the desired power.
There had been debates about the necessity of the windmil, with some conspiracy theorists accusing the Rotary Club of building “sanctuaries” in the city. However, it seemed the general sentiment was that the constant winds in Yaounde should not go unutilized.
As we entered the restaurant, we could feel the refreshing breeze flowing through. Personally, I’m not a fan of air conditioning. In fact, the medical authorities in Cameroon had observed a significant rise in influenza and COVID-19 cases in recent years. It was quite astounding, as many had assumed the hot climate would curb the spread of such respiratory illnesses.
Further research revealed that most city dwellers spent a lot of time in air-conditioned environments – at home, at school, at work and in cars. This over-reliance on AC was having a detrimental impact on public health. While trying to improve living conditions, sometimes human efforts can backfire and end up being dangerous for the environment and for ourselves.
As I sat down facing my wife, I recognized a familiar face on the TV screen – the captain of our national football team, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon. He was giving a press conference ahead of the next day’s match at 9 pm. Since Cameroon lacked the means to build air-conditioned stadiums, all official national team matches had to be played at night. This was to accommodate the players who were accustomed to the climate-controlled conditions of their European club stadiums. Without this arrangement, many of the top players from Cameroon might have been prevented from representing their country by their reluctant clubs in Europe.
I picked up the menu to order my meal. Traditionally, I would have opted for roasted fish, but the conditions in Cameroon had made it scarce and prohibitively expensive, like caviar. So, I settled for chicken instead. The price difference was not significant, but the poor quality of the available fish made chicken the more appealing choice. The oceans had been messed with!
As I waited for my food, watching the TV, a breaking news flash appeared at the bottom of the screen. It reported that Cameroon was suffering from a severe drought, which was impacting the agricultural sector. As a result, the country would have to start importing more chicken and eggs, leading to a drastic spike in poultry prices in the coming months.
I stared at the screen in dismay, and soon noticed agitation spreading through the restaurant. People were picking up their phones, sharing the news with concerned expressions. My wife showed me a WhatsApp status relaying the same information. All around, I heard people exclaiming in frustration, “
Weey ce pays!” (What a country!), and even “
Seigneur Jésus, reviens!” (Lord Jesus, come back!).
As the waitress brought our meals, I knew this might be one of the last times I could afford to eat chicken for a while. Climate change had no shortage of surprises for us in Cameroon and the Congo Basin!
Curtis Kack
This text has been written after
two participatory foresight workshops on
#CongoBasinFutures and
#RoyalAnimalsFutures in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on Saturday 7 September 2024. It
has been edited by Nsah Mala and published by Next Generation Foresight Practitionners.
