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Introducing Mystery Class #1 Douala, Cameroon 4.0500 N, 9.7000 E   "N'ZELE" , "OH NE MBOKI", and "BEPOYEDI BA BWAM" Congratulations on finding us! Do you know what these three phrases mean? It's easy to find out! Our names are Denzel, Gloria, Gaurav and Japhet, and our teacher is Mr. Loschi. We are students at the American School in Douala, Cameroon. Each of us has written a short introduction below to tell you more about our country, our city, our school and more. We have really enjoyed being a secret Mystery Class, and hope that you have enjoyed searching for us. Do you know where Cameroon is located? Take a look at this map, on the west side of Africa, just a little north of the equator--Cameroon is the country in red. Click map to enlarge Map of Africa/Cameroon How about our city of Douala... do you know where that is? Douala is at the very south end of Cameroon, near the coast. Douala is said to be the largest city in Cameroon, with approximately 2 million people. It is located on the banks of the Wouri River, and Douala is the capital of Littoral Province. Map of Cameroon   Denzel's Introduction "N'ZELE", "OH NE MBOKI", and "BEPOYEDI BA BWAM". Ready for a quick Cameroon language lesson? These are just three phrases from over 250 dialects around our country. Those three phrases all signify "Welcome!". In our country we speak three main languages: English, French, and Pidgin. Pidgin is an English patois that developed so people of different ethnic groups could communicate with each other. Pidgin is a mixture of English, syntax language, and a common discussion language. English and Pidgin originated from the English colonial parts of the Southwest and Northwest, two of ten provinces of Cameroon. French is spoken mostly in the continental part of Cameroon. Click map to enlarge Provinces of Cameroon Famous People of Cameroon Here we have local "heroes" like Albert Roger Miller, better known as "Roger Milla"; the president of Cameroon Ahidjo Amadou; and Rudolph Douala Manga Bell. Roger Milla is a famous soccer who played at club level for thirty-one years in Europe. He's the oldest player to score a goal in the world. He was 42! He was once designated the best African player of the decade. However, he became more famous and accredited after his soccer career. He was nominated to a paying job and he was recognized to be a talented, but underpaid, player. After his football career he became an important figure of sports in the country.   The first president of Cameroon was Amadou Ahidjo. He was the first president that ruled Cameroon after its independence. Under his rule, Cameroon prospered and we had a country that was very stable. He was, however, a more totalitarian type of leader than a democratic president. The most famous figure of this country is the revolutionary Rudolph Douala Manga Bell. He led the revolution against German forces because they had transformed Douala into a market for exploitation of the local people. He was a Douala and he wanted the city of Douala to be rid of all the corruption. Thanks for reading, Denzel Gloria's Introduction Hello scholars! My name is Gloria. We are an American School located in Central Africa. Our school is called ASD (American School of Douala). We have very few on our campus now, but we are building a much bigger building for more students. We have six students in the 8th grade. This is our school, ASD or the American School of Douala Our temperature here it is very hot, but it is not exactly like the Sahara desert. We are in the tropical rain forest region. We have a rainy season which lasts for three months, and the dry season, which lasts for about two months. Citizens of our country speak many languages. Our official languages are French and English. But we also have more than 260 tribes in Cameroon, like the Bamileke, Haussa, and others, so there are more than 250 dialects. In our country, we have pygmies. They live mostly in the forest far away from the city. Pygmies are found mostly the East province of Cameroon. Some of these pygmies are called Mbenga, Baka, and so many others. Our favorite class at school is the computer lab because we get to do interesting things on the computer like writing articles, setting data and sometimes we're even allowed to go on Facebook, because we are - most of the time- disciplined! Well, that's just a little about Cameroon. I hope you had fun locating us! Your friend, Gloria Gaurav's Introduction My name is Gaurav. Our school in Douala is situated in the neighborhood of Bonapriso. Our school mascot is the Griffon, and we have a school soccer team called "The Griffons". We have a new building, which is still under construction. Our classes are very small, but the new building has bigger classrooms for each class. A funny fact is that our new school building has 30 toilets! We have a math teacher, a language arts teacher who also teaches us journalism, and a science teacher who also teaches us social studies. In our school we have a lot of different cultures. People are Muslim, Christian Catholic, Orthodox, Protestants, Hindu, and non religious people. Some time ago, the Hindu society shared how they celebrated their Diwalii celebration, which was the year of independence for India. Douala is located on the Wouri River, and this is the port of Douala For class, we speak English, but we also have some French classes too. Learning both languages is important, because in this country, there are more than ten provinces and in some parts we speak English, but in most of Cameroon we speak French. English speakers are mostly located in Bamenda, in the North West and in Limbe, in the South West. My favorite local food is Pistache, which is made with pumpkin seeds, smoked local fish, and fresh red chili pepper. You mostly find this type of food on the streets. Triple jump gold medalist Francoise Mbango Etone Cameroonian soccer player Samuel Eto'o We have a famous Cameroonian athlete, Francoise Mbango Etone, that won two gold medals in the women's triple jump in both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. She was born in Yaounde, the capital of our country. There is another famous Cameroonian soccer player named Samuel Eto'o, and he plays for both the Cameroonian team and FCA Barcelona. In this country, most people play soccer and most of us like it. Sincerely, Gaurav Japhet's Introduction Welcome to the American School of Douala (ASD). We are a very small school, but we are excited about the new school building under construction. We have very small classes this year, but when the new building will be finished we will be like a university! Our school mascot is a griffin. We voted for it three years ago. It is very hot here because we are near the equator. We only have two seasons: the rainy season and the dry, sunny season. Cameroonian culture is very festive. We like gathering around T.V. and watching a soccer game. Our major sport in Cameroon is soccer, but we also like to spend time with our families. My favorite activity is sports. I love playing soccer. In our country, just like there are many different languages and dialects, there are also many different foods like Ndole, Miondo, Taro, Kondre, Soya. These are dishes from our country. They taste savory and have lots of spices. They are all made from local ingredients. Soya is a very nice dish from Cameroon. It is grilled meat served with arome magi, Kankan, peppe and onions. Come visit Cameroon for a difference in climate. It is hot, and very nice for a beach party on the black sand beaches of Limbe, or for a nice picnic up North at the Waza National Park. We have Mount Cameroon, the tallest volcano in western Africa, that you can climb for fun and for a real challenge. Cameroon has a lot to offer. From the difference in food and in climate, people can find their pleasure in Cameroon! Yours truly, Japhet