Welcome to Bamenda

The Archbishop of Bamenda welcomes Bill to the Catholic University of Cameroon

Archbishop Esua welcomes Fulbright scholar to "CATUC"

I became acquainted with Msgr. Cornelius Esua, then Bishop of Kumbo, when he hosted our National Institutes of Health research project on “postpartum ovarian recrudescence during lactation” in the summers of 1996 to 1999. It was then that we experienced his wonderful hospitality and maintained contact over the years; rejoicing when Pope John Paul II appointed him Archbishop of Bamenda in 2004.

In 2008, Archbishop led the efforts to establish the first Catholic university in the Northwest province of Cameroon–the Catholic University of Cameroon, serving as its founding Chancellor. Known locally and affectionately by its acronym “CATUC,” the university opend its doors in the fall of 2010 with a rich variety of graduate and undergraduate programs, including the Humanities, Science, Engineering, Health Sciences (in Kumbo), Business and Agriculture.

Bill Taylor presents donations to Archbishop Esua

200 lbs of books donated by Fairfield University are accepted by Archbishop Esua

My colleagues at Fairfield University generously donated surplus textbooks which have been greatfully welcomed by the students and the CATUC librarian, Viban Ngo. Most students cannot afford textbooks and rely extensively on lecture notes. Archbishop Esua formally accepted these donations to CATUC.

 

 

 

 

Ephraim and Theresia Lukong, Couple to Couple League teachers of natural family planning and Co-Directors of the Kumbo Diocese Family Life Office collaborated on our NIH project in the 1990′s. Here they are discussing the road to Kumbo and our return visit to Kumbo in February. The Lukong’s daughter, Gisela, and son-in-law, Fidelis, live in Bamenda.

The Lukong family stop by on their way to Benin for a Family Life conference

—Bill Taylor, in Cameroon

 

From New York City to Bamenda, Cameroon

The January 10th flight to Cameroon was as uneventful as it was pleasant. We were met at the Yaoundé airport by a US Embassy agent who led us without inspection through customs into a waiting SUV and on to the Djeuga Palace Hotel. After eleven hours of sleep, we awakened in a new country. After a couple cups of café Americano, we were driven to the US Embassy where we met Gerald Leinyuy Chilla, the Cultural Affairs Assistant from Banso (Kumbo, Northwest Province) who introduced us to the embassy and consular staff. On the way back to our hotel, we stopped by Ambassador Jackson’s residence where we met Madame Jackson and Mignon Turner, the Cultural Affairs Officer. That evening , Mrs. Turner graciously hosted us and fellow Fulbright scholars, John Cinnamon and Sarah Tucker at Restaurant La Salsa—such a wonderful surprise to renew friendship with John and Sarah who have been in Cameroon since we met at the Fulbright Orientation in Washington DC last June.  The next morning (Thursday) the Embassy collected us for a pleasant meeting with Lisa Peterson, Deputy Chief of Mission. We loaded our luggage and four boxes of textbooks took off for the 6 ½ hour trek to Bamenda.

– Bill Taylor, in Cameroon