When Two Americans have a Traditional Cameroonian Wedding
This week I went to my first traditional Cameroonian wedding. A Peace Corps Volunteer in a village about 40 minutes from where I live got married to his girlfriend, who flew in from America to experience Cameroon and get married. There were around 50 PCVs, Peace Corps staff, and an entire Cameroonian village that all came together to celebrate Mario and Jenny’s union, and it was probably one of the best things I have experienced since coming to Cameroon.
The entire wedding is like a big skit of the prince (Mario) searching for “something” (his wife). After presenting the Fon with palm wine, two people went in search of the “something” Mario was looking for. Then a group of people entered the hall under a blanket (Jenny was one of the people under the blanket). The MC announced that there were obstacles along the way to prevent getting the “something” to Mario. The first obstacle was that there was not enough fuel, and the Fon provided money to get more fuel. Once this problem was solved, the group of people moved forward down the aisle, but then there was a second obstacle: a tree blocking the road. More money was needed to arrange for the tree to be moved, and the group continued down the aisle again. The final problem was after the long journey, everyone was too tired to continue. After a final payment, the group finally made it to the front of the room, and one person was selected from under the blanket to be Mario’s wife. The brother of the Fon selected the person, and when the pulled the blanket off, it was Jenny! The person playing the role of Jenny’s mother said she could not possibly part with her daughter and let her get married. The Fon again had a solution to this, and offered to pay 4 million FCFA to the family so that the chosen woman (Jenny) could marry his son (Mario). The offer was accepted, and Jenny is given a country cup and told to give it to her future husband to drink. Jenny walked around the room, almost offering the cup to different men, before going to Mario and offering the cup to him, at which point the entire room erupted in cheers. After some singing, Jenny was handed a Cameroonian baby and they were wished that their marriage would be blessed with many, many children (they did take the baby back, I was slightly concerned that they were trying to give them a head start on the whole baby thing by just giving them one).
The group coming in under the blanket
After Jenny has been selected as Mario’s wife
The happy couple with a Cameroonian baby
After this part of the wedding, the presentation of the gifts began. The Fon presented his gift first: a basket for Jenny to take to the farm. Then other groups in the community began to present gifts to the couple. A few PCVs also presented gifts, one PCV even presented her gift to “Mr. and Mrs. Jenny”, since for the rest of the wedding they had been referred to as “Mr. and Mrs. Mario” (or Prince and Princess). All the Cameroonian mamas found this very entertaining and were cracking up. To end the ceremony, the big men in attendance (the City Council Mayor and the Fon) gave final speeches, and the Fon announced that Mario and Jenny’s first child would be a great diplomat, and would one day come to Cameroon as the American Ambassador. After the Fon exited the hall, we all headed outside to get some fresh air (who knew that cramming a bunch of people into a small hall in Africa would be incredibly hot) and take pictures. While everyone took pictures, the hall was rearranged so we could have dinner. After dinner, the Peace Corps staff was heading back to Bamenda, so I headed back with them to avoid traveling late at night, but not before seeing Mario and Jenny bring a little American tradition to the reception with the bouquet toss!
Jenny with her present from the Fon
Stage picture with Bouba, head of the Bamenda Peace Corps Office
Mario is one of the happiest and most optimistic people I’ve met in country, and Jenny is obviously pretty amazing to be willing to come to a country she’d never been to and participate in a traditional wedding. It was so moving to see the entire community come together to celebrate this wonderful couple, and a true testament to cultural exchange and the bonds created between a PCV and his community.
Here’s to the happy couple!!
