C is for Cameroon...

Well, this one seems to be obvious.  C is for Cameroon.  But truthfully, C could have been for a few things.  C could have been for Central Africa, the region that Cameroon is in.  There are needs for Bible translation across several countries of Central Africa.  C could have been for communication, which is vital for us to let our partners in on the miracle of redemption that we are working to see brought about among many people groups.  But we will stick with the obvious choice of Cameroon.

Cameroon is just a bit larger than California in terms of land area.  The population of Cameroon is about 19.7 million.  Cameroon's two largest cities, Douala and Yaounde have populations of about 2 million and 1.7 million respectively.  A lot of the other statistics that you can access about Cameroon tell a pretty typical story of a Central African country.

But there are some statistics about Cameroon that might be a bit staggering.  For example, there are 279 languages spoken in Cameroon.  Yes, 279.  In the US we argue and get frustrated over two languages.  There are 70 languages in Cameroon that don't have their first verse of scripture translated yet.  If you are interested in learning more about language statistics, see the SIL International Ethnologue.  The Ethnologue is a really valuable resource for learning about language communities - tons of information!

Beyond the statistics, there are some really interesting things to know about Cameroon.

Cameroon is known as Africa in miniature.  All of the geographic forms that exist in Africa can be within the borders of Cameroon.  From desert to savannah, rain forest to mountains, and beautiful beaches, it's all in Cameroon.

 
One famous feature of Cameroon is its volcanic activity.  Mount Cameroon is one of Africa's largest volcanoes and has erupted as recently as 2000.  Lake Nyos was the site of another type of eruption.  In August of 1986, the lake burped a massive cloud of carbon dioxide that suffocated about 1700 people in nearby villages.

The literacy rate is at about 66% and the average life expectancy for Cameroonians is 54 years.  This is due to several factors, not the least of which is diseases such as malaria.  Lori noted that we might be regarded as senior citizens there considering the average life expectancy.


All of this information is meant to give all of us some points to deliberately take to prayer.  It is our hope that we would be able to see Cameroonians positively changed through Bible translation.  We would not only like to see transformation brought by increased literacy and better health education, but we also look toward the spiritual transformation brought by access to God's word in the mother tongue for all of the people of Cameroon - all 279 languages worth.