Colours

As the season transitions from the rainy to the dry the day's are inevitably filled with more sunshine. The unrestricted rays of the sun allow the world around me to be exhibited in its best light. A day walking through the market displays all the colors that compose a painters palette. With the favorite Cameroonian meal enhanced in season, buckets of plump red, yellow and orange peppers overflow into the narrow walkways. They seem to be beaming with pride and induce you to buy two large handfuls at the price of one hundred francs. Next, pyramids of purple onions come into view, piled with the skill of an ancient Egyptian. A necessary staple of every meal, two if not three hundred francs worth is bought and put in a country bag. Lines of grey blue scaly fish dully stare as they are passed, apparently unconcerned if they are bought or not. The pace is quickened as the smell of blackened smoked fish overpowers all other senses. Momentary relief comes at the sight of the luminescent red of a cow freshly butchered into it's respective cuts off beef. Nothing is wasted, not organs, eyes or horns. The horns in particular are sold and made into country cups. The country man keeps his country cup in his country bag, to be used at weddings and other traditional ceremonies as the vessel of choice for palmwine. And although the smell is an improvement from the alley of aged fish, lingering for too long around this carcass is not advised. Exiting the aisles of food means entering the maze of fabrics. Within a labyrinth of cloth every color in the known spectrum is present woven into designs that suggest minds not of this world. Looking around, women can be seen wearing dresses promoting Teachers Day and the International Day of the Woman, among other holidays best celebrated by being worn. With new prints made every year these annual festivals are chronicled and their evolution charted. On the back of a motorcycle going home, blue skies hang high above, spotted with white puffed up clouds. The mud orange-brown of the road stands out in striking contrast with the massive green leaves from the banana trees. On rainy days these are readily cut down and used as bush umbrellas, inspiring the local proverb, 'cut your leaf before the rain.' The individual motorcycles decoration are examined as the two wheeled taxis drive by. In a effort to attract potential customers, or perhaps to simply make each ocada man feel unique, the exteriors are meticulously covered with the most ornate designs. A breeze blows a laundry line with bed sheets, freshly whitened by the brightly shining sun. As the village nears the glittering tin roofs can be seen and the occasional house with tiled walls is a beacon in the distance. A last look at the distant mountains seen clearly from a ridge is a reminder of the necessity of the rain which has kept away the dust for these last six months and has allowed everything to be viewed in its best light.