Cameroon: A Case Study in European Colonialisms

Dates for Winter 2010: January 2 - 22, 2010

GERM489K / HONR348Z / SLLC498K

Cameroon: A Case Study in European Colonialisms is an applied and theoretical "journey" in postcolonial studies, which will begin in Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé, founded in 1888 by German traders as a base for the ivory trade.

Following in the footsteps of German, French & British colonialists and using their travel logs as guides, students will visit colonial sites, such as Lolodorf (1897) in the forested south, also home of Cameroon's indigenous pygmy population, and travel along the coastal southwest to view (and climb) lighthouses in Kribi (1906) and Cap Nachtigal (1904) at the foot of Mount Cameroon, a 13,400 ft. active volcano. Moving north and inland to the Islamic center of Foumban, students will learn about King Ibrahim Njoya, a savvy ruler who challenged German colonialists. While in Bamenda in the northwest Province of Cameroon, students will visit colonial missionary sites, local museums, palaces of traditional kings, shrines, sacred places, and special markets. Students will also meet with faculty and students at the universities in Yaoundé, Bamenda and Buea.

Cameroon is one of the safest locations in Western Africa, due to its political stability and friendly population. Travel between cities is quite easy, according to African standards, and technology and other communication networks are widespread. The country is both English and French speaking, so both students without any foreign language background and those interested in improving their French-language ability are welcome to apply to the program.

Program participants will stay in missions, hotels and inns during the course of the traveling program. Rooms are all double occupancy.

Dr. Gabriele Strauch
Faculty Director

Dr. Gabriele Strauch, Associate Professor, Department of Germanic Studies, is a native of Germany. She lived in Cameroon for 4 years, working in a community development program and teaching German at local high schools in Yaoundé and Mbalmayo. She co-authored a German textbook Was ist deutsch? (2001) with a primary focus on Germany as a multicultural society.