1. Posted on Thursday 17 May 2007 - 10:16

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   16 May 2007, by Ben Zwinkels. The well known Dutch-Surinamese entertainer Mrs. Jetty Mathurin found her roots in Cameroon through a recent visit to the King of Baham, POUOKAM II Max, in the West Province of Cameroon. As descendant from an African slave and grown up and educated in Paramaribo, the question has always been: "Where do I come from, where are my roots?" This has been one of the fundamental questions asked by humans since thousands of years. Also for Mrs. Mathurin and therefore, together with seven other Dutch-Surinamese, in April 2007 she traveled to Cameroon with high expectations of meeting her traditional origins. The trip was organized by www.kameroenreizen.nl and brought her and her group deep into existing Cameroonian cultures.
   The kingdom of Baham is part of the hundred or so (chefferies or kingdoms) which were progressively formed in Bamiléké country over the past six centuries. The territory of Baham appears as a succession of low hills, at times rocky, on top of a high plateau almost 1600 m above sea level on average. The highlands with a lateritic soil are covered with poor grazing land and fairly poor crops, whilst the valleys with fertile soil are rich farming land. The kingdom of Baham is a small nation-state ruled over by a figure considered as sacred, the fon or feu (chief, king).
    
   European exploration in Cameroon began in the 15th century with the Portuguese who established sugar plantations. Around 1530 the first black slaves were brought to what is now Suriname, first by the Spaniards, then the British and finally by the Dutch. Although the slave trade was forbidden in 1808 it continued until 1826. It is estimated that 350.000 males, females and children were brought to Suriname of which a substantial part came from Cameroon and surrounding countries. The slave"s entry point in Suriname was the "Waterkant" in Paramaribo. They were sold on the spot and transported immediately to the plantations often owned by Portuguese Jews.
   In the recent years many African-Americans have initiated research in order to try to trace their ancestors back to Africa. For those who have spent decades pouring over plantation records that did not list slaves by surname and ship manifests that did not list where they came from, the idea that the key lies in their own bodies is a powerful one. The DNA tests are now fueling the biggest surge in African-American genealogy since Alex Haley's 1976 novel, "Roots," which inspired a generation to try to trace their ancestors back to Africa. In order to gather genetic samples from 3,800 Africans and 200 African-American, who descend from slave trade in the 1600, the same methods have been used now by Howard University researchers in the US. African-American ancestry can be traced through mitochondrial and Y chromosome DNA testing.
    
   Mitochondrial DNA, which comes from a part of the human cell that generates energy, is passed unchanged from mothers to their children. Blacks who use DNA tests can learn now whether their genetic signature matches that of contemporary Africans from a given tribe or region from an existing DNA database. "There is just something about knowing something after years of thinking it was impossible to know anything," said Melvin Collier, 32, a black student at Clark Atlanta University who recently learned that his DNA matches that of the Fulani people of Cameroon. "It's still pretty overwhelming."
    
   Returning to Cameroon and their roots were ultimate objectives of the 8 Dutch-Surinamese. The overwhelming welcome on the 26th of April 2007 by the King of Baham, POUOKAM II Max, and his entire population showed the anxiety of each human being to know where he or she is coming from. As lost daughters and sons they were received as children from Cameroonian origin. As they found their roots, they are now back in the heart of their ancients and in their family ties.
   Another heart warming welcome to the group was given by the Sultan of Sabga in the highlands near Bamenda. One of the Dutch-Surinamese was of Fulani descent. He and the group were granted a 3 hour audience with the Sultan. After a traditional "Child" right" and "father-child relationship" ceremony he was lovingly taken back again into Fulani society.
    
   Cameroon still has a great cultural inheritance which is very apparent in the traditional lives and habits of the Cameroonian people of today. This is well known around the world as Google shows many websites on which stories on Cameroonian tradition have been written. The Cameroonian government would like to attract even more attention to the existence of this beautiful culture and is encouraging more visitors to visit the beautiful country of Cameroon.
    

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Reactions

1. Posted on Friday 13 July 2007 10:16

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   Bertil

   

   Bertil van Vugt
   427 berichten
   Lid sinds April 2007
   Amsterdam

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   test reaction

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   AfrikaNieuws, voor iedereen die iets met Afrika heeft

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