WELCOME TO WUM...
…I have walked my way across Wum municipality through writings.
And Atue,
And Menteng.
...I have worked from palm-fronded bushes, owe inspiring lakes, unending mountain tops and tropical rain forests. I swam with a lot of enthusiasm off the coast of River Menchum in Bangwe, got lost in the Kom-Bu forest reserve, fetched my own water and built my own cooking fire at the heart of Itiaku. I have been privileged to see the world at my pace, combining my love of exploring, with my passion of writing. Now don’t get me wrong – it was a bit like roses: beautiful, but with a few thorns along the way. It’s not easy to get to all these places: it takes hard work, a reasonable command of your legs, and a helping hand from those who have done this before you.
Located between the hills and valleys, Wum municipality has a great climate. The country side around Ngouh is dotted with farm plantations and is ideal for hiking. The local inhabitants rely on farming for their livelihood and sometimes have to walk miles to get to their farms.
If one could have a decent range of hotels and restaurants, Wum would have been a good jumping-off point for exploring the natural vegetation, waterfalls, hot springs, lakes and the Ring Road circuit.
As a divisional Head Quarter, Wum has one market, two financial institutions, and offices. The city lacks industries for the processing of agricultural produce such as coffee.
The local museum and shops to display a wide variety of local baskets, beads, woodcarvings and bronze statues are conspicuously absent.
There has been a remarkable decrease in visitor beds in the last 4 years. There are now no decent hotels available within less than 2 km radius of the City Center.
The few hotels or lodging facilities that exist in Wum have gone comatose. Top on the list include Morning Star Hotel, Lake Nyos Hotel, Green Wood Motel, Eden Garden Motel and many more others. These unfortunately have neither conference rooms, bars nor restaurants.
The Wum Municipality is especially known for its handicraft products. High quality souvenirs are made of leather, wood and cattle horns. The most important rule: If it’s possible haggle the prices. If you want to watch the craftsmen at work, it is worth visiting the Palaces, or one of the crafts cooperatives. Arts & Crafts products can be found everywhere in this area. The visit to this municipality will be made pleasant by the discovery of the potters who will show their skills in pottery; weavers exhibiting their very beautiful fabric; blacksmiths will not fail to impress you despite the difficult and archaic workingconditions in which they produce these tools, which are indispensable for the survival of the local population.
Wum Main Market
The Wum Main market is the most important market in the municipality. It contains stores that sell goods of any nature.
Wum Main Market on bended knees as ghost towns intensify.
Located in Wum central town, The Wum Main Market used to boom in the good old days, attracting vendors and buyers from Weh, Esu, Benakuma, Befang, Bafut, Ngie, Bamenda and beyond. Wum Main Market was noted for maize, plantains, cocoyam, tomatoes, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, palm oil, amongst others.
Located in Wum central town, The Wum Main Market used to boom in the good old days, attracting vendors and buyers from Weh, Esu, Benakuma, Befang, Bafut, Ngie, Bamenda and beyond. Wum Main Market was noted for maize, plantains, cocoyam, tomatoes, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, palm oil, amongst others.
Before the advent of the current crisis, Wum Main market was waxing strong. Few months after the crisis, the Wum Main Market began to breathe its last breath, begging for a kiss of life. The council tried some renovation works by lobbying for the construction of twenty four new sheds but it was like too late. The crisis hammered the last nail on Wum Main market's coffin, as bandits took advantage of the stalemate to loot the sheds. On several occasions, night watch had engaged armed robbers in a fierce fight resulting to the abandonment of the robbers’ booty. Many had feared that Wum Main market will be burnt down as was the case in other sub divisions. Lucky enough it never happened. Since the “non state armed groups had to retaliate to clean their tarnished image and that of the defense and security forces, as they were both accused of being behind the robberies.
But unfortunately, despite not being burnt, the Wum Main market still ended up dying. The market is today a shadow of itself. The business arena that was once booming, is likened to the last kick of a dying horse. Businessmen are yet to feel coins in their palms or see the affluence of customers like in those old good days of yore-glamour. This hasgreatly dwindle the revenue of the local council.
How buyers managed to communicate with sellers, no one can tell. Satellite markets often surfaced in several parts of Wum municipality. After all, is it not often said when the going gets tough, the tough gets going? Many food items and other farm produce are often sold in these satellite markets, and even on the weekly rotative market days, to enable buyers and the population get what they need.
One of the vegetable sellers, struggling to make ends meet told OJ SLIM MEDIA that the unbearable situation of the country has pushed them to be going through such an experience. She said because of the numerous ghost towns, they can't have satisfy the needs of the population and the buyam sellam and as a result, they had to carry their produce from the suburbs on their heads and trek to some of the satellite markets, covering for some, a distance of over 5km so as to meet with buyers. As to how business was faring, she said "We are just managing. Only few buyers are even coming. Because of the distortion, many can't identify where to now locate us."
One of the businesses that has been greatly hit because of the current stalemate is the pig business. Many villagers had been selling their pigs at giveaway prices to buyers who now take advantage of the situation. This is because a bag of animal feed that used to sell at 3000F has suddenly skyrocketed to 5000 and the stock that was left in the stores is exhausted. Dealers in the suburbs can no longer have supply from Bamenda because of the road blocks. Even transport agencies too have often increased transport fares leaving at times, passengers stranded in bus stations. Those who hadn't sold their pigs are now regretting because no one knows tomorrow.
The sand-sand boys of Agulli and Bangwe have not been spared. In the past, especially during summer holidays, many young boys earned a living from extracting sand from the rivers. There are students who paid their fees, rents and procured other school needs with money they worked through the sale of sand. But right now, hips of fine sand have been grounded along the banks of river Menchum and other rivers. Tippers can't access these rivers because of road blocks. At the end, the idle mind of these young boys and men will automatically become the devil's workshop. No doubt many of the members of the gang that gave sleepless nights to the inhabitants of Wum municipality, were all youngsters. To the chafing population on the ground, in the suburbs, it never rains but it pours.
The Wum Council in collaboration with the government is aiming to improve on the infrastructures in the Wum main market so that the population of Wum as a whole can come and sell their produce in a conducive environment. The market sheds are to be constructed not only for the beauty of the market and for a source of income for the Wum Council, but also because the population of Wum is growing, traders are increasing and there is shortage of stores for the traders.
If you are looking to discover Menchum Division as a whole and Wum municipality in particular, allocate plenty of time for sightseeing tours – you wouldn’t want to miss out on top attractions like Wum Main Market, and other natural endowments such as Menchum Falls, Lakes Illum, Oshien, Atue and Wum, not leaving out the wonders of the Hot Springs of Itiaku!
EDUCATION
Education in the Wum Council area includes basic (nursery, primary) and secondary education. There exists only one professional institution owned by the government; Government Teachers Training College (G.T.T.C)
PECULIAR TOURIST ASPECT OF WUM
Wum by virtue of its geographical position in the North-West Region of Cameroon, disposes considerable tourist potentials, which make her Cameroon in miniature. Wum municipality possesses impressive tourist resources, her landscape, climate, fauna or flora as well as people and traditions.
There are so many tourist sites in the municipality and its diverse ethnic groups offer many traditional as well as cultural diversities.
Wum overflows with enormous tourist riches, various natural geographic curiosities, historic vestiges, living testimonies of what had existed in the municipality, a cultural heritage, traditional characteristics of every people that she represents, exhibitions and other folkloric events as varied as these people of 3 ethnic groups and a lot of other attractions.
“Wum is a big city. That’s a description. Even though Wum isn’t the world’s biggest city, it looms large in the heart of hospitality everywhere. Reason why it is known as the Land of Great Hospitality.” Dixit Dighambong Anthony Mvo, Lord Mayor Wum Council.
Let’s start with the famous Menchum falls which many tourists describe as picturesque, spectacular, under appreciated gem and above all, majestic. This waterfall is quite impressive, one of the largest in West Africa. At the end of the rainy season there is a tremendous amount of water cascading down. The sheer walls are lined with greenery as a result of the constant mist. Menchum falls has a couple of benches, a viewing platform and a cement barrier to prevent falling the 100 metres height. Just above the falls, there is an access road where trucks pick up sand. There are usually young boys and men in boats, pulling up sand and shoveling it onto the banks.
Not much room for parking at roadside, the narrow potholed and winding road is dusty, treacherous, often busy and not recommended in the rainy season. Takes about 3 hours of bone jarring constant driving to get there from Bamenda.
Even after several tedious visits, I was still awestruck by the magnificence of this gem during my last visit. Its power and beauty never fail to amaze and the ordinary slow moving waters of the river that suddenly turns into the spectacularly powerful Menchum Falls is a monumental testament to Nature’s omnipotence. I simply cannot understand why the location is so unkempt and the touristic potential so woefully unappreciated and undeveloped.
Lakes Atue, Illum, Oshien and Wum are water bodies to uncover. While Lake Wum is used to quench thirst, Lake Oshien’s water, it is believed, changes from clear, brown to green colours
The beauty and touristic characteristics of Wum are also expressed in the four lakes- Atue, Illum, Oshien and Wum in the neighbourhoods. Lake Wum stands out as the friendliest of the lakes. It is conspicuous around the SDO’s residence with no inlet, but carries an outlet. It is said that virtually everybody in Wum drinks clean water from the Lake. It is the most exploited lake in Wum since the time of the Germans. From the corridors of the local administration, there are intentions to build a traditional hotel and fish farm around the lake for greater attraction. Elsewhere, swimming in the lake is now subject to approval from the Chief of Waindo.
Meanwhile, on the way to Wum (around Mile 37), a 45-minute walk up hill takes you to Lake Oshien, which looks quite active. It is believed that Lake Oshien makes declarations. It is the smallest of Wum’s lakes and its water often changes from clear to brown and green colours. Lake Atue is the largest and the most ecologically-friendly of all the lakes with white-nose and black skin monkeys and chimpanzees. It is located approximately 18 kilometres from the Wum former Council Office at up Station. Lake Atue has an inlet and an outlet, which produces a water fall at least 50m high. Lake Illum, on the other hand, is found some 5km from Befang, east of the Wum forest. A regular stream flows into the lake with no outlet or drainage. Lake Illum, it is said, is responsible for all the regular landslides on the Bamenda-Befang-Wum road.
Menchum Falls, the touristic attraction, which is yet to be exploited, is full of myths.
The story on most lips as travelers cover the over three-hour-long journey between Bamenda and Wum is the numerous landslides conspicuous on the highway. Most prominent among the discussions was equally the attraction offered by the legendary Menchum waterfalls. With a height of about 80metres, Menchum Falls is a wonderful attraction as passers-by rush to watch from the western angle. The touristic potential is an inspiration for hydroelectric power. Passers-by believe that a better viewing of the site will be possible through the building of a hanging bridge. Menchum Waterfalls is responsible for the name of Menchum division and it is a reconciliation of the flow of streams and rivers from Mezam, Boyo and Menchum divisions.
Above all, MenchumWaterfalls serve as a spiritual shrine for the Bangwe people on the way to Wum. It is believed that Befang people used the falls to perform traditional rites. A story is told that a year could hardly run out without a person disappearing in the waterfall. Fed up with such a tradition, the then D.O of Wum, Enow Enow Samuel, moved people to their present settlement in Befang in an attempt to better monitor them. Along the line, we are told that such rites have not been heard since 1973.
In effect, there are many mystical stories about Menchum falls. Common stories in Wum reveal that the corpse of anybody who drowns in Boyo division or Wum must be found in a pool located some 20 to 30 metres above the falls. If the corpse is not found before Menchum falls, it is believed that ancestors must have rejected it.
Other mystical stories are told of a French lady who went to take pictures of Menchum falls in January 1988. She stood on some stones above the lake for a better view when an alleged current swept her away. The intervention of marines did not help as she has never been traced. Then came a South African/Italian girl who in an attempt to snap pictures from the banks of the Menchum falls, tumbled and has never been found as well. Although these stories cannot be confirmed, nor debunked, these stories, have however orchestrated the building of a wall to protect visitors.
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