Oku
Encyclopedia
Oku is Sub Division in the Northwest Cameroon
. The term Oku also refers to the people who live in this region and the primary language that they speak (although English
is also widely spoken). Oku is a rural area containing about thirty-six villages. The nearest really large city is Bamenda, but Kumbo
, which is closer (about 18 miles from the village of Keyon, or about seventy minutes by car), is large enough to have telephone
lines and a Baptist
-run hospital
. Hoe ever,three mobile telephone networks (MTN, ORANGE, CAMTEL) are available in Oku. As such, mobile internet facilities are available. Oku is also relatively near to the Nigeria
n border, and travel across the border is common, as many people in the region have relatives in Nigeria.
, and thus rather cool considering its latitude. It is not cold enough for snow, but at night temperatures drop below human comfort range. Mount Oku
, a stratovolcano
, reaches a height of 3011 metres (9880 feet) and is the second highest mountain of Cameroon after Mount Fako (better known as Mount Cameroon
).
The broader Oku
or Foumbot volcanic field also includes many scoria cones and maar
s, several of which are filled by crater lake
s. Lake Oku is a cratert lake. Two of the crater lakes, Lake Nyos
and Lake Monoun
, have been the subject of extensive research. Quantities of gas
build up in the lakes and occasionally are released; being heavier
than air, they pour down the mountainside and can suffocate
entire villages. Some of the locals believe that a god lives in the lake and must be appeased.
The region is an important one for biodiversity
, especially the Kilum-Ijim Forest
.
Oku has many well graded earth road linking its various villages and neighbouring subdivisions like Noni, babessi and Kumbo central , although none of them would be called good by most Westerners.
, and the people farm even the steep hillsides. A typical practice is to plant beans, corn
, and potatoes together in the same furrows.
and paganism
) with diluted forms of Christianity
(mostly Baptist
and Catholic
, but also lutheran and Charismatic; the Church of the Brethren
are also represented).
As of 2004, the former Fon (i.e., the traditional king of the people, but with no formal political power), who has a Baptist
background, was attempting some religious reforms, to move the people away from some of the more un-Christian traditional practices; these reforms have met with considerable resistance given that the present fon (Fon Sentieh II) does little or nothing to foster that plight.
, (2009 - )
Fai Yengo, Governor Littoral region
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
. The term Oku also refers to the people who live in this region and the primary language that they speak (although English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is also widely spoken). Oku is a rural area containing about thirty-six villages. The nearest really large city is Bamenda, but Kumbo
Kumbo
Kumbo, also known as Kimbo, is the second-largest city in the North West Province of Cameroon and the capital of Bui Département. It lies about 2000m above sea level and is situated approximately 110km away from Bamenda , on the Bamenda Highlands Ring Road...
, which is closer (about 18 miles from the village of Keyon, or about seventy minutes by car), is large enough to have telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
lines and a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
-run hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
. Hoe ever,three mobile telephone networks (MTN, ORANGE, CAMTEL) are available in Oku. As such, mobile internet facilities are available. Oku is also relatively near to the Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n border, and travel across the border is common, as many people in the region have relatives in Nigeria.
Geography and climate
Oku is a very mountainous region, around four thousand feet (1200 m) above sea levelSea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, and thus rather cool considering its latitude. It is not cold enough for snow, but at night temperatures drop below human comfort range. Mount Oku
Mount Oku
Mount Oku, or Kilum Mountain, is the largest volcano in the Oku Massif, in the Cameroon Volcanic Line, located in the Oku region of the Western High Plateau of Cameroon.It is the second highest mountain in mainland West Africa....
, a stratovolcano
Stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...
, reaches a height of 3011 metres (9880 feet) and is the second highest mountain of Cameroon after Mount Fako (better known as Mount Cameroon
Mount Cameroon
Mount Cameroon is an active volcano in Cameroon near the Gulf of Guinea. Mount Cameroon is also known as Cameroon Mountain or Fako or by its native name Mongo ma Ndemi ....
).
The broader Oku
Oku Volcanic Field
The Oku Volcanic Field or Oku Massif is group of volcanoes based on a swell in the Cameroon Volcanic Line, located in the Oku region of the Western High Plateau of Cameroon.The Mount Oku stratovolcano rises to 3,011 m above sea level....
or Foumbot volcanic field also includes many scoria cones and maar
Maar
A maar is a broad, low-relief volcanic crater that is caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption, an explosion caused by groundwater coming into contact with hot lava or magma. A maar characteristically fills with water to form a relatively shallow crater lake. The name comes from the local Moselle...
s, several of which are filled by crater lake
Crater lake
A crater lake is a lake that forms in a volcanic crater or caldera, such as a maar; less commonly and with lower association to the term a lake may form in an impact crater caused by a meteorite. Sometimes lakes which form inside calderas are called caldera lakes, but often this distinction is not...
s. Lake Oku is a cratert lake. Two of the crater lakes, Lake Nyos
Lake Nyos
Lake Nyos is a crater lake in the Northwest Region of Cameroon, located about northwest of Yaoundé. Nyos is a deep lake high on the flank of an inactive volcano in the Oku volcanic plain along the Cameroon line of volcanic activity...
and Lake Monoun
Lake Monoun
Lake Monoun is a lake in West Province, Cameroon, that lies in the Oku Volcanic Field . On August 15, 1984, the lake exploded in a limnic eruption, which resulted in the release of a large amount of carbon dioxide that killed 37 people. At first, the cause of the deaths was a mystery, and...
, have been the subject of extensive research. Quantities of gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
build up in the lakes and occasionally are released; being heavier
Density
The mass density or density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ . In some cases , density is also defined as its weight per unit volume; although, this quantity is more properly called specific weight...
than air, they pour down the mountainside and can suffocate
Suffocation
Suffocation is the process of Asphyxia.Suffocation may also refer to:* Suffocation , an American death metal band* "Suffocation", a song on Morbid Angel's debut album, Altars of Madness...
entire villages. Some of the locals believe that a god lives in the lake and must be appeased.
The region is an important one for biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
, especially the Kilum-Ijim Forest
Kilum-Ijim Forest
The Kilum-Ijim Forest is an area of mountain rainforest in Cameroon's North-West Region. It is found on Mount Oku and the nearby Ijim Ridge in the Cameroon mountains, with Lake Oku lying in a crater in its center. It is the largest area of Afromontane forest left in West Africa. The area is an...
.
Oku has many well graded earth road linking its various villages and neighbouring subdivisions like Noni, babessi and Kumbo central , although none of them would be called good by most Westerners.
Economy
Oku is characterized by subsistence farming. There is a shortage of arable landArable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
, and the people farm even the steep hillsides. A typical practice is to plant beans, corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, and potatoes together in the same furrows.
Religion
The religion of the region is predominantly a mixture of assorted local traditional beliefs (chiefly ancestor worship, also animismAnimism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
and paganism
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
) with diluted forms of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
(mostly Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
and Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, but also lutheran and Charismatic; the Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination originating from the Schwarzenau Brethren organized in 1708 by eight persons led by Alexander Mack, in Schwarzenau, Bad Berleburg, Germany. The Brethren movement began as a melding of Radical Pietist and Anabaptist ideas during the...
are also represented).
As of 2004, the former Fon (i.e., the traditional king of the people, but with no formal political power), who has a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
background, was attempting some religious reforms, to move the people away from some of the more un-Christian traditional practices; these reforms have met with considerable resistance given that the present fon (Fon Sentieh II) does little or nothing to foster that plight.
People
Philemon Yang, Prime Minister of the Republic of CameroonCameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, (2009 - )
Fai Yengo, Governor Littoral region