It Takes a Village

I took this photo during my mom's recent visit to my village. It embodies how many people in Cameroon have made me feel, which inspired this post.

I expected to learn many things from Cameroon and its people, but not in terms of how I perceive community and my role in this world.

As an American, my perspective of the world is deeply connected to capitalist individualism, where personal success and ambition are the ultimate metrics of someone's contribution to society. Growing up in an environment that values independence and the pursuit of personal goals, I found, and continue to find, myself maintaining these principles. 

However, my short time in Cameroon has challenged my view of myself and my role in the world. Cameroon has shown me that the world is a part of me just as much as I am a part of it. I am responsible for contributing to it more than it may contribute to me. But, as my parents have always taught me, there is good and bad karma in the world, and you always get out of things what you put into them -- sometimes more.

Something else I have taken from my parents was a phrase I heard from a young age, "It takes a village." It was generally uttered when someone not family assumed a parental role for my sister or me, but it was usually trivial. Maybe someone picked us up from school or took us to practice. They were small things that meant a lot to my parents because a little bit of the huge responsibility of raising a kid was lifted off their shoulders. 

Throughout my time in Cameroon, "It takes a village" has not been just a saying. It has been a philosophy that embodies nearly every aspect of life here.

The saying, which is not spoken but practiced, is shown through the deep interconnectedness of individuals within the community. It is shown through the reality of shared responsibility for tasks where the burdens are carried by one but shared by many. Whether raising children, planning important life events like weddings and funerals, or selling goods, the village works collectively, with each member contributing to one another but receiving equal, if not more, benefits in return.

Beyond the literal tasks, the saying, "it takes a village," also includes the emotional and social support woven into the fabric of communal living. It's no surprise that the name of many villages begins with "le commune de..." (the community of...). It's the understanding that raising a child, for instance, isn't the sole responsibility of the parents but an effort taken on by the entire community. Elders, neighbors, and friends all play a role in shaping the next generation just as much as the child's parents.

During our time with our host families, many volunteers were permitted to reprimand the children in our houses and now in our villages because we are considered influential adults in that child's life. Some parents have also said that even if they disagreed with the reason for the scolding, they would respect and honor the authority of the volunteer.

For many volunteers, hearing and experiencing moments like these allowed us a glimpse into how we were viewed by our Cameroonian friends and family and the role we were playing in our villages. 

As I've come to understand my perspective of collective living, I found myself wanting to learn more from those who have known nothing other than a strong sense of communal living. A friend I met on social media, Akang Claudy, who founded a tourism company in Cameroon, was particularly helpful in my journey with collective living when he introduced me to Ubuntu. 

He says Ubuntu is a South African philosophy that acknowledges human interconnection. He says it's an ethic, and not political or religious, where we help the less privileged, show sympathy to one another, and empower others when we can. Ubuntu helps to give us a sense of awareness that we rely on one another, so our actions and decisions should be made in a way that allows us to live in harmony.

When asked what he saw in the future for the ethics of Ubuntu, he shared that he sees benefits in it and is hopeful it continues to prosper. He says it promotes more peace and well-being for individuals. However, he points out that the ideas of Ubuntu are slowly being replaced with Western values. 

As I see increasing polarity in the United States, I am left to wonder what good a communal perspective could do for our sense of humanity. If, in a way, we were left to take responsibility for one another. If we were inclined to help others when and where we could because someone else had done the same for us when we needed it most. If we allowed ourselves to accept help and encouragement from strangers. If the principles found in communal living were to become second nature to Americans. If our pride and ambition were second to our humility and generosity. If...