Mamfe

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Mamfe is a city in western Cameroon, lying 60km from the border of Nigeria, on the Cross River. It is in the Manyu division of the Southwest Province. It has a population of 20,300 (2001 estimate). It is known as a centre for traditional religion and traditional medicine. It is also notorious for its poor infrastructure, especially the roads.

The name "Mamfe" comes from the Bayangui language. When Germans first arrived in the area via the Cross River, the Germans greeted a local man who was carrying sand from the shore and tried interrogating him about where they were. The Bayangui man didn't understand and only said in his dialect, "I'm carrying sand". The Germans heard this as "Mamfe" and named the area so.

The inhabitants speak a Bayangui language as their mother tongue, although English is widely spoken along with French. The city is also noteworthy for the high proportion of Nigerians who live there, and who dominate the local economy.

Mamfe is too small to possess a university, but the Queen of the Rosary Catholic College was Cameroon's first all-female boarding school. Akin to the Manyu division as a whole, people from Mamfe have a reputation throughout Cameroon for being highly intelligent.

Popular local foods in Mamfe include eru and fu-fu.

As Mamfe is in a river valley, humidity can be over 90% and temperatures can exceed 120 F during the Dry Season (February - April). During the rest of the year, temperatures remain in the 80-90s and only fall during the Rainy Season, sometimes to 60 F.

The climate can be very uncomfortable for travellers, but tourism is beginning in the area, though small. Points of interest are the old German bridge, the Mamfe Cross, the Mamfe River by boat, and the Mamfe Cathedral. Hotels are few, but can and do accommodate western travellers.