Mamfe

Mamfe
German colonial era bridge over the Cross/Manyu River near Mamfe
Mamfe Location in Cameroon
Coordinates: 5°46′N 9°17′E / 5.767°N 9.283°E / 5.767; 9.283
Country	Cameroon
Province	Southwest
Divisions	Manyu

Mamfe (also spelled Mamfé) is a city and capital of the Manyu, a division of the Southwest Region in Cameroon. It is located 74 km (46 mi) from the border of Nigeria, on the Manyu River. It has a population of 36,500 (2017 estimate).

It is known as a centre for traditional religion (e.g Obasinjom and Ekpe Society) and traditional medicine (In 2016, Agbor Benson Tabi an indigene of Mamfe, studying in Germany launched the Modern Traditional Medicine Research. This is to help improve the quality standard and dosage). Mamfe used to be known for bad infrastructure within the city limits, especially the roads, but in recent times the roads have been tarred and are currently in good condition. The roads leading in and out of the city has also been tarred e.g Mamfe - Bamenda, Mamfe - Kumba, Mamfe - Ekok.

Peace Corps has maintained a presence in the Mamfe area since they entered the country in 1962.

Etymology

The name "Mamfe" comes from the Bayangi language. When Germans first arrived in the area via the Cross River, the Germans greeted a local man at the Egbekaw River site who was carrying sand from the shore and tried interrogating him about where they were. The Bayang man didn't understand and only said in his dialect, "Mamfie fah(where should i put it)". The Germans heard this as "Mamfe" and named the area so.

Demographics

The Egbekaw village and and small amfe village are the Natives/pioneers of Mamfe town. The inhabitants speak a Bayang language as their mother tongue, called Nyang, although English is the official language spoken along with Pidgin and several other dialects, including Ejagham. The city is also noteworthy for the high proportion of Nigerians who live there.

Education

Mamfe has no university till date, but the Catholic university is now under construction. The Queen of the Rosary Catholic College was Cameroon's first all-female boarding school. There is also at Teacher's training college, and several vocational schools.

Cuisine

Popular local foods in Mamfe include eru and fu-fu, plantains with ndole, and garri and agusi soup.

Climate

As Mamfe is in a river valley, humidity can be over 90% and temperatures can exceed 120 F (49°C) during the Dry Season (February - April). During the rest of the year, temperatures remain in the 80-90s (27 to 37°C) and only fall during the Rainy Season, sometimes to 70F (21°C).

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.

References

Coordinates: 5°46′N 9°17′E / 5.767°N 9.283°E / 5.767; 9.283