Two Sides to the Coin

It is a common expression that “money makes the world go round.”

The symbols of it differ from country to country, but the human response is always the same.

In Cameroon the denominations of currency reach no higher than what is equal to a $20 bill – 10,000 CFA. The small 100 and 500 CFA coins that are used are diverse in thickness and coloring because they come from a range of Central African Bank sources including the Congo, Central African Republic, Gabon, and Chad.  On occasion one receives an indiscernible coin, but likely legitimate, and so it’s simply passed on in commerce. Most of the Cameroonian national coins are so thinly worn that the writing is barely legible. The bills must be handled with delicacy because they are soiled and disintegrating. Often they are partially glued, barely adhering together so that hasty extraction may result in fractions. Taped bills are not accepted.

In the Far North region of Cameroon, wealth is displayed by obesity, by the number of wives a man has, the number of matching cookware a woman has displayed (unused), and the quality of floor furnishings in the home (for example, mats are most common, rugs signify higher degrees of wealth, and curtains, carpets, or furniture are found only in the homes of the wealthy). And of course, the use and display of modern western amenities is becoming more common, such as televisions, computers, and vehicles.

When I first arrived at my host institution in Mokolo, a woman’s center, I was approached by my coworker, a pharmacist named Justine. My French was poor and I was unsure of the details, but as she handed me an envelope I understood that it contained a request for money for the construction of a house.  I sternly refused her; I was angry and offended that she had asked.   As a new volunteer, I felt as though I’d been branded with ‘sucker’ across my forehead. She didn’t care that I was there to do work, she saw just saw me as a hand-out. 

This was the first of countless similar occurrences that followed. Children, beggars and strangers, as well as neighbors, friends, and other colleagues constantly ask for money and gifts. Sometimes it is as simple as, “I like your shoes. You should give them to me.” It is a frustrating aspect of my daily interaction with others. 

At the market, I am commonly charged a higher price for goods, such as food and clothing.  In my hometown, where I am known by vendors, the price differential is usually small, but it still exists.  However, outside Mokolo or on market day, if an unfamiliar vendor suspects I am a tourist he will often try to charge four times the appropriate price.

Corruption is the norm in every aspect of life in Cameroon, from the gendarmes who set up booths on the roadsides to collect bribes, to the government officials whose agency money never reaches the constituents.  In the schools in Cameroon, cheating is rampant and without serious consequences because it is not considered morally wrong.

I keep a few days’ supply of water in two large containers in my house.  I normally have running water, but it is often cut on the weekends or when the electricity is out. Due to the thunderstorms, this is more frequent in the rainy season, and can occur every few days or so.  However, if the water is out for a longer period of time, there are also wells throughout my neighborhood and liters of bottled drinking water are sold at the corner stores; but I’ve never had to resort to these. 

Despite these safety nets, when I turn the faucet and it is barely dripping or when I hear my concession-mate filling her bucket with the last drops, my body tenses slightly, and my mind begins to roll over all the day’s necessities - drinking, cooking, washing my hands, bathing, and flushing the toilet.  An air of competition moves in like a storm. Hints of evolutionary instinct are triggered.  A few times when this happened, I took part of my neighbor’s supplies, knowing that she had no reserves. I justified it by telling myself I pay the bills and that my supply of water might be contaminated by the gasoline that had once filled my jugs.  These reasons are accurate, but the antagonism was unwarranted.

Greed can be a reaction to limited resources - a response to a perceived threat to survival. However, it often goes beyond basic needs into the realm of a search for power.

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The United States holds 25% of the world’s wealth.  It is visible in all the things taken for granted, such as paved roads and electronic traffic signals, high-rise buildings and architectural craft, trash pick-up, and grocery stores.  Above and beyond that, people want the newest models of cars, the flashiest jewelry, the most popular clothing, and the most modern technology.

The United States is a consumer culture, and the continued expansion of the holiday season and consumer events such as “Black Friday” is evidence of this.  When I visited home, I wandered into a local drugstore hoping to find some discounted candy because it was the day after Halloween.  Sure enough, it was in the clearance bin and the shelves were being restocked with bags of red, green and white with Christmas wreaths and bells on the packaging. 

Once, on NPR I heard a broadcast on the economic difficulties faced by families during the holiday season. One man commented that despite overwhelming debts he could not disappoint his son, who “expected” a four-wheeler.

I think my nephew has accumulated three or four types of gaming systems.

While I was working in politics in the U.S., it seemed that there was daily news of scandals regarding campaign contributions, district gerrymandering, and legislator gifts from corporate lobbyists. When I was leaving the country the public mistrust caused by the Wall Street scandals was at a peak.

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Inequality indicators show that there is a greater wealth disparity in the United States than in Cameroon.

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Justine, the pharmacist at the women’s center is now one of my best friends.  One day, she recounted some of her life’s struggles. She told me about how her husband was removed from his position as a pastor because of his drinking and infidelity.  He ran away with another woman to the south coast of Cameroon and left her with three children and no means to pay the bills.  So, when her landlord evicted her she began working at the center and applied for a government assistance grant that gave her a plot of land just outside Mokolo.  To build her house, she said, she relied on the donations of friends, family and church members.  As Justine talked of her gratitude towards all those who helped her despite their own poverty and struggles, the memory of my refusal to take her envelope came back to me and hovered over my conscious.

Cameroon has a communal culture. It is common to take up community and church collections for weddings, funerals, hospital visits, and other large unexpected expenses. Moroever, wealth is not held by the individual, but flows throughout the family, which includes extended family, cousins of many degrees, and even close friends.  If a request for money is made to a family member, it is one’s moral duty to fulfill it if possible. This is in contrast to American culture, which focuses on the individual. Requests for gifts or money are seen as shameful because it is a sign of not being able to support oneself. 

I don’t mind paying higher prices for goods. My volunteer stipend is not shared by a family, and I am comparatively rich in Cameroon. Given my liberal politics on tax laws, I would be a hypocrite to not be willing to contribute more to the economy.

A Cameroonian friend once told me that people ask whites for money because they have the reputation of being generous.  He cited examples of religious missions providing food to the hungry, tourists distributing candy to children, and NGOs giving money to local associations.

In 2011 Americans gave a total of nearly $347 billion to charity.  A global study showed that America is the most generous country in the world.

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Whether it is in a place of great poverty, like Cameroon, or of great wealth, like the United States, people everywhere are capable of both greed and generosity.  Whether a person sees one side or the other depends on who is holding the coin.