Yaoundé, the garden city
Yaoundé, capital of Cameroon, at 700 meters above sea-level is located on a site with seven hills and looks like a garden city.
The town spreads over seven kilometers in a picturesque setting of undulating landscape and luxuriant vegetation. Each neighborhood has its own personality, depending on whether it is situated on a hill, plateau or in a valley.
From the smart airport you get to know the town by going through successive neighborhoods: Mvog-Mbi, with its rectangular houses roofed with zinc, the Ahmadou Ahidjo Square, with a round- about decorated with tall sculptured statutes marking the beginning of the modern city. Opposite the General Post Office you find the administrative district on the slopes of the central hillock on top of which sits the Presidential Palace. All around, the tall buildings with bold, futuristic architectural designs are the government departments.
From the Ahmadou Ahidjo Square to the WARDA junction you find the business district with its towering skyscrapers that reduce the cathedral and the cinemas to insignificance. Here you find modern shops and traditional stalls vying with one another in tempting the sight-seeing visitor to buy their waves.
Before getting to the WARDA junction, the tourist may admire and visit the magnificent and bustling central market displaying vivid colours. The market is in a circular, four-storey ultra-modern edifice with a kind of shell-like structure in the middle, built with modern material, cement-walled, aluminium-roofed.
Around this market, one of the most prestigious spots in Yaoundé, you find futuristic buildings springing up here and there, with large neon signs.
About fifty meters away, you can find the entire foodstuff you need. This is the place where you find on display all kinds of local farm produce such as cocoyam, cassava, plantains, yams, bananas, mangoes, tomatoes, etc... all from neighbouring villages, for the consumption of city dwellers.
Right after the business district you get to Briqueterie where there is an imposing mosque, popular areas such as Messa, Mokolo, Madagascar.
Bastos which got its name from the cigarette factory located on one of the city's hills, has luxurious villas and apartment buildings, hidden behind flamboyant hibiscus hedges. It is one of the residential areas in Yaoundé.
Djoungolo is a new district, east of the city centre. In the valley in this area is located the new terminal for the Trans- Cameroon Railway line linking Yaounde to Ngaoundéré. Further eastwards is located the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, a jewel in concrete with a futuristic design which was recently completed and opened for the 8th African Championship Cup in 1972. It was the first link in the chain of sports complexes that will comprise tennis, basket and volley-ball courts, a swimming pool and Olympic village.Climbing a tortuous road through virgin forest you come unto the Mont Febe hotel grounds; this is the biggest, most modern hotel in Yaounde. It is an unrevalled site from which you have an overall view of the city with its ochreous foot-hills dotted with green and white. Mont Febe is gradually becoming a residential area and the residence of the President of the Republic is in this area, just a stone's throw from the Apostolic Nuncio. There is a Benedictine Monastery nearby, a real eagle's nest, housing a small museum which is worth seeing as it displays a cross-section of the country's artistic wealth and diversity. The monastery is also a haven for the sick.
The University of Yaoundé is situated in the south-western extremity of the city in a rugged landscape, surrounded by lakes. The State educates its future senior staff in this setting where a campus with elaborate architectural design is a harmoniously integrated into the surroundings. Courses are given in all disciplines.
Yaoundé, a cosmopolitan town, provides all forms of artistic expression.
The popular districts such as Mvog-Mbig, Mvog-Ada, Mokolo, Briqueterie or Madagascar are the areas haunted by artists and their works portray the artistic talents in their regions of origin. In the city centre, it would be useful to visit the "handicrafts village", a vast market where you find various kinds of pieces on display. In the hall of Delegation General for Tourism, just a stone's throw from the Ahmadou Ahidjo Square, you can admire some of the essentially popular creations. Lastly, you are recommended to visit the Negro Arts Museum of the University Catholic Centre.
Thus in the popular districts, teaming with an avid, optimistic populace, you can join a crowd of curious, appreciative onlookers in listening to and admiring the performances of traditional orchestras and dance groups. Religious arts are not left out in this "cameroonianisation" exercise. You can attend a mass in Melen that is sung and danced in a native language by graceful Ewondo or Beti women.