Philly’s Cameroonian Association sets goal for a new cultural center as a tourism magnet

Cameroonian music filled the basement at the Emmanuel Resurrection Episcopal Church in Northeast Philadelphia earlier this month.

Men, women, and children dressed in traditional clothing gathered to celebrate culture and food at the first of what may become an annual “African Food Event.”

This time, the event featured food from both Cameroonian and Liberian communities, as both groups are members of the church.

Women served traditional Cameroonian dishes such as “kondre,” one of the two national dishes of Cameroon, whichis made with plantains, tomatoes, onions, spices, and goat, chicken, or pork meat.

The other main national dish was “ndole,” a spinach stew made of spinach and bitter leaves, flavored with garlic and crayfish, and fortified with shrimp and beef.

The Cameroonian Cultural Association of Greater Philadelphia hosted the food tasting as its first public announcement of its goal to build a new Cameroonian Cultural Center in Philadelphia.

“Our main objective is to help [new Cameroonian immigrants] coming to the Philadelphia region and ease their path into the American culture,” said Thomas Famawa, the president of the association.

“We can provide some resources, connect them with [a] network of Cameroonian leaders of the community who can guide them to success into the American way of life.”

Once the center is established, it would be the first Cameroonian Cultural Center in the United States, Famawa said.

At one time, when the association began discussing plans for a “cultural home,” they were thinking of buying a house to serve as a gathering place for monthly meetings, said Eric Ekobeni, chair of the Cameroonian Cultural Center project.

As time went on, they began to need a permanent meeting space instead of holding their monthly meetings in rented spaces such as church halls or individual homes. So, they decided to dream bigger.

“It is important for us to teach our children where they came from.”

“We thought: ‘Why stop at buying a house? Why not build a high-level type of cultural center that will be not just a place where we can meet, but a full-fledged museum where people can come and visit? Where they can go and enjoy a good Cameroonian dish in the restaurant.”

There are about 2,000 Cameroonians in the Greater Philadelphia area, including the Pennsylvania suburbs, South Jersey, and Delaware, Famawa said. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are about 33,180 Cameroonian-born people living in the United States.

In addition to a museum that will display the Cameroonian culture, organizers said they envisioned a center with a restaurant, a ballroom for parties and weddings, and an area with classrooms for cooking, dancing, and music lessons.

While families enjoyed the food, music, and conversation in the Emmanuel Resurrection church basement, a computer screen was showing a virtual architectural active rendering of how the proposed cultural center would be set up.

As an initial wave of Cameroonian immigrants moved to the region, married, and began having children, the association said they also wanted the cultural center to serve as a cultural home to future generations.

“We have a second generation here, and some of them have never been back home to Cameroon,” Ekobeni said. “This will be a good opportunity, without traveling far, for them to have a touch on what their culture looks like.”

“It is important for us to teach our children where they came from,” said Lynda Meli, a member of the association and supporter of the cultural center. Meli and her husband have four children.

And former association president Raphia Noumbissi said, “Your culture is what makes you strong.”

In Cameroon, there are over 235 different ethnic groups, and each of those groups have their own languages in what Ekobeni called “a rich linguistic culture.”

The two officials languages are English and French.

Ekobeni said they estimate that they have to raise $7 million to $10 million for the center from both within the Cameroonian community and outside.

Although no location has been decided, the members do have a fundraising plan that will not only tap its own members and perhaps corporate donors, but the cultural association will also be looking toward the Cameroonian diaspora to help.

In addition to seeking help from well-known Cameroonians such as 76ers star Joel Embiid, Ekobeni said the group also hopes to launch a campaign to attract support from Black American celebrities who discovered their Cameroonian ancestry through DNA testing.

“Your culture is what makes you strong.”

Among the Black Americans who announced they have roots in the country are Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, Taraji P. Henson, Quincy Jones, Anthony Anderson,Chris Rock, Erykah Badu, Blair Underwood, Don Cheadle, and Sheryl Lee Ralph, the association said.

The group has also been talking with city and tourism officials about having the cultural center promoted for tourists who visit the city.

“We want it to be the window onto Cameroonian culture,” Ekobeni said.

“That is the dream. If you don’t dream big, you can’t reach the sky.”