The Government of Cameroon and that of Chad have signed an aide-memoire with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to extend the railway network linking Ngaoundere in Cameroon and Djamena in Chad.

Cameroon’s Minister of Transport, Edgard Alain Mebe’e Ngo’o oversaw the signing ceremony this 18th July 2017.

The signing paves the way for feasibility studies ahead of the construction of the railway linking both towns.

The Director General of Cooperation and Regional Integration, Charles Assamba Ongondo who signed for Cameroon explains that the three signatories previously worked with the Cameroon – Chad Railway Commission to map- out feasibilty studies for the project.

He explains that the document will be submitted to the board of AfDB for scrutiny.

Minister Edgard Alain Mebe’e Ngo’o on his part said that the aide-memoire is an important step towards the realisation of the project.

The project is a 900km railway extension line linking Cameroon and Chad. It will undoubtably enhance regional intergration owing to the flow of people and goods. The finance package is estimated at about 5000 billion CFAF.

Eleanor Ayuketah

Chad – This Is The Moment Chadian Forces Brutalize Students For Demonstrating Against the Government. Following a demonstration by students in Chad against helmets, the police violently suppressed the students with 3 dead on Monday, March 09, 2015.

How the men of Chad’s Wodaabe culture put on their make-up and don their best clothes to impress would-be brides at a week-long festival.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption Wodaabe men perform the “Yaake” ritual dance as part of the Gerewol, a week-long courtship ceremony in Chad. It must be one of the only African cultures which allows girls to take the lead in choosing their betrothed and even married women have the right to take a different man as a sexual partner.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption Wodaabe means “people of the taboo” – these are subgroups of Fulani and Tuareg, who have migrated around this part of Africa for centuries. Here a Wodaabe man wakes up as dawn breaks in the Sahel desert – his donkeys and very basic shelter his only possessions.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption The Wodaabes mostly live on milk and ground millet, with yoghurt, sweet tea and occasionally the meat of a goat or sheep. Here a child here shakes the milk in a calabash and churn it into yoghurt.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption Men start preparing for the Gerewol at daybreak. From early on there is a mounting sense of anticipation, as some years see more than 1,000 people gather for the festivities. The men paint their faces with make-up made from clay, stones and animal bones crushed and turned into a paste. Some men were said to paint their lips black with chemicals from batteries to emphasise their white teeth.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption This participant has shaved his hairline to elongate his forehead and is practising the eye-rolling, teeth-baring aspect of the dance, which shows off the features Wodaabe women find desirable.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption A Wodaabe family shelter from the blazing sun in their basic home. Their wooden beds house all their possessions and the whole family sleep together.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption A Wodaabe man pours his morning brew. Drinking tea is an important ritual in this culture. During Gerewol, men drink a tea made with fermented bark which is said to have a hallucinogenic effect, and also enables them to dance for hours on end

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption Preparations for the Gerewol festival are communal and everybody pitches in to help the men look their best. The hours the men spend on their clothes and make-up has led to the Wodaabe being called “the vainest tribe in the world”.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption Some make-up is believed to have magical powers and the Wodaabe go to great lengths to secure it. The orange face powder is only to be found beside a special mountain near Jongooria in central Niger, and some clans must undertake a 1,400km (870-mile) round trip on foot to secure a supply.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption Gerewol only happens once a year, so the pressure and anticipation is huge and finding a wife is so important.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption Wodaabe men make some last-minute adjustments to their costumes for the night’s festivities, checking their reflections in brightly coloured pocket mirrors – indispensable accessories for the Wodaabe male. They look at them constantly, a bit like some people and their smartphones.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption Although the girls wear less make-up than the men, they also take great pride in their appearance, plaiting and decorating their hair. The tattoos on this girl’s face are caused by scarification at a young age and indicate tribal affiliations, as well as strength and valour.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption Here Wodaabe men grimace during the dance to show off their white teeth. The ostrich feathers in their hats emphasise their height.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption A long line of Wodaabe men and boys, wearing bejewelled leather tunics and sparkling crowns and feathers, sways rhythmically backwards and forwards.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption Two Wodaabe men take a break from dancing to catch their breath. The Gerewol festival is a gruelling test of endurance for the men, who dance for hours in stifling heat in the hopes of impressing a woman. Woman selects husband with the slightest touch of the handImage copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption This is the moment at the end of the week-long ceremony where, with the slightest of hands, a woman selects her husband at Gerewol. It all happens very subtly and quickly, she does not even look him in the eye. The festival is an inter-clan affair, in which women of separate lineages will pick men from opposing clans.

Image copyright Tariq Zaidi Image caption At sunset the ostrich feathers in the mens’ caps resemble palm trees. They make the Wodaabe, already an incredibly tall and lean people, even taller. Once the week-long festival is over, the Wodaabe return to their day-to-day life as nomadic herders. Pictures and words by Tariq Zaidi.

MEPs have adopted these new provisions of the penal code, which repeals the 1967 by 111 votes for, one against and four abstentions. The National Assembly of Chad has adopted Monday a reform of the penal code which includes the repeal of the death penalty and prohibit early marriage. The Parliament adopted the new criminal code – which repeals that of 1967 by 111 votes for, one against and four abstentions in this country where the political and social tensions are still strong. The death penalty is repealed except for cases of terrorism. The new penal code intends to combat one of the scourges of the country, early marriage, under the legal age of marriage for girls from 16 to 18 years. In Chad, twenty-eight percent of women 15 to 49 years were married before the age of 15 years and 69 percent of women 20 to 49 years old were married before the age of 18 years. © Rights reserved Chadian president Idriss Deby had promulgated in 2015 a law punishing imprisonment of 5 to 10 years and a fine of 500,000 to 5 million CFA FRANCS (750 to 7,500 euros) anyone who forces a minor to marry. It is committed to banning the marriage of minors by 2020, with the support of the bottom of the UN children (Unicef). However, the new penal code always punishes homosexuality, which is no longer seen as a crime but as a crime, punishable by a fine or a suspended jail sentence.

Just imagine what this Man turned this pretty woman into?
please ladies, use your power of choice well, Marry a good man.

The truth is that most of times, the signs are there for you, but you ignore them.
Make your own money and stop being moved by money and gifts.

These things are not proofs that a Man loves you, Do you know that just one day beating can purge you of all the good things he got You.

Some of You have good men around you, who are willing to worship you. Instead of marrying such men, you allow greed and desperation to put you into the wrong hands.

Marriage is not a do-or-die affair, Take your time and observe a Man, Don’t just look at his actions, pay attention to his mindset. As a man thinketh, so is he.

Watch his relationship with other females.
Get his angry intentionally and watch his reaction, Sometimes push him to the wall.
This is very important.

This woman is lucky to even be alive.
Imagine a man beating up a woman during pregnancy, Such a bastard.

If you die, the man will get another woman.
So you lose on both sides, I didn’t know that dinosaurs are still in existence
Marry a Man not a boy.

There are good men everywhere
Don’t be deceived, It’s just that most of them come in seed form, You have to discover them.

This journey of marriage is a loooooong one, What is the benefit of rushing into marriage, only to rush out again.

When you find a good man, stick to him.
Abundance of wealth is good, but it won’t guarantee you much happiness.

Avoid men that see women as slaves.
If possible build with your man.
Especially a good man.

ITS MY OPINION THOugh!
You reserve the exclusive right to make your choice, I hope you make the right choice.