Difficult reality of Cameroonian woodcarvers

In a workshop in the Cameroonian economic capital, Anadolu Agency met artisans of all ages who say they are desperate because they are not making a living from their profession.

Located on a curb in Nkolmitang, a district of Douala, their workspace is narrow, dilapidated and insalubrious. But 17 Cameroonian men meet from morning to evening everyday for common or individual tasks. They share the costs of workshop rental and maintenance.

From the entrance it is possible to hear the sounds of smoothing machines and other utensils.

But hardly the men’s voices. The reason is simple: here they are devoted passionately to their jobs but with an ounce of despair. It's hard to get a smile out of these men. They are dissatisfied.

They sculpt objects that later remain buried in the dust invading the shaky shelves of the space.

Between the lack of direct customers and the small amounts of money given by retailers for valuable objects, they shout for help. The difficulties outweigh the benefits, they all testify.

"We use various types of wood that we harvest with great difficulty by travelling thousands of kilometers across the country. Water and forest authorities block us on the roads and yet we carry wood waste," said Mbida, the oldest artist in the workshop.

He said the hard-earned wood is used to produce art objects, kitchen utensils and other decorative materials. Prices depend on the size and type of wood used. The most expensive is ebony. However, most of the profits are paid back to retailers.

- Lack of access

"Our main customers are owners of art galleries and small business stands. They buy from us at prices much lower than their resale prices and yet earn three times more," said Mbida.

Dealers have the advantage of exhibiting in luxury venues and exporting large quantities outside the country. "We don't live, we just survive,” he said.

"Sometimes we even don't sell anything in a whole week. I am a father and it is a very difficult situation.”

Londji Christian, an artisan, is also "discouraged."

"For as long as I have been involved in this activity, which I like, I barely earn enough to treat myself in case of illness. We don't live, we just survive with this profession," he told Anadolu Agency.

These craftsmen accuse the country's security crisis of not promoting their activities. Because of the situation, tourists limit themselves in places which craftsmen do not have direct access because they are afraid to move around the country.

Nevertheless, they are convinced that the Cameroonian government could change the situation.

"Governors can support us by opening up a large craft market for us and by facilitating our works’s deportation through international partnerships. They can also facilitate the acquisition of wood dedicated to our activity. Working only at the local level is insufficient and leads us to begging," said Mbida.

But for Essame Paul, also a worker in the workshop, help for the rulers is very often limited to art dealers.

"We are left to ourselves. Even when governors try to help, they only get closer to the shopkeepers and not to the sculptors directly," he said.

He also wants barriers to be more open for exports to win international customers. For him, the local market is not profitable.

Among these men, some young people just want to escape idleness and fight unemployment. Some of them are graduated but unemployed. Others are passionate and hope to cross borders through sculpture. But they all aspire to "more recognition and a better future."