Cala in Cameroon

Introduction / History

Caka is spoken by the Cala people in the villages of Asaka, Batenga, and Basaka in the Akwaya Southwest Region of Cameroon. The Germans governed their region as a protectorate from 1884 to 1916. From 1916 to 1919, the United Kingdom and France jointly governed the area. Subsequently, the British administered it solely until it became part of Cameroon in 1961. The history of colonial rule has contributed to ongoing conflicts today.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Most Calas are farmers. Women typically grow subsistence crops such as maize, cassava, beans, yams, and plantains. Men focus on cash crops, mainly cocoa and coffee. Government programs have supported farmers by providing resilient seeds that can withstand the effects of climate change. These programs also promote sustainability by encouraging community involvement and teaching modern farming techniques. Additionally, some Cala people are learning to run pig farms.

The Cala enjoy a traditional meal common among many ethnic groups in Cameroon, which has also gained popularity in other countries. This meal consists of fufu, a starchy dough made from ground yams, cassava, or plantains, and eru, a soup or stew made with leafy vegetables.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Most of the Cala people identify as Christians. However, some local denominations focus more on social justice issues rather than emphasizing the need for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Islam and African traditional ethnic religions are also prevalent in the region. Animism, a significant component of the traditional worldview, holds that natural physical entities, including animals, plants, and even inanimate objects, possess a spiritual essence. Often, Christianity and traditional views are mixed.

What Are Their Needs?

The joint governance by the United Kingdom and France, mentioned earlier, continues to have repercussions today. Since 1961, English-speaking minorities have felt marginalized by the French-dominated government. Minority language speakers suffer due to the armed conflict between government forces and separatist groups, which has led to killings, property destruction, kidnappings for ransom, illegal taxation, arbitrary arrests, and extortion. Damage to roads and other infrastructure makes it harder to access already scarce medical and educational services.

While all adults in the community use Caka, more young people are learning Cameroon Pidgin. A few short audio Bible stories and basic Christian teachings are available in Caka at gospelrecordings.net. A proper assessment of the language's viability is needed to determine if further language development or Bible translation projects would benefit the Cala people.

Prayer Points

Pray for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the Southwest Region of Cameroon.
Pray for godly wisdom (James 3:17) for national and regional leaders.
Pray that Cala speakers will engage with the audio Scriptures that are available online to find comfort in trying times. Pray that much more of God’s Word is made available to the Cala people, including through accurate teaching in their own language, through Bible translation, and perhaps even by more educated Caka speakers accessing God’s Word in other languages that they can understand and then sharing what they learn with their families.
Pray that the Cala community and church leaders can connect with Bible translation organizations to explore the possibility of further oral and written translation projects to provide their people with more of God’s Word in their heart language.

Text Source:   Joshua Project