How Cameroon crisis don force some Anglophone residents to begin drink Nigerian beer

    • Author, Leocadia Bongben
    • Role, BBC News Pidgin, Cameroon

"No bi only gunshots and suffer dey for Anglophone regions of Cameroon, life don turn na no do dis no do dat, hide and seek even for drink beer."

Dat na wetin Brendan, one young man, welder weh e di change wit life for Bamenda, tori BBC News Pidgin how tins reach dis level.

For Brendan and oda pipo wey dey live for di area, simple enjoyments like to even drink beer, wey dem bin dey enjoy before, don become long thing.

"Wit di crisis we di adjust, change colour laik chameleon for how know taim for run, taim for stay house, know wusai for drink which kana beer," e tok.

As e be so, na Nigerian beer dem dey buy, as 'the boys,' so called Ambazonia fighters for di regions no wan carri eye see anything Cameroon, even beer.

"Just now if separatist fighters see any man weh e di drink beer weh deh make'am for Cameroon you fit loss your hand or arm," Brendan add.

"De 'boys' as we di call dem shoot some boy for foot wen e argue say e use na e moni buy de beer." Di man from up kontri tok.

Ambazonia fighters wey dey ginger to get dia own kontri, don dey fight wit goment forces for years now. Many pipo don die, many run, and many don become refugees for Nigeria.

Di English speaking parts of Cameroon wia Ambazonia fall under say di majority French-speaking side of Cameroon dey marginalise dem.

No bi only for Bamenda Nigerian beer flop for market, Kumba for Southwest region na anoda town weh deh drink 'armored car' plenti.

But oda foreign beer too don enta market and pipo di buyam stock dia bar as business get for continue as Cameroon beer don scarce and e also cost.

Kumba resident, Peter, tori BBC News Pidgin say dis beer dey laik cargo for counterfeit list. Deh di smuggle'am inside bag and cartoon through Mamfe and Ekok for Southwest region den put'am for crates sell'am.

So how pipo for di Anglophone regions dey enjoy di Nigerian beer?

"Ah di drink na 'armored car' (some beer weh e komot Nigeria) because ah no get de wan weh ah use to drink," Brendan for Bamenda tok.

"Wen ah enta drink place if ah wan drink Cameroon beer ah go just say, 'green sacs and motos.' Na for backside deh di give'am, den ah hide'am komot wit'am," e add.