As I end my trip to my homeland, I would like to introduce Episode 8 with Dr. Ben-Lawrence Kemah, one of my old friends and someone who enjoys deep intellectual journeys as much as I do. Back in 2017, we would’ve been easily found exploring the commonalities in our cultures and our religions and debating topics  while working on our portfolios till late at night. Two boys, from Buea and Lahore working towards their respective dreams of becoming surgeons.

While I found my calling elsewhere, Ben stuck with surgery and is now on his way to completing his training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology with a subspeciality interest in GynaeOncology. We sat down 4 years from when we first met and talked about the reliance on constants at home, intellectual freedom, how life resembles a sine wave, the imperfections of the world around us… while staying true to our shared mantra of finding meaning in the lows because the highs are not far behind.

Or in his own words:

“My name is Ben and I am from Buea; a small mountain side town in Cameroon, West/Central Africa. It could take you under 7 hours to walk the entire length of the town but perhaps 7 lifetimes to describe this town and what it means to me – It bears my baby steps and it was on its soils that I dreamed by my first dream and set forth to conquer the world in a journey which has led me to the Birmingham, UK so far.  Buea fans out from foot of the majestic volcanic mount Fako; the home of the mythical “Epassa Moto”; the deity of the indigenous people of the town/village. Eternally edged in my memory are some of the most beautiful sunrise and sunsets as the mountain dances before of the sun but also, countless legendary tales about this mountain. Due to its gentle, refreshing and extremely conducive climate, both German and British colonial settlers established their capitals in Buea, the heart of the English speaking regions of Cameroon – The town is still littered with architectural remnants of British but mostly German colonisation in the form of administrative buildings and bridges dating from the 18th century.  I never really left Buea for any protracted period of time as I completed every level of education there so I have no other real memories that compare with the nostalgia that haunts me almost daily now that I have left home. I had some of the best laughs and fondest memories in Buea and some of the greatest human connections I ever made started and are very much left in Buea. I think about my life as I often do, about the journey so far but I also think about what the future may look like; I think about my own child, and the fact that for them Buea will be someplace else and the fact that one thing we may never be able to share is Buea or be linked to it in the same – To them, home will be someplace else but for me, home will always be Buea; my level playing field, a place free of prejudice and self-doubt.”

Ben is also one of the founders and current CEO of HERO Cameroon – a non-profit organisation that seeks to increase public health awareness by supporting and conducting non-partisan health and product research, capacity building, project evaluation and informational activities. They can be found at the following links:

Official website: https://herocameroon.org/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/herocameroon?s=11

Instagram: https://instagram.com/hero_cameroon?utm_medium=copy_link

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