Within any culture, there are sub-cultures. One of which, in these first days in Cameroon, has stood out. For lack of a better term, I’ll call this one “the Yaoundé train station culture”.
A porter’s job is to ensure that he not only carries his client’s luggage from the vehicle to the station to the train, but also get you settled in “first” so as to use as much of the available storage space as possible. He has to manoeuvre around all the other porters looking for passenger’s business. This requires being louder, faster, and more aggressive.
The train attendant is responsible for guaranteeing that only ticket holders are admitted into the train car for which they paid for: first class, second class, etc. This requires formality, a no-nonsense attitude and an ability to verbally push back anyone who will not obey their rule of law – which is, admittedly, what they are there to enforce.
In the moment where our porter clashed with the train attendant – shouting back and forth, trying to plough through both the formalities of boarding the train and getting through the masses of people looking to do the same – something entirely unexpected happened.
A man, in casual yet clean-cut clothing, wearing an official-looking badge arrived on the scene. In the calmest of voices, demeanour and attitude, he asked quite simply “what is the problem?” The porter pleaded his case in his “job-required” aggressiveness, the train attendant indicating in response that he wasn’t letting him (or us) on because he hadn’t checked the passengers’ tickets, and so on.
“Ah yes, I see. Then let’s see those tickets please” he said still in his serene tone and stature. Then he slowly, methodically, inspected each ticket, smiling to each of us in between. Then declared solemnly that we could board the train. Have a good trip, he was indicating – a nice, tranquil, relaxed trip.
A simple story really – but an important one in inter-cultural observations. Everyone had a role to play. But each role also required a particular attitude, mode of operation and force of personality to be executed so that the “train station dance” could take place.
The official’s entire sense and outpouring of calm in the chaotic atmosphere that is the Yaoundé train station was a lesson in itself: one must take a step back and look at the situation for what it is. Looking beyond the roles, beyond the emotions that sometimes cloud a rather simple interaction.
In developing the skills of calmness in chaos, something magical can happen. A new dance can be created.
