Camping in Abidjan

By Chirley Roundy Arnold

“Venez, venez,” sings Sister Jeanne Gueu as she sits on the white sand under a forty-foot palm tree and watches the surf pound the beach. She is singing her favorite hymn, “Come, Come, Ye Saints.” As she sings, eleven young women from two branches in the Abidjan Ivory Coast District in Africa gather for a testimony meeting. Nine of the eleven, along with Sister Gueu, were baptized during the past year.

The girls join in, and the singing becomes the opening hymn for the meeting. Testimony bearing is a time of reflection for them. Gisele Kalongo, Laurel class president of the Cocody Branch, stands and leads off with her testimony. “I know the Church is true,” she says. “It has made big changes in my life.” The oldest of nine children and the only girl in the family, she had waited to be baptized until her mother and brothers were ready to join the Church, too. Gisele went to camp last year as one of two nonmembers among a group of five girls. After camp, she and the other nonmember joined the Church. To Gisele, this year’s group of eleven seems like a lot to camp with.

Tape Carolle, age sixteen, stands and bears her testimony. “I had never experienced real happiness until I joined the Church,” she says. “The feelings I had during the missionary lessons and Church meetings made me happy.”

Marie Broadhead, fair skinned with long auburn hair, has been living in the Ivory Coast for the past three years. Almost fifteen years old, she is the Mia Maid class president of the Cocody Branch. This camp at the beach will be her last big activity with these friends because her family will soon return to the United States, and will then move to Venezuela. Marie stands and expresses her feelings: “I will really miss all of you. You have become my friends.”

When Marie first arrived, she and her family held church meetings in English in their own home every Sunday. Then Elder Marvin J. Ashton of the Quorum of the Twelve came to the Ivory Coast in September 1987 and dedicated the nation for the preaching of the gospel. He stayed with the Broadheads and called Brother Terry Broadhead, Marie’s father, to be the first branch president of the Abidjan Branch. They began holding their meetings in French, the official language of the Ivory Coast. Marie received a crash course in French every Sunday. Now she speaks it beautifully.

Marie has watched that small branch of fifty people grow to a district of five branches with over four hundred members. Through her answers in class and her example of gospel living, she has helped teach the other girls her age.

One of the girls waits until the end to stand up. “After hearing the gospel message, I had to join the Church to be happy,” she says. “It was worth it to me. Now I know real happiness.” She was forced to leave her home because of her membership in the Church, but she has no regrets.

The testimony meeting on the beach is over. As Sister Gueu walks back to camp, she picks up a coconut and balances it on her head without breaking her stride. Philomene Gueu follows her mother’s example, and they both walk straight-backed with a graceful gait beneath the palm trees.

African girls learn at a young age how to carry things on their head. With practice, it becomes a very convenient way to transport things. During the camp, girls and their leaders carry many things on their heads—cooking pots, firewood, Campcrafter books, a day pack, and a three-gallon jug of water.

A Blending of Culture and Friendship

The camping program in Abidjan blends cultures and languages. Hiking songs range from the French song “Frere Jacques” and the English “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” to several African chants. All of the girls can speak French, along with their own tribal language. Beta and Baule are among the most common tribal languages here.

Abidjan is a melting pot of tribal members from distant villages and people from neighboring African countries. People come here for better jobs and higher pay. The young women who have come here with their parents are far away from the life they were accustomed to. They enjoy finding new friends they have something in common with at church and in district activities.

Africans are not shy about making new friends or about expressing themselves through song or dance. On the hike, the girls are encouraged to teach each other a song. Amoahedwige Kowies, from the Abobo Branch, teaches more than one. Once she begins, there is no holding her back. The other girls follow her lead, clapping their hands to her chant as she guides them in an African dance.

The girls also tie knots, find north using the position of the sun, and teach each other first aid. They use a bleach bottle fitted with a plastic bag weighed down by a Campcrafter book to learn mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Like several of the girls, Michelene Kouame, age thirteen, expected camp to be a very special experience, so she wore her Sunday dress. Wearing a wrap-around skirt or dress for every occasion isn’t uncommon here—it is expected. When it came time to light a fire, though, she had to be careful not to smudge or burn her dress.

Even though the camping area is only thirty minutes from Abidjan, this is the first time several of the girls have been to the beach. The majority of the African girls’ time is spent at school, if their parents can afford it, or working to help with the family income. Very little time is left for entertainment.

The city of Abidjan is almost surrounded by a beautiful lagoon. In some places, the freshwater lagoon is separated from the ocean by a narrow strip of sand only one hundred feet wide. The lagoon waters invite a romp in the waves, but only Marie Broadhead and Crystal Arnold know how to swim. All the rest want to be taught in the calm, shallow waters. The oceanfront, although beautiful, is rough and dangerous. Not even the people in the villages along the beach swim in the pounding surf. They prefer the lagoon for swimming and bathing. The ocean is for fishing.

The girls and their leaders prepare to return home. They have laughed together, learned together, and shared their testimonies together. Faith and friendships have grown stronger. The girls are looking forward to camp next year—and plan to invite their friends.

It was a blend of cultures and languages, testimony and fun when eleven young women of the Abidjan Ivory Coast District gathered together for an annual camp at the beach. (Photograph by Chirley Roundy Arnold.)