Yokadouma is a town and Catholic bishopric in eastern

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

, lying near the border with the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...

. It was an early French administrative centre. During the colonial period, Yokadouma was the centre for a widespread but ill-fated immunisation campaign against

sleeping sickness African trypanosomiasis is an insect-borne parasitic infection of humans and other animals. Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as African sleeping sickness or simply sleeping sickness, is caused by the species '' Trypanosoma b ...

, known as 'lomidinisation'. The administration of the drug had little preventative benefit and in many cases the colonial doctors cut corners. In one incident on November 15, 1954, known as the "accident of Yokadouma", the French doctor misadministered the drug to such an extent that more than 300 people contracted

gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...

and 32 more died. It has been described as "one of the most violent medical catastrophes in African history." Its Cathédrale Marie Reine de la Paix, dedicated in 2010 to Our Lady

Queen of Peace Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

, is the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yokadouma (founded 1991). COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Onder bestuur gebrachte nederzetting van Pygmeeen even ten zuiden van Yokadouma TMnr 20014014.jpg , The

pygmy In anthropology, pygmy peoples are ethnic groups whose average height is unusually short. The term pygmyism is used to describe the phenotype of endemic short stature (as opposed to disproportionate dwarfism occurring in isolated cases in a po ...

settlement just south of Yokadouma, photographed in 1965. Grumier dans la ville de Yokadouma.jpg , A truck in Yakadouma. Caravane de boeufs à Yokadouma1.jpg , A caravan of oxen being herded through Yakadouma.

References

Populated places in East Region (Cameroon) {{Cameroon-geo-stub

See also

References