Douala is known formerly as the economic power house of Cameroon and it is notorious for its hot climatic condition and often annoying traffic congestion. But did you know Douala has one of the bravest men in Cameroon? Yes! the men that dive the depths of the River Wouri to scoop up sand for us to build houses.
They do one of the most risky jobs on earth and yet look so fine, healthy and with an attractive muscular build. These men dive 20 feet into the Wouri river risking their lives to collect sand. There are around 4000 divers working on the stretch of the river in Cameroon at any one time.
Their main working equipment include canoes, poles and steel buckets. They collect the sand by diving into the river, scoop up around 15 kilos of wet sand at the bottom of the river and then use a pole to launch themselves up to the surface and and then pour the sand inside their canoe.
Meet one of the strongest group made up of 6 men as photographed by Hugh Brown.
The grueling work is tough on the body and on the mind. Some of the divers suffer from bleeding from the ears and noses and eyes due to the depths they are working at and sand often ingresses through those cavities. There is always at least one casualty a year on the river as divers often misjudge the location of the hull of the boat and become injured. But all these ain't stopping them from their hustle.
From their body build, you might think these guys are models or some sought of fitness trainers. But they got their physique from their day-to-day job. If you got a clothing brand you might want to contact these guys to help promote your products. They can come in handy on various different kinds of commercials too.
Share your thoughts in the comments section. I'll like to hear from you reading this.
These are the real men of which is being said pressure maketh diamonds 💎 but out of this hardwork, they still strive to make ends meet despite the daily risks incurred.
Courage brothers do not stumble. You're guarded
They also deep those poles or use paddles to know the depth of the river, whether it is safe for them to dive at that location or not.
They also pin these poles and tie ropes connecting with the canoes for support, to avoid the toasting by wind and waves.