‘They paved paradise’: fighting back over the loss of green spaces in Cameroon’s capital

The Guardian UK Sunday 25 October 2026, 15:00 UTC By Christian Essimi in Yaoundé 1 min read

Key Points

Concrete sprawl in Yaoundé has devastated the city’s trees and parks, so volunteers are stepping up, shrub by shrubA little piece of paradise is buried under the asphalt that is now lined with parked cars. The romantic spot where Sosthène Hugues Ngono used to bring his first dates had been green and beautiful. “It wasn’t just a park,” he says, standing at the edge of what is now a private car park in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé.

Concrete sprawl in Yaoundé has devastated the city’s trees and parks, so volunteers are stepping up, shrub by shrub

A little piece of paradise is buried under the asphalt that is now lined with parked cars. The romantic spot where Sosthène Hugues Ngono used to bring his first dates had been green and beautiful. “It wasn’t just a park,” he says, standing at the edge of what is now a private car park in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé.

“It was where I came to clear my head when things felt confused,” he says. “Where I met people; where I fell in love, more than once.”

Cameroon (LOCATION) Yaoundé (LOCATION) Sosthène Hugues Ngono (PERSON)

Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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