Robert Tamfu : And His 650-Kilometre Odyssey To Meet Pope Leo XIV

The red dust of the Noun Division still clings to the hems of Robert Tamfu’s trousers, a silent witness to a journey that defied both geography and the grim realities of conflict. At 66, Robert does not walk with the weary gait of a man defeated by distance. Rather, he carries the vibrant energy of a man who has just touched the hem of heaven.

Yaounde, At Last!
In the evening of April 10, 2026, Robert pulled into the bustling sprawl of the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde. He had just completed a staggering 650km circuitous ride from Mbaa Village in Nkambe Central Subdivision, Donga-Mantung Division of North West Region. Passing through Ndu, Magba, Foumban, then Yaounde. A journey necessitated not by choice, but by the jagged lines of an armed conflict that has carved the North West and South West regions into zones of uncertainty. 

Temporary Earthly Inconvenience 
Where once there was a straight route through Ndu, Kumbo, Bamenda, Bafoussam, then Yaounde, there is now a labyrinth of checkpoints and insecurity. But for Robert, the President of the Catholic Men’s Fellowship (CMA) for the Mbaa Pastoral Zone, the "longer and rougher route" through Ndu, Magba, and Foumban was merely a temporary earthly inconvenience on the way to a spiritual milestone.

Lineage Of Uncompromising Faith
To understand Robert’s stamina, one must look at his roots. Faith in the Ngafi household is not a Sunday garment; it is the very marrow of their bones. Robert is the son of the late Pa Patrick Ngafi, a man whose reputation as a "devout and uncompromising Catholic Christian" is still whispered about in Mbaa Village - and Mbuwarr area as a whole. Pa Ngafi, who passed away in 2003, was a man who famously allowed no tradition - no matter how ancient or culturally entrenched - to supersede his devotion to God and the Church.

Family Fire Passed On  
That fire has clearly been passed to the next generation. Robert’s older brother, Martin Ndi, serves as a catechist for over 40 years now. Their eldest brother, Rev. Father Henry Tantoh, stands as the only Catholic priest to hail from the Mbuwarr area to date. When Robert speaks of his faith, he isn't just speaking for himself; he is speaking for a dynasty of believers who see the Papacy not as a distant political office, but as a direct connection to the divine.

From Mbaa To Mambu, Bafut
Robert’s history with Popes is a timeline of Cameroon’s own modern history. He vividly recalls 1985, a time when the roads were open and the air was filled with the promise of a young nation. From Mbaa Village and alongside his brother Martin Ndi, the late Pa Janvarius Njoh, and late Pa Joachim Ngenge of Nwangri Village, Robert undertook a pilgrimage that has become local legend.

100-km Trek To Bafut
"We gathered in Kumbo Cathedral," Robert reminisces. "Then, we trekked 100km." It was a four-day odyssey on foot, arriving in Mambu, Bafut - on the outskirts of Bamenda - on Sunday, August 11, 1985. While on the way to Bafut, the pilgrims, numbering about 150, slept in Babessi, Ndop, and Bambui, their voices rising in hymns that drowned out the fatigue in their legs. When Pope John Paul II landed at the Bamenda, Bafut Airport on Monday, August 12, 1985, the physical exhaustion vanished. For Robert, that mass was a transformative moment - one that set him on a path of lifelong "Papal pursuit."
By 2009, when Pope Benedict XVI visited the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, Robert was there again, sitting in the pews of the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium for the Pontifical mass. Back then, the trip was shorter, the costs were lower, and the North West and South West Regions were at peace.

Faith In A Time Of War
But the Cameroon of 2026 is a different landscape. The raging armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions has turned the once-simple journey from Mbaa to the Cameroonian capital into a logistical and financial nightmare. To avoid the insecurity on the traditional route, Robert was forced to take the "northern bypass," circling through the West Region to reach his destination in Yaounde.
"I chose to come to Yaounde because of the insecurity in the North West Region," Robert says with a sobering honesty. "I believe I will feel more at ease worshipping God with the Pope here (Yaounde)."

Quest For Rome Pilgrimage 
While Robert sought the relative safety of the capital, his brother, Catechist Martin Ndi, remained steadfast in the North West, preparing to meet Pope Leo XIV at the Bamenda, Bafut Airport on April 16, 2026 - the same hallowed ground where they stood together 41 years ago. The Naris are a family divided by geography – for now - but united by a singular, unshakable purpose.
For Robert, the high cost of travel and the grueling hours spent on bumpy roads through Magba are irrelevant. "The expenditure has nothing to do with it," he insists. "If I had the means, I would long have gone on pilgrimage to Rome. Attending the Pope’s mass feels like going to Rome."

Shepherd Among His People
Robert’s dedication isn't just reserved for Papal visits. As the President of the CMA for the Mbaa Pastoral Zone, he oversees six villages and supports two resident priests. Even in the lead-up to his big trip to Yaounde, his duties didn't waver. As recently as March 19, 2026, he conducted dedications, ensuring the spiritual health of his community remained intact - despite the surrounding turmoil.
He views his current pilgrimage as a sacrificial act of leadership. By making it to the Yaounde Airforce Base for the Papal Mass on April 15, 2026, Robert carries the prayers of those in Mbaa who could not afford the "war-tax" of the longer route. Or were too frail to endure the 650km trip.

Peace For The Grassfields
As Pope Leo XIV prepares to lead the faithful in prayer at the Yaounde Airforce Base, Robert Tamfu has two specific intentions written on his heart. The first is a general blessing for the country - that the Pope’s presence will "boost the faith of Cameroonians" who have been weary of heart. But the second is more urgent, more localized, and more desperate. Robert prays that this visit will be the catalyst for the end of the war in the North West and South West Regions.

Earnest Prayers
"Maybe his coming can change a lot of things in our country," Robert muses. This is the hope ...