When Emmanuel Chongwan was 16, he sensed God leading him to do something life changing for prisoners who he felt were being treated as slaves. Later in life, that nudge led him to serve as a full time pastor in his home country, Cameroon.
“My father served as a prison guard for 33 years and we used to have some inmates who would come work in our house and I developed compassion for them,” recalled Chongwan, who serves with Bread for Life International (BFL) as the Prison Pastor.
But since embracing his call 32 years ago, Chongwan has had to deal with a huge task – restoring prisoners’ lost dignity and speaking for them in a very hostile context.
Cameroon has about 26,300 prisoners incarcerated in some 84 prisons across the central Africa country, according to a 2023 study on Cameroon’s health services. Out of the 8,115 prisoners in 10 jails sampled in the study, 6,091 were on pre-trial detention. Like elsewhere in Africa, prison predicaments go beyond just the long pre-detention period, to horrible prison conditions.
“The incarcerated in Africa are treated very poorly - more like slaves,” Chongwan told Christian Daily International in an interview.
“They only have a right to a single meal a day and the quality of the meal is horrible, their cells are terribly overcrowded, as well as the prison environment itself,” the prison minister adds.
The Kondengui neighborhood in Yaounde is known for one thing – it hosts one of the most densely populated prisons, the Kondegui Principal Prison (KPP). Built to contain just about 1,000 inmates, Jurden Noeske’s study found that it had 3059 people incarcerated in 2021, including 111 women and 57 minors. The total number of inmates can often reach 4,000.
On paper, Cameroon has good prison laws that advocate for the better treatment of inmates, but unfortunately, they are not put into practice. Almost all of Cameroon’s major prisons were built during the colonial era, presenting signs of poor maintenance – officials say they lack funds for their upkeep.
“They undergo torture in many forms, and have limited access to basic social services like electricity, water, and medication,” said Pastor Chongwan. The prison minister adds that this is further compounded by a “very slow judicial process that keeps people in pre-trial detention for more than three years.”
To assuage their plight, prison ministers in Africa have been lobbying the government and development partners to improve the living conditions of prisoners.
“We are calling on organisations to help our prisons build rehabilitation centres where prisoners can learn skills that will help them reintegrate into the community after prison” Chongwan said.
Despite the treatment given to prisoners, Jesus’ hand remains extended to them and those working to bring this news through evangelism and discipleship.
“My joy is complete each time I see prisoners surrender their lives to Jesus Christ. I feel privileged that God called me to serve in this unique ministry,” said Chongwan. Over three decades, they have preached to 30,000 inmates in 52 prisons, where they have planted 17 churches.
Chongwan’s team has been reinforced by three pastors, all of whom came to believe in Jesus Christ while in prison, and through the same ministry. Remarkable among them is Pastor Baring Rodrigue of the Full Gospel Mission in Cameroon. He was charged and imprisoned for robbery with violence before he met Chongwan who preached to him. For Rev Baba Andre, his life in crime and in prison ended when Jesus redeemed him through pastor Chongwan’s prison ministry.
Pastor Chongwan’s ministry offers a holistic sermon, as they provide basic needs of prisoners like food, soap, clothing, medication, sanitary towels, toothbrushes, toothpastes, underwears and Bibles.
“We also provide school requirements to reformed parents in prison who invite their children and hand these items to them at the start of the school year,” said Chongwan.
The team organises and hosts several weekly activities at the Kondengui prison including Sunday worship service, Bible study as well as meeting the physical needs of the inmates. The prison ministry also organizes outreach and mission programmes in other prisons in Cameroon such as the Douala Central Prison, Ebolowa Central Prison, Kribi, Akonolinga and Mbalmayo prisons.
To attain their objective of reaching the 84 prisons of Cameroon with the gospel of Jesus Christ, Pastor Chongwan urges the church to pray, give and to get involved in prison ministry. He also prays that the church and the community may love and accept ex-inmates, without stigmatizing them.
