The former General Hospital in Douala was built in 1896 by the Germans and designed by the architect Henri Drees. It was created to take care of European patients only, based on the colonialist ideology of the time which was highly segregationist. Originally named Nachtigal Hospital, it was named in honor of the roving Consul Nachtigal, who represented Emperor William I and Chancellor Bismarck in the gulf of Guinea.
French author Louis-Ferdinand Céline arrived in the still German-speaking town in 1916 and depicted his stay in this hospital in an extract from his novel Voyage au bout de la nuit. The building, described as gorgeous at the time, was extended twice its size under the French Mandate in 1930. That same year, the French administration built Hôpital Laquintinie for the natives, following the same spirit of separation used during the German Freie Zone.
Renamed Hôpital Général when independence took place, the building today houses the Police department and the Littoral Delegation of Culture. In 2006, the building was highlighted by an urban sign produced by doual'art and designed by Sandrine Dole. The sign presents a historical image of the building and a description of its history.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Mutabor
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