Hello Local Guides Team.
I’m JOSEPH NKWETCHE, Local Guide Level 9 from Cameroon and based in Douala. In my previous job, I use to travel a lot in my country (and outside) and shared pictures taken through social media.
In 2012, I went to Scotland for a training. I was living in Montrose. A colleague (there for a training too) invites me in Aberdeen for the Weekend. He just gave me his hotel name. I went on Google Maps and find the Hotel. Using direction feature, I could choose a departure time and itinerary to travel till his hotel. He was so surprised to receive a call from me saying that I’m at the hotel reception waiting for him less than 1 hour later. He now says, “I will call you Wakawaka Boy”. He told this story to all our friends back home. From that time, people started calling me ‘’Wakawaka Boy’’ and I too began to add comment to my pictures caption using words such as for example “Wakawaka Boy in Paris; Wakawaka in Yaoundé; Wakawaka in Pointe Noire …”
- WAKAWAKA Boy in my country designate somebody who walk or travel a lot.
____On the other side back in my country , I start trying to find my way using Google maps as I easily did before in Montrose but I could not. It was always difficult to find my way or to guide anybody that would like to go from one point to another. Must of the time places would:
- Be missing on the maps,
- Have wrong locations on the maps,
- Have no phone contact.
- No relevant images to recognize the place…
When I discovered that it was possible for me to add all those information’s listed above on Google Maps to make it useful for me and people in my home town. I was so happy and did not hesitate to jump in.
I went through my external and online drives and start adding pictures of places visited previously. Latter after, I start receiving email or calls from known or unknown people to thank me about a contribution that I made that helps them to make their choices or find their way. I then understood this game that I was playing just for fun, could be helpful to people around me.
I realized how significant it was to find right information when searching on Google Maps and the most important that, me as a “Wakawaka Boy’’ could be part of those who dedicated their precious time sharing those information’s with their local community.
Because I believe that a good picture is more that thousand word, so far I have added almost 6000 pictures and 1050 Street View images. My favorite theme in photography is Sunset.
They are so many contributions possibilities in my local area as map is almost virgin in some streets and villages. Apart from adding pictures, when I have some free time, I go through Google Maps to check facts about missing or inappropriate information’s and give answers (more than 8000 till now) or reply to user’s questions (more than 350 till now).
During my free weekend also, I choose some virgin street or neighborhood were to go for ‘’Wakawaka’’ alone or with friends through official Meetup (you can check my several meetup recap here on connect), to take time to share my experience, to add missing places, correct spams, add missing information’s to places.
With my Street View camera, I use to add some 360° images also. I could not add missing road in the maps because this feature is not yet available here in Cameroon. Can’t wait to add my first missing road.
‘’Wakawaka Boy’’ hope you have enjoyed learning a bit more about him.
See you around!
