Politics

Cameroon is a ‘bilingual’ nation, a position of prestige which she shares only with Canada in the whole world.

Anyone who has been following the ongoing revolution in Cameron would have no doubt about Cameroon being a ‘bilingual haven’. Far from that.  It may be in theory and not in practice.

On Wednesday I came across a shocking scene at the entrance to the University of Yaounde I. There was long white banner tied right high over the road with some words boldly inscribed thereon in different colours. As I read down, my eyes fell on the phrase SPORTS PALACE.

 I was shocked and troubled. That was the ‘translation’ of “PALAIS DES SPORTS”. Which translator on earth will fail to know that “Palais des sports” is translated into English as sports centre?
This is just an isolated case of bad translations in our ‘bilingual’ nation. It is common place to find terrible translations, even on examination papers, where homographs in both languages are mistaken for words with the same meaning.
The French word “bougie” was once wrongly translated as candle in an examination to mean sparking plug. The amateur translator seemed to have fallen into the trap of the polysemous nature of the word, which could mean candle or sparking plug, depending on the context.

There is certainly nothing wrong in making mistakes, after all, to err is human. But what we deplore is the fact that there is no room for mistakes at this level, given that there are uncountable competent translators in Cameroon, who can make our nation proud.

 The major problem with Cameroon is that square pegs are forced into round holes, leaving square holes with round pegs.

No English-speaking, qualified translator (with English as first language or for habitual use) would make such stupid mistakes in English.

This makes us question the raison d’être of translation schools in the nation in the likes of the Advanced School of Translators and Interpreters of the University of Buea. Are they not teaching well? Or are they training good examples of bad translators?

 Where are the translators who have graduated from ASTTI since its creation in 1985?

Either the people are not well trained or the powers that be choose the bad elements of the noble profession based on what is popularly known as “connection”.

And it is rather unfortunate that this linguistic staleness is prevailing notwithstanding the presence of almighty National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism.

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Rita Akana

04.May.2017

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An Inhabitant of Nguti warns South West Elites, says Peter Mafany Musonge and Chief Ekwoge Joseph should stop the Divide and Rule technic or face the wrath of the people

A woman emanating from the Nguti village in the South West of Cameroon has condemned the way the elites are handling the Anglophone crisis. She says the Divide and Rule devices which use to work in the past can no longer be applied in recent times.

According to the woman’s bitter message on the social media, all elites killing the struggle must stop and go back to Southern Cameroonians and ask for forgiveness or will face the wrath of the people who are fighting for change because there are so many ways of catching a rat without necessarily touching its tail.

“If CPDM loved you people so much as you claim, why did they ignore you when you were asking the Government to fix the road to Bakossi? You wrote several letters to the CPDM government but they snubbed you. Now you are going around asking people to send their children to school probably because they have bribed you” says the angry woman to Peter Mafany and Chief Ekwoge.  

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Rita Akana

04.May.2017

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The terrorist group was reportedly gathered for Friday prayers in Balla village near the Sambisa Forest when two Nigerian Air Force jets struck them.

“Shekau was wounded in the bombings and is believed to be receiving treatment near the Nigerian border with Cameroon around Kolofata,” AFP quotes a source with contacts within Boko Haram.

“His deputy, Abba Mustapha, alias Malam Abba, was killed in the attack along with another key lieutenant, Abubakar Gashua, alias Abu Aisha,” the source added.

Another source, Babakura Kolo, a member of the civilian militia in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri corroborated the story to AFP.

The military has not released any statement yet but said on Tuesday that it conducted air strikes last Friday against a group of Boko Haram terrorists.

This is the fourth time a report of Shekau being struck during military operations has resurfaced.

Reports of his death came up in 2013 and 2014, which were immediately debunked through a video message from Shekau.

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Rita Akana

03.May.2017

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Special Media Release

 Consortium Responds to the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroun

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good news to the meek. He has sent Me to bind up the broken hearted, to PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES and the OPENING of the PRISON to those who are bound," (Isaiah 61:1)

 It is not in our culture and upbringing to bandy words with God's servants for in the process we fear, we may in fact, grieve the Lord. But today we find ourselves obliged to do exactly what we know we should not; answer God's servants in the public domain, for if we do not, the Church, or part thereof, may derail our struggle for the liberation of God's people as directed by the scripture above, the very reason for which Jesus Christ came and died.

 On Saturday the 29. of April, 2017, the Bishops of Cameroon gathered in Yaounde within the framework of the 42. general assembly of the National Episcopal Conference and issued a message titled: "One People, One Nation". That message focused entirely on the Southern Cameroons Question, the reason for the ongoing unrest in the North West and South West regions of the country.

 In as much as we appreciate the interest the National Episcopal Conference has taken in this matter, we regret that in successive letters to the Christians, the leaders of the Catholic Church in Cameroun have demonstrated that either they do not understand the real issues at stake, or they have simply decided to pay a deaf ear and to take sides with the oppressor against the oppressed people of Southem Cameroons.

However, it is important for national and international opinion to note that the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroun did receive the Executive of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and leaders of Teachers' Unions in the persons of:Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla, Dr. Fontem A. Neba and Mr. Tassang Wilfred for the Consortium on the one hand and Mr. Tameh Valentine, Mr. Kimfon Michael, Mr. Afuh Stephen and Mr. Ayeah Emmanuel for the Teachers' Unions on the other hand. During the occasion, the Joint Delegation gave the prelates all the education, facts and figures that they needed to know on the Anglophone Problem; from the historical frauds, Constitutional coup in 1972 to all manners of discrimination and oppression; these were in the legal, educational, linguistic and socio-cultural domains.

The Bishops of Cameroon are among some of the finest educated minds that this country can offer, with the sharpest analytical brains and therefore, as living witnesses to all these discriminations and having all the facts and figures at their disposal, being Apostles of the truth and of justice we expected the Church to stand out for justice and speak same without fear or favour.

Our God in His mercy will forgive us, if in the course of condemning the work of the enemy in the Church; we pass judgement on His servants. We only do this so that the people He has given us to lead to freedom land, the very nation He gave our forefathers may not be misled by His servants who have allowed the secular to overwhelm the spiritual. The issues raised in the message of the Bishops of Cameroon therefore require that we get to the roots of some of them in a systematic manner to enable greater understanding.  

One People, One Nation

Our Bishops titled their message to the Christians: "One People, One Nation". We consider this deliberate falsehood because we are convinced our prelates know better; that Southern Cameroons is geographically defined, has a separate colonial history from La Republique du Cameroun, that we have a Language of our own (English), that we have a legal system of our own (Common Law), that we have an educational system of our own, that we have different socio-polltico-cultural practices, that we have internationally recognized boundaries different from those of La Republique du Cameroun, that we attained independence on different dates (1. January, 1960 for La Republique du Cameroun and 1. October, 1961 for Southern Cameroons) and much more meaning we cannot be termed "One People, One Nation", especially as an earlier intention by our forefathers to forge a union with those they passionately referred to as "Our Brothers" failed woefully with these so-called brothers turning out to be predators, annexationist-colonialists who have in fact treated us for 56 years worse than the White-man did. Truth is, where the Germans and the British used our languages and customs and laws to rule us before introducing theirs along the line, La Republique du Cameroun has attempted to completely annihilate us in all these aspects.
 
The Bishops of Cameroon, we all know, are all philosophers and either sociologists and or anthropologists, meaning therefore that they have a mastery of the situation on the ground. Further, the deliberate refusal of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon by the Bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province (whose faithful have undergone and are still undergoing all the ills that we have mentioned) to the Head of State, President Paul Biya, outlining the problems and their manifestations, beginning from genesis, tells of a huge disagreement on what the truth is among the Bishops of Cameroun.

The disagreement referred to above, reminds us of the events of the year 2010, leading to activities to mark the 50th anniversary of the independence of our two countries. The National Episcopal Conference unanimously decided to send out an Episcopal Letter to be read in all mission stations on a particular Sunday condemning corruption, tribalism and all negativisms in government, in the Church's bid to mark 50 years of independence and reunification of the Neo Carneroons Strangely, that Letter was read in the Dioceses except the churches of the Dioceses in the Centre, South and East regions; an indication that the Church in these areas Is satisfied with Cameroun as it is. It is maybe needless to recall that street demonstrations and prayers against multiparty politics (liberty and democracy) in 1990 were led by prelates of, and from these same regions.

The Rule of Law

In point 5 of their Episcopal letter, the Bishops made reference to the rule of law, thereby giving the impression that Cameroun not only has good laws, but respects such laws. In fact, the Bishops are saying Cameroun is a State of law, whereas we all know the contrary. The mere fact that government agents released forces of law and order to unleash torture, harsh brutality and inhuman treatment on armless lawyers during a peaceful march, breaking into their hotel rooms and seizing their gowns and wigs, raping armless university students both on their campus and in their hostels in Buea, dragging innocent students in the mud and opening fire on civilians with live bullets in Bamenda, demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that Cameroun is a barbaric State.

 In fact the interruption of internet services in the North West and South West regions for three good months was not enough reason the innocent people had to be exposed to State-sponsored terrorism. Uniform men went on the rampage arbitrarily kidnapping people from their homes at ungodly hours and carting them to Yaounde and unknown destinations, while at the same time extorting huge sums of money from others in exchange of their release. This worsen the situation, it became a crime for anyone in the two regions to communicate on the Internet; that is how scores of young people were brought down from vehicles while travelling either between Bamenda and Bafoussam or Tiko and Douala and carted to Yaounde to be ) judged in military courts on grounds that they were travelling In search of internet signals. These horrible abuses place Cameroun in a category of its own when it comes to the treatment of the human person: the country thereby created a record of its own as no one nation in the world has ever meted such harsh and de-humanizing treatment on a people it pretentiously calls its citizens. And this to our Bishops is a State of law !

Frank Dialogue

The Bishops of Cameroon highlight in their Episcopal Letter that dialogue is important and necessary: pointing out that such a dialogue concerns the State, in its institutional form, which embodies three powers: the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislative. This position leads us to wondering the kind of dialogue the government needs to implement Constitutional provisions which spell out clearly that Cameroun is bi-cultural with two official languages, two distinct legal systems, two distinct educational systems and much more.

Does the government need dialogue to be reminded that magistrates with knowledge of neither the English Language nor the Common Law who practised in the North West and South West regions did not have to be sent to our courts in the first place?

 Did the government need dialogue to understand how dangerous it is to send Francophone teachers with no knowledge of the English Language and negligible knowledge of the subject matter to teach in purely Anglo-Saxon schools?

Did the government need to rape, kill, maim, kidnap and abduct, forcing thousands of people into exile in order to have dialogue?

Did the government need to destroy the economy of the two regions by suspending Internet services, suppressing free speech and banning any discussions on the form of the State by Southern Cameroonians, while at the same time allowing Francophones to unleash diatribes on us even on the public media in order to secure dialogue?

Would we be wrong to conclude that the deliberate silence of the Church on all these ills makes of her an accomplice or an extension of the colonial regime, seeing that the Communique of the 29th of April, 2017 could easily pass for something written by the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic, or the Minister of Communication, lssa Tchiroma Bakary?


The aforementioned letter of the National Episcopal Conference comes on the heels of the second visit of the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, who after a three-day fact-finding mission, called on government to immediately and unconditionally release all detainees and facilitate the safe return of all those on exile so that dialogue could be resumed. That notwithstanding, our Bishops have rather taken sides with the government by stating that;

"...the destiny of the detainees be clarified according to appropriate judicial procedure, meaning they are in agreement with the contention that Southern Cameroonians are terrorists, that the request  for a return to the 1961 Constitutional Provision on the federal form of the state or the restoration of our statehood is a crime.

Resumption of Classes

The Bishops evoke the right to education as Inalienable and call on parents to send their children back to school while urging the State to guarantee the security of the education community and provide a special incentive to the Church. The question that begs for an urgent answer here is, what kind of education are they talking about? Of what use is it sending children to schools where people who are supposed to be teaching them do not understand their main language of instruction or let alone the system of education they are expected to be taught under? We may want to remind our prelates that one of the main trusts of this struggle is the safeguard of the education of our children, a burning desire to see our children acquire the kind of education that guarantees them a better future. In calling on parents to send back their children to school, the Episcopal Conference is in fact, stating that there is absolutely nothing wrong with our children being destroyed and that we have no reason to complain.

 Again, we are surprised that the Bishops of Cameroun barely mentioned the cabal of the State in suing our clergy on flimsy and laughable charges. Their worry as far as the unnecessary dragging of our Men of God from all denominations to court is concerned is based on the timing and not the act itself. Hear them: "The Summons of the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda to justice is inappropriate and counterproductive, especially at this grave moment when all of Cameroon is mobilized for a quick and peaceful solution to this crisis". They could not even muster courage enough to call on government to retract the said summons with immediate effect, certainly because it concerned Southern Cameroons clergy,

Decentralization of State Institutions
 
Finally, the letter of the Episcopal Conference does not borrow even a leaf from the correspondence of the Bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province addressed to the Head of State in December 2016, which letter was endorsed by the South West Chiefs' Conference- SWECC, the North West Fons' Union- NOWEFU, the South West Elite Association- SWELA and several other bodies representing the people of Southern Cameroons. Strangely enough, we observe that the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon is only just realizing today that the decentralization of state institutions
enshrined in the Constitution of 1996 has never taken off, despite the enactment of yet another law in the same vein since 2004.
 
From the foregoing, it is evident that we have two peoples, two cultures, two nations, and most probably two Gods. That Is why where Southern Cameroonians and the Church In Southern Cameroons have seen vice, les camerounais and the Church In La Republique have seen virtue. Therefore, if the "one and indivisible" Cameroun cannot agree on what is virtue and what is vice, on what is just and on what is unjust, cannot agree on what is the good law and what the bad law is, then it becomes abundantly clear all that this one and indivisible" nation must be divided for peace and justice to reign. This in fact are two countries that God has put asunder and no one should insist on bringing them together, except they are sadists.

The people of Southern Cameroons in their vast majority have made clear and continue to do so daily, that the time now is the for the total restoration of the independence of their nation as contained in Resolution 1608 (XV) of the United Nations General Assembly of the 21. of April, 1961, slating the 1. of October, 1961 as the maturity date for the independence of the Southern Cameroons after an overwhelming vote in favour of the same. That resolve cannot be derailed and we would not allow even the Church, acting on the dictates of the colonial regime to destroy God's purpose for our people this 2017.
Done in Port Harcourt,
 this 2.nd Day of May, 2017
Tassang Wilfred
 Programs Coordinator

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Rita Akana

03.May.2017

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After months of selective amnesia, Francophone Catholic Bishops have awakened from their Rip Van Winkle slumber and are calling for the resumption of schools in Anglophone Cameroon. In a letter signed by the Arch-Bishop of Douala, Samuel Kleda, the Francophone Bishops did not as much as acknowledge the Anglophone problem, let alone condemn the arrests and detention of Anglophone leaders and the grotesque campaign of human savagery and barbarism perpetrated on the people of Southern Cameroons by the government. Rather, the Francophone Bishops were more concerned in "safe-guarding national unity.” 

That Francophone Bishops are on the payroll of the gov't is not in doubt; after all, Biya pays his tithes to the Catholic Chruch. But at a time Catholics are celebrating the risen Christ; the true servant leader, who died on the cross, so that his people may have abundant life, Francophone Catholic Bishops are enmeshed in idle self-serving political maneuvers and sickening quixotic shenanigans to endear themselves to the corridors of power.

Whereas the Christian by his or her faith commitment to Christ is meant to be in the world but not of the world with all its corrupt influences, Francophone Catholic Bishops find it hard to distinguish themselves from the rot that is prevalent in the land. Whereas the Christian is supposed to be a light in the midst of darkness, and a sign of contradiction to a corrupt society, Francophone Catholic Bishops have joined the bandwagon of debauchery.

Numbed by greed, Francophone Bishops are blind to the significance of sacrificial leadership exemplified by Christ on the Cross of Calvary. May the Lord be merciful to those Francophone Catholic Bishops, who, like Judas Iscariot betrayed our Anglophone Catholic Bishops, who have spoken truth to power and remained faithful to the higher values and virtues that authentic religion promotes.

IJMN.

Below is the press release from  the Arch-Bishop of Douala, Samuel Kleda:

"One People, One Nation!"

MESSAGE OF THE BISHOPS OF CAMEROON

Concerning the Situation in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon

To the People of God in Cameroon
To all persons of good will

 "I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ... eager to maintain the :olio, of she Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, ... one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Eph 4:1-6)

1. Sin. independence, Cameroonian have been challenged to build a nation with intelligence and wisdom, inspired by their colonial and traditional heritages. This contraction of the nation is not yet over. In this process, the nation has experienced ups and downs of all sorts.

2. Since October 2016, the North West and South West Regions have lived through a delicate situation which began with a strike initiated by lawyers, followed by another strike, in November 2016, begun by various teaches' unions. The consequences of these strikes have been the suspension of classes, violence of various forms, arrests, ghost towns, attacks on property, as well as on persons. In short, these have led to a social crisis with a very negative impact on economic, educational and living conditions. During the meeting of the Standing Committee of 6 December 2016 and during the 40th Seminar of the Bishops in Mamfe, in January 2017, We invited the various protagonists to a frank and honest dialogue. The Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda, on several occasions, also issued appeals, inviting all the parties to dialogue.

3. Gathered in Yaounde during our 42'. Plenary Assembly, held from 23 to 29 April 2017, we, the Bishops of Cameroon, once again examined the situation of the social crisis prevailing in the North West and the South West Regions. This situation is becoming more and more worrying and damaging to the whole nation.

4. The Church, the family of God in Cameroon, journeys in solidarity with our brothers and sisters, our children, all our fellow citizens who are living through these difficult situations.
"Jesus Christ is our Reconciliation, our Justice and our Peace". We, the Bishops of Cameroon, have a duty to ensure the promotion of reconciliation, justice and peace for every person, throughout our nation, in all its regions. The Church has always witnessed, with the courage of faith and a hope for a future which brings peace, in order to resist all sorts of threats to living together as a nation, by appealing to the people for peace and communion through dialogue and concertation.

5. Aware of the rule of law and calling to mind how the State has always guaranteed the expression of the faith of believers and their contribution to nation-building, we have been keenly involved in promoting a search for solutions to the questions asked, and in seeking way's for a return to better days, since the beginning of the events which afflict the North West and South West Regions. In the current situation, we, your Bishops, consider it morally necessary to pursue this commitment. We urge the parties concerned to continue dialogue and encourage the search for institutional and human solutions. We call on all our compatriots to continue together in building our nation and its unity. In the meantime, it is essential that we continue the process of the total decentralization of our institutions "which aims at the promotion of development, democracy and good governance at the local level. (Law of 2004); and by so doing strengthen our unity in diversity, living together in our common heritage, dialoguing for the common good and for democracy.

6. For this reason, dialogue is important and necessary. It is the promotion of the heritage of the common social and ethical values in different social and cultural traditions in order that all citizens may participate in the consolidation of the common good, of justice and of peace. It is not limited only to what we have in common; but is geared towards the highest point of unity. To be effective, such a dialogue must be open, invigorated by a sincere respect for others and a spirit of reconciliation, fraternity and a readiness to compromise. A dialogue of this nature effectively permits us to overcome social crises, as well as help us to live together in solidarity and peace.

7. Such a dialogue concerns the State, in its institutional form, which embodies three powers: the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislative. It also concerns all intermediary bodies, political parties, trade unions, municipalities and civil society. The aim of a dialogue, organized in this manner, is to promote peace, justice, democracy and well-being, as well as combats enmities, rivalries and conflicts. Furthermore, at all levels, it !cads to the reconciliation of rights and duties; it helps to reconcile the memories of the nation and the vision for its future. In all, the rule of law should be .teemed as the most comprehensive institutional form for the planning and organization of the nation.

8. With regard to the problems relating to the present situation in the South West and North West regions, considering the evolution of the problems – beginning with a trade union problem, to a political, an administrative and now a constitutional problem — we must seek the best interests of the nation. It is important for the good and stability of our country to respect the institutional subsidiarity and solidarity that affects every problem posed to its competent body, while taking into account the relevant opinions formally issued by private and legal persons. We recommend that each state agency, the intermediary bodies and the civil society should assume its responsibilities and act according to its legal competence! We recommend that institutional solutions be given to those problems which in reality affect the whole nation.

9. Just as the social problems mentioned above are important and urgent, so also are the preservation of human relations and living together among citizens. In the name of our common citizenship, brotherhood and our humanity, the defense of legitimate interests must go hand in hand with social harmony, which is what is being sought. Violence is not only damaging and destructive, it also radicalizes the parties and prevents the return of calm. Violence, regardless of its source, does not build; it destroys! For this reason, We appeal that mistrusts, suspicions, civil disobedience, arbitrary, arrests, intimidations of all kinds, pressures to gain one right or the other, obstructions and threats on public activities should cease. In this light, therefore, we invite all the protagonists of this crisis to a true reconciliation of hearts.

10. Ott the question of education institutions, we, the Bishops, reaffirm that education is an integral part of the mission of the Church, as Mother and Educator. We uphold the inalienable right to education for all human beings. We invite parents, therefore, to take responsibility for letting the children go to school in order to give them the chance to plan their future. We call on the State to guarantee the necessary security conditions for school activities and to take special measures to provide special subsidies and to alleviate the fiscal charges and their different taxes which weigh heavily on the schools since the beginning of the crisis. The summons of the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda to justice is inappropriate and counterproductive, especially at this grave moment when all of Cameroon is mobilised for a quick and peaceful solution to this crisis. We appeal, therefore:
- That lectures be resumed in all primary schools, secondary schools and university establishments;
- That the strikes, the ghost towns, and the harassments cease;
- That the destiny of the detainees be clarified according to appropriate judicial procedure; - That negotiations intensify and accelerate so that urgent answers be given to the problems posed by lawyers in particular, and on the other hand, respect of the constitution, the acceleration of decentralization and a guarantee of the security of citizens by the forces of law and order.

11. At this critical time in the history of our nation, what matters is the well-being of all Cameroonian. We invite all Cameroonians to solidarity and a search for mutual trust. We strongly appeal for unity and true peace. The Church, by virtue of its prophetic mission, has to do all in its power to promote all forms of mediations that come up and those that are slow in coming up. The Church's mission for the good of the entire nation is to awaken, to accompany and to be at the service of dialogue.

12. To all believers and men and women of goodwill, impinges the obligation to a formation of consciences. We appeal: - That all preaching that incites hatred, vengeance and public disobedience should cease! - That the culture of peace, brotherhood and love be promoted!

13. To the media men and women, and all users of new communication technologies, professional ethics requires respecting the code of conduct of this specialized body. - May the propagation of hatred, violence and false news that inevitably leads to chaos in the social communications cease!
- May all citizens join forces for the life and stability of our nation, in order to put a stop on the malice of division, discrimination and destabilization that wants to destroy our country!
- That all disagreements be ended, and that, with mutual agreement, reciprocal trust and above all boundless charity, institutional solutions, based on human and civic values, should be sought!
- That this historic and noble undertaking be carried out with tact, prudence and magnanimity!
- "All of US desire peace, many people build it every day by small gestures.

 Let us commit ourselves, through prayer and action, to becoming people who have barred violence from their hear., words and gestures, and to build non-violent communities that take care of the common home. Nothing is impossible if we address God in prayer. All of us can be peacemakers."Pape Francois

14. To all Christian faithful and all other believers, we exhort:
- That you pray intensely for justice, reconciliation, peace, and the unity of our nation!
 - May the light of the risen Christ brighten our hearts and our faces!
- May the Almighty God inspire the whole nation to live together in the search for life in abundance for all!
- May the Virgin Mary, Patroness of our country, accompany us today and always!

Samuel Kleda

Archbishop of Douala

President of the NECC

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Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai

03.May.2017

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First, we owe it to ourselves to admit that the stable of “elites” in Yaoundé are overwhelmingly an ignominious gang of self-serving short-sighted corrupt opportunistic greed-ridden unprincipled spineless geriatric sycophants whom Yaoundé has chosen to “represent” us. If John. N. Foncha was honorable enough to publicly apologize for his mistakes before his death, these late-comers Anglophone to the macabre high-mass would rather served-up Southern Cameroonians at the alter  of FrancAfrique in exchange for Profit, Posts and Patronage.

Everyone was witness to the pathetic sight of Philemon Yang in Bamenda on March 6^th 2016 attempting, for the umpteenth time, BUT failing spectacularly, to browbeat citizens into compliance using the hollow authority of his high office. He certainly has no gift for oratory at a time when he needed it most. He tried to be forceful, but that labored drawl of a retiring night-watchman was met with stern suspicion by attendees. Honorable Fusi Namikong(SDF) carried that day. His latest visit brought into sharp focus the incompetency of the man, and how much the facade of vaunted titles given to apparatchiks in Yaoundé generally serves to mask unspeakable ineptitude of its holders. Exactly what are Philemon Yang’s accomplishments since he entered government in 1975? His biography is revealing; perfunctory positions which require neither exceptional talent nor leadership skills of any kind. Any warm-blooded hominid could be ambassador to Canada for twenty years. Yes, for two decades, he smiled with foreign dignitaries and shuffled correspondences back to Yaoundé.  A glorified courier who pleased his bosses by keeping his mouth shut and advancing his personal career. No man who takes principled stances on matters of import could emerge without scars attesting to the battles he’s fought. He took advantage of his stay to acquire Canadian citizenship we are told; an insurance policy no doubt. Like the rest of the charlatans in Yaoundé, ever effort is made so that foreign citizenship should bestow some diplomatic immunity if or  when State prosecutors come knocking on their door during the next pogrom.

Philemon Yang was 11 years old in 1957; he was almost certainly a beneficiary of the government-funded lunches provided to school-aged children across Southern Cameroons at that time. It speaks to his disconnectedness that he would attempt to give lectures against “manipulation” by activists leading the civil-disobedience campaign and demanding a restoration of the Southern Cameroon government. Sounding like a long-serving Presbyterian pastor, his appeals fell flat, his injunctions nullified by the stubborn commitment of the community which nurtured him as a child. 

 Anon,

He will not remain a functionary forever. After Yaoundé is done with him, he’ll have to return to Bui and there will be an accounting of his disservice to his people. Perhaps the people will parade a coffin through the streets of Jikejem-Oku in joyous anticipation of his return. Like Fonka Shang before him, we should pray that his return would be final.

At the height of his career, serving as Prime Minister of La Republique, Philemon Yang remains forever the glorified errand-boy. The regime leaves nothing to chance when appointing Anglophones like him to high office. Like all others before him, Philemon Yang is afforded little autonomy: omnipresent Vice Prime-Ministers keep Anglophone appointees in check. It is one more debasing practice that has soured the experiment at re-unification: that non-event which began with a scam fifty years ago in Foumban.

Southern Cameroonians have become aware that the emperor, indeed, has no clothes. It would be natural for them to inform Philemon Yang of this fact. But Mr. Yang, the ever faithful minion that he is, lacks the fortitude to transmit such an unflattering message to his master. I doubt if they even ever meet face-to-face at all. Honorable Wirba, a descendant of warriors, embodies everything that Philemon Yang does not. Philemon Yang does not have the moral fiber to bluntly and forcefully express his disgust on the parliament floor if his niece was similarly raped on a university campus by forces of law and [dis] order. What would it take for this man, Yang, to take a moral stand? If not now, when? The only evidence we have is that his morality must be as perverse as his politics is corrupt.

Philemon Yang is a trained lawyer, a graduate from that most ignoble institution called ENAM. All of his three children are grown adults, they possibly received the best education money can buy, and went to the best schools any parent could wish for. He doesn’t have to suffer the direct consequences of his moral choices in government where expediency always takes a back seat to what is moral and what is “legal”. Philemon Yang may never have had to confront such choices, or perhaps, he’s avoided them. There will be no apology forthcoming for those parents who lost children to live bullets in the streets of Bamenda or Buea. If it were to carry any credibility, then Philemon Yang, the Head of Government, would be the one to deliver it. Alas, it never came and perhaps he’s been instructed not to do so. Either way, the result is the same.

Judging by the quality of its graduates, one must conclude that Philemon Yang’s career is strewn with lives and careers of many other whom he has side-stepped on his path to Prime Minister. How else must we understand his deafening silence over the hundreds of children killed, raped and abducted since November 2016?

I’ll say it here and I’ll say it loud: Philemon Yang serves a predatory State and no matter what redeeming qualities he may have as a man, he now has the blood of those young university students on his hands.  It is in times of crisis that you can take the best measure of any man. In my estimation, Philemon Yang falls short by every measure. He embodies everything that is corrupt and ignoble about Yaoundé. He is a grotesque caricature of what used to be the best about us, which is why he’s served Yaoundé so “honorably” all these decades. He can be sure he no longer has a home among us when Yaoundé is done with him. That day is fast approaching.

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Rita Akana

02.May.2017

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