Up Station Mountain Club

FrancAfrique Sans L'Afrique: The Old Power Generation

 

Louis Egbe Mbua

Originally published in Living Lights

When I was a boy, I used to imagine that people in power never left until President Ahidjo of Cameroon resigned suddenly in 1982. This completely changed my perception of big power players. Ahidjo, although a dictator in his time, was wise in some respects: he knew that he was only mortal; and that having presided over a new country from independence, he must have made powerful enemies: nationally and internationally. This writer believes that this simple philosophical thought by Ahidjo must have provoked his sudden resignation. Furthermore, ill health while in power has proven time again that it is an omen to point to the man in power to pack up his bags and leave. Ahidjo left behind a generation of men in power, who continue to wield the same power after 27 years. If we interpolate their total cumulative years in power, and assuming that most of them were with Ahidjo since 1960, then we must reach the conclusion that their time to go is up. This applied to Bongo of Gabon, Eyadema of Togo and Felix Houphouet Boigny of Ivory Coast, the colossus of FrancAfrique.

Cameroon: The New Government

Prime Minister Head of Government
Mr. Yang Philemon

Minister of State in charge of Transport –Mr Bello Bouba Maigari

Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defense – Mr Mebe Ngo’o Edgard Alain

Minister of Post and Telecommunication – Mr Biyiti Bi Essam Jean Pierre

Minster of State Property and Land Tenure - Mr Beleoken Jean-Baptist

Minister of Communication -Mr Isa Tchiroma Bakary

Cameroon president names new prime minister

* New prime minister was former diplomat

* Outgoing premier had sought money from IMF

* President Biya under pressure from discontent over prices

By Tansa Musa

YAOUNDE, June 30 (Reuters) - Cameroon's President Paul Biya appointed Philemon Yang, a former diplomat and senior official in the presidency, as prime minister in a government reshuffle on Tuesday, state media said.

Nigeria: Two Cameroonians Lynched after Genital Theft Claim

(Originally published in The Guardian, Nigeria)

TRAGEDY struck yesterday in Kurmi Local Government Council of Taraba State when two foreigners from the neighbouring Republic of Cameroun and a Nigerian were lynched to death by an angry mob for an alleged disappearance of a man's private organ.

The three persons were said to have been traveling in a jeep with registration number BV802AGL to Cameroun, a stone thrown from Baissa, the administrative headquarters of the council, when death came calling.

Leeds insurance fraudster jailed

Originally published in the Yorkshire Post

AN INSURANCE claims handler from Leeds who swindled more than £38,000 from his employers has been jailed.

Royal Bank of Scotland employee Raoul Tagne worked at the company's Direct Line insurance office on the Headrow, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Cameroon seeks $144 million from IMF - PM

Originally posted on Interactive Investor

YAOUNDE, June 29 (Reuters) - Cameroon wants rapid access to 92.85 million in Special Drawing Rights ($144 million) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to help cushion the impact of the financial crisis, the Central African country's Prime Minister said in a letter to the IMF seen by Reuters on Monday.

Cameroon's economy, which is struggling to dampen the impact of the global downturn, will grow by 2.5 percent this year, Ephraim Inoni said, down from a previous estimate of 3 percent, itself a reduction from 4 percent when the budget was prepared late last year.
"The effects of the international crisis will result in a need for greater financing for the budget," Inoni said in the letter.

The Day the Music Paused: How Michael Jackson was Killed

Emmanuel Konde 
 
The music paused the world over on Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 2:26 p.m. PDT when the “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson, ceased to exist.  It is said that Michael suffered a cardiac arrest and all attempts to resuscitate him failed.  And so the stunning news filtered from the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles to the entire world:  “Michael Jackson is Dead!”
 
Although the physical death of Michael Jackson may have occurred on June 25, 2009, he had been killed spiritually many times over by journalists the likes of ABC ‘s Diane Sawyer (1995) and BBC’s Indian journalist Martin Bashir (2003). 

Michael Jackson and Bob Marley forever: What lessons for us?

By Aloysius Agendia: Originally published on Sharing Knowledge and Ideas for Positve Change

The demised of the greatest pop icon, Michael Jackson, on Thursday June 25 certainly sent shock waves across the globe. This was because Michael was not only a master of all the arts of pop and music as a whole, but his music transcended souls, generations, and races.

His music was far beyond contemporary music, which is merely the clashing of cymbals, drums and other instruments to produce some rhythm and melody. Michael‘s, was more of the combination of the soul searching rhythm with deep rooted meaning attached to every word he uttered.  With 754 million copies of various albums sold to his credit, and gathering the largest ever number of participation in a musical concert, Michael Jackson was certainly phenomenal.

The Music Dies...Again

Michael Jackson |MTV Music
One cannot say enough about Michael Joseph Jackson's contribution to popular music, globally. In case you have forgotten, check out the videos.

AIDS in Cameroon: Dying out of Ignorance and Denial

Our cook's daughter, Clementine, came to us last week with what we're assuming was shingles all over her breasts and underarms. Yesterday, she came back non-chalantly with hospital results that we sent her to get in case it was truly serious, not just painful. I told her to get tested for AIDS or I wouldn't authorize the funding of her medical treatment...

So Olivier, our African Director, comes in and shows me Clementine's test results. There it was--HIV POSTIVE.

I took a slow swallow and thought of her daughter, Majoie, for whom we care (her mother's always sick). So as I took in the shock that the strikingly beautiful, young 24-year-old woman in our kitchen has AIDS (full-blown it would seem) I was exposed to an even greater shock.

"She doesn't believe it. She's going to 'the village' to have a witchdoctor 'cure' her. Her Grandmother (our cook) says that it's witchcraft and someone cast a spell on her because they hate her. Clementine is not worried and is not respecting the medical information I'm giving her," Olivier said.

Click here to read the rest of Clementine's story.

Slain diplomat's son confesses - Cameroon envoy killed in UK

Originally published on News24.com

London - The son of a diplomat from Cameroon killed in London last year on Thursday admitted stabbing his father to death in a row over the cost of his studies.

Beza Mbeboh, now 29, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his 60-year-old father Kitts Mbeboh - a cultural attaché at the Cameroon High Commission in the British capital - last August.

Mbeboh, arguing with his father about fees at the London School of Architecture, stabbed him in the chest at the family home in west London, the Old Bailey court in London heard.

"They are a high-achieving family and there would be an element of expectation," detective Eamonn Halliday said as Mbeboh admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility, but denied murder.

Prosecutor Victor Temple told the court: "This is a plea which reflects the justice of the case." Mbeboh was remanded in custody pending further tests including at a psychiatric unit before he is sentenced later in the year.

USA: Cameroonian Pharmacist charged with defrauding authorities

Originally published in the Washington Examiner

06/24/09 10:05 PM EDT A Maryland pharmacist has been charged with Medicare and Medicaid fraud nearly a year after authorities found expired and counterfeit drugs being sold in her two pharmacies, court documents show.

Pamela Arrey is also suspected of sending more than $1 million to offshore accounts, documents said.

Father: A great assert in the lives of children!

Unfortunately, much of the societies are trying to play down the value of a good father in a child's life

Ill gotten Wealth – the Cameroon Trail

June 24, 2009

Ill gotten Wealth – the Cameroon Trail

(Opinionated) Translation by Innocent Chia

Story by Philippe Broussard of L’Express.fr Cameroon anxiously waits own turn in the investigation of Paul Biya’s “Ill-gotten Wealth”… Will Cameroon be the next African country to be taken by the storm of investigations of the "ill-gotten wealth" of its leaders? As at now, the judicial procedure that aims to determine the "French" heritage of certain heads of States has been limited to Gabon, Congo Brazzaville and Equatorial Guinea. But the Catholic Committee against Hunger and for Development (CCFD), a NGO that played a role to trigger the first investigation, is very interested in the Cameroon of Paul Biya, in power since 1982.

Continue reading "Ill gotten Wealth – the Cameroon Trail" »

(Opinionated) Translation by Innocent Chia

Story by Philippe Broussard of L’Express.fr Cameroon anxiously waits own turn in the investigation of Paul Biya’s “Ill-gotten Wealth”… Will Cameroon be the next African country to be taken by the storm of investigations of the "ill-gotten wealth" of its leaders? As at now, the judicial procedure that aims to determine the "French" heritage of certain heads of States has been limited to Gabon, Congo Brazzaville and Equatorial Guinea. But the Catholic Committee against Hunger and for Development (CCFD), a NGO that played a role to trigger the first investigation, is very interested in the Cameroon of Paul Biya, in power since 1982.

Ill gotten Wealth – the Cameroon Trail

(Opinionated) Translation by Innocent Chia

Story by Philippe Broussard of L’Express.fr Cameroon anxiously waits own turn in the investigation of Paul Biya’s “Ill-gotten Wealth”… Will Cameroon be the next African country to be taken by the storm of investigations of the "ill-gotten wealth" of its leaders? As at now, the judicial procedure that aims to determine the "French" heritage of certain heads of States has been limited to Gabon, Congo Brazzaville and Equatorial Guinea. But the Catholic Committee against Hunger and for Development (CCFD), a NGO that played a role to trigger the first investigation, is very interested in the Cameroon of Paul Biya, in power since 1982.

Photo: Douala

A New Gang in the Neighborhood: The Collusions of Neoliberalism and Colonialism in Africa

By Valentine Eben
Originally Published in LeftTurn Magazine

The US is following the leadership of hundreds of years of European colonialism in Africa, using the cover of a worldwide “war on terror” as a smokescreen to assert military dominance in the region, while using sophisticated tools like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to achieve economic dominance. For US activists, it is important to understand the role of European colonialism in Africa as the US brings its own model to the continent. Below, Valentine Eben brings us a short summary of recent European—and especially French—colonialism in Africa.

Rwandan genocide

The year is 1994. During a period of 90 days from April to July, the French-supported Hutu Militia went on a killing spree with guns and machetes. By the time it was over, 77 percent of the Tutsi population of Rwanda had been slaughtered by the Hutu militia. Thousands of Hutus who rejected the hateful propaganda from the Hutu Militia were also killed, along with their families.

Africology: Naming an Intellectual Exercise....

Dr. Molefi Kete Asante

Africology is the Afrocentric study of African phenomena. This is in keeping with my belief that definitions should be meaningful, establish boundaries, and have substance. If one cannot define the name of the field and give it meaning, then a field may not exist. I do not try to define Africana Studies, for example, because I do not know what it means in practical terms. I can define African Diaspora Studies but the definition frightens me because it isolates Africa from the rest of the African world. These are some knotty issues that are avoided when we say Africology. To say it is the Afrocentric study means that it is not the European study, the Arab study, the Christian study, etc., of the phenomena, but the Afrocentric study which clarifies where we are coming from in our approach to the study of the phenomena. To be Afrocentric is to seek African agency in every situation, analysis, or critique. It is the study of African phenomena which means that it is not limited to the United States, Brazil, or Africa. In fact, it opens the door for a discussion of Belizean phenomena or Comoros phenomena.
Clearly, one may criticize the use of a Greek derived idea of Africology with “ology” meaning “the study of” in its Greek rendition. However, I like this much better than the Latin-derived notion of “studia” because the suffix is within the word itself. I do not have to use two words; I can stick with one word. In a sense of aesthetics, I prefer Africology to Africana Studies, though I am sure some of my colleagues will make a case for its use as well. To me, I would much rather be known as an Africologist than as an Africana Studies scholar or Africana Studies professor. I find it cumbersome and not aesthetic. More importantly, one does not know what I really am or where I am located intellectually if I call myself by some adjective and studies. No, I am an Africologist and you know what that means right off the bat.

From: Africology: Naming an Intellectual Enterprise in our Field by Molefi Kete Asante

European Africans, Asian Africans, and native Africans must work together

 By Aloysius Agendia. Originally posted on Sharing Knowledge and Ideas for Positive Change.

A lot has been written and said about the emancipation of Africa and making sure that its resources are used to develop the continent first. Many have been urged to join the fight but there are some groups, which have hardly ever been evoked.

Cameroonian Footballer Drowns at Prachuab, Thailand

FROM MCOT ENGLISH NEWS

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN, June 22 (TNA) – A Cameroonian footballer was found dead on Monday morning in the southern resort province of Prachuap Khiri Khan, some 300 kilometres southwest of Bangkok on the Gulf of Thailand.

Elias Yannick, 21, was presumed drowned in Ao Bo Thonglang beach in Bang Saphan District. He was discovered in a sports outfit with cuts and scratches on his face.

According to the initial investigation, the victim came to Thailand to join a Thai university team from Pathum Thani province in Division 2.

On Sunday evening, Mr. Yannick participated in a friendship football match at Dongmaingam School’s field. He later went to swim at the beach using a float and then disappeared while swimming. During the evening more than a dozen of the victim’s Thai friends and local officials searched for his body until it was found the next morning.

Cameroon has no embassy in Bangkok, but the authorities will contact the embassy handling Camerounian interests in Thailand to collect his body. (TNA)

Photo: Resplendent Moninkim

Gabon: Bye Bye Bongo;What Next?

Most African countries lived under colonial rule for longer than they have been independent. Gabon is one of them; like most French "colonies", it had its independence in 1960. This means that of some 49 years of independence, Bongo was on stage as president for 42 years (1967-2009) before his recent demise! How clearly did he see the future of Gabon? How clearly will the person who succeeds him see it?

By Tazoacha Asonganyi Originally published on Prince Report

U.S. Ambassador Janet E. Garvey: Cameroonians Should Take Ownership of their Country

"For the last several years, the Cameroonian Government has spent less than 75% of the money it has budgeted for investment.  The money is there, the needs exist, so why are these funds not being spent...?"

"The World Bank’s Doing Business report has shown that the business climate in Cameroon has gotten worse over each of the last few years, at the same time that Cameroon’s peers were making tremendous improvements.  This trend cannot be blamed on the economic crisis!"...

"...the biggest obstacle to Cameroon’s development, the biggest obstacle that prevents Cameroon from achieving its full potential, is Cameroonians’ lack of ownership for their own nation, their own government, their own communities."

"I am troubled by the spirit of resignation, almost of despair, that seems to prevail among many of my Cameroonian friends these days."

Click here to read the complete remarks of U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon H.E. Janet E. Garvey To the American Chamber of Commerce - Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Iran is Not on the Path of 1979

Emmanuel Konde
 
Rabble rousing youth, incited by those who lost big in the Iranian Presidential Election of June 12, are on the prowl in the streets of Tehran.  These young people have nothing to lose but their naiveté. Many of them have practically no stake in Iran—no jobs, no operty, nothing….  Thus, they have chosen to eschew the orderly electoral process and elevate political disorder as an expression of their desire for democracy.  But democracy is rational and orderly.  It is expressed through the ballot box, not demonstrations designed to topple a duly elected government, and definitely not something that can be achieved through street action. 

Brain Drain: Why are Cameroonian Medical Doctors Leaving?

By Dibussi Tande (Originally posted on Scribbles from the Den)


Surgery at the Fraternity Medical Center, Buea

The news from the Ministry of health was quite gloomy. In a special report that appeared in the Cameroon Tribune last week, it was announced that Cameroon’s medical system was in crisis due to a severe shortage of medical doctors resulting from the massive exodus of Cameroonian MDs to countries in the developed world.

Cameroon Infrastructure Report Q2 2009 (Report Summary)

By Business Monitor International

Cameroon, despite its numerous economic problems, manages to appeal to investors looking for opportunities in its key infrastructure sectors. In the latest quarter, several new projects were proposed and key participants already operating in the country reaffirmed their commitment to the sector, despite their need to pare back investment spending elsewhere because of the economic crisis.