Up Station Mountain Club

Omnisport

Cautionary Tale (Poetry)

Hope Kale Ewusi
 
How could it be – that Africa so blessed,
Would rank with squalor as if cursed?
That misery like a busted wine press
Keeps dripping upon her dry hard crust.
 
Why are the sun’s rays so harsh?
On this slice of squandered Eden-
Where dreams rot or simply crash
Like the prayers of glorified heathens.
 
We have shouted from the highest peak…
Offered sacrifices of limbs and arms;
The fortune teller’s gaze remains bleak.
Alas a mocking bird twits…stop feasting on seed yams.
 
When our loaded dices have all been thrown…
With all trickery and slight of hand;
And our fortunes like migrant birds have flown,
We must tell our children what happened to their land.

Fifty Years of “Independence”: The rhetoric of Sarkozy and (Omar) Ali Bongo

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

Several countries across Africa including Cameroon are presently celebrating what is referred to as fifty years of “independence”. On February 24, 2010 it was the turn of Gabon, which also invited colonial master France. I listened with curiosity to the French President, Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarkozy and Gabonese ruler (Omar) Ali Ben Bongo Ondimba.

 

In his brief toast, Sarkozy tacitly admitted that the neo colonial forces in Gabon and the rest of Africa have been partly responsible for the underdevelopment of the continent. According to him, a chapter is closed a new page turned. Remember, just immediately after his accession to power, he made such utterances when he talked of “rupture total” with hitherto former French colonies. .................................................

(Things Africans should question themselves on, after fifty years of "independence").

The New Wind of Democratic Change and the Demise of African Dictators

By Mbuli Rene

The waves of the first wind of change that swept across the African continent in the early 1950s and 60s  led to the end of colonial rule and ushered in independence for most countries that were trapped in the oppressive rule of the “white man”.  The lead freedom fighters were hailed by their people as liberators and unanimous voices erected them to the helm of the newly created nation states upon achievement of  independence. Under the new black leadership, the masses were lavished with  promises of  change, prosperity, unity , better treatment and all the sweet sounding vocabularies. Hopes and expectations were raised very high. Given that all the promises made could not be met,  cross-sections  of the population began gnashing their teeth against their leaders and silently wished  for their replacement. However, because they owed a lot to these revolutionary heroes, such wishes  could not be voiced openly, but circulated within family  confines and  private meeting places. The cries of the masses were heard by their leaders but because they were caught in the web of  power addiction  like opium, they resorted to techniques of terror against any political opponent to the policies of the regime.

US NGO the the rescue of HIV/AIDS Orphans in Cameroon

By Innocent Chia  
Rural communities in Cameroon are not only the final dwelling places for the many victims of HIV/AIDS; its grounds are the final resting places for most of the victims. In the majority of cases, the village is where Grandma and Grandpa are - in relative peace and quiet. Back in my day, the village was where struggling parents and prostitutes indiscriminately took their kids to in order to pursue their goals or pleasures. But ever since the scourge of HIV/AIDS visited the national bedroom, the incidence of grandparents burying their kids and raising their beloved grandkids has skyrocketed. These kids are a social enigma for the future because one wonders what happens after Grandma and Grandpa.  One such wondering organization that has been impacting the lives of these orphans is called “A Place of Hopes, Inc” - founded in 2004 by two Cameroonians in Charlotte North Carolina , Yvonne Tiandem Adamu and its CEO, Abong Ngranui Fankam who talked with the Chiareport.  

Continue reading "US NGO to the Rescue of HIV/AIDS Orphans in Cameroon" » @ www.chiareport.com

By Innocent Chia  
Rural communities in Cameroon are not only the final dwelling places for the many victims of HIV/AIDS; its grounds are the final resting places for most of the victims. In the majority of cases, the village is where Grandma and Grandpa are - in relative peace and quiet. Back in my day, the village was where struggling parents and prostitutes indiscriminately took their kids to in order to pursue their goals or pleasures. But ever since the scourge of HIV/AIDS visited the national bedroom, the incidence of grandparents burying their kids and raising their beloved grandkids has skyrocketed. These kids are a social enigma for the future because one wonders what happens after Grandma and Grandpa.  One such wondering organization that has been impacting the lives of these orphans is called “A Place of Hopes, Inc” - founded in 2004 by two Cameroonians in Charlotte North Carolina , Yvonne Tiandem Adamu and its CEO, Abong Ngranui Fankam who talked with the Chiareport.  

A New Age of Energy is Upon Us

by Emil I Mondoa, MD

The demand for cleaner, less environmentally impactful energy sources has spawned a lot of innovation. Tomorrow, Wednesday February 24, former NASA scientist, K.R. Sridhar will publicly launch Bloom Energy. Its claim to fame are the black boxes in his hands, which can power an American house (those tend to be large) 24hrs/7 days a week and take it off the electrical grid. Those can light a number of houses in Africa. He expects that the cost of one of these household units would drop to about $3000 within a few years, and should solve electrical problems in the remotest villages on earth. Watch the clip about the Bloom Box:

The Bloom Box

The Little Plates are Fuel Cells from the Bloom Box

It is powered by fuel cells, that utilize virtually any kind of energy, including biogas. A lot of fuel cells use hydrogen gas, which is very expensive. That is interesting, because biogas can be generated from human and animal excrement. One of life's persistent problems is what to do with human faeces, which are still the major health hazard in many African countries and an expensive public works problem in other places.

A Model Community Toilet Linked Biogas Plant

The Haitian Apocalypse (Part II) - "We saw a light"

By Julius Nyamkimah Fondong*

Six weeks after a ferocious earthquake hit Haiti, claiming 225,000 lives and causing untold damage to life and property, life is gradually but surely coming back to normal.  For the United Nations staff - who lost close to 100 of their colleagues with about 2 dozen others still unaccounted for - a long healing process has begun. The Mission is in the process of re-structuring itself and re-defining its mandate.

Continue reading "The Haitian Apocalypse (Part II) - “We saw a light”" »

Six weeks after a ferocious earthquake hit Haiti, claiming 225,000 lives and causing untold damage to life and property, life is gradually but surely coming back to normal.  For the United Nations staff - who lost close to 100 of their colleagues with about 2 dozen others still unaccounted for - a long healing process has begun. The Mission is in the process of re-structuring itself and re-defining its mandate.

Continue reading "The Haitian Apocalypse (Part II) - “We saw a light”" »

Songo’o replaces N’Kono as Lions goalkeeping coach

(From Gef's Football Club) 

Cameroon’s former keeper and national team captain, Jacques Songo’o has been appointed as the country’s goalkeeping coach ahead of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa next June, local media said on Friday 19 February.

Songo’o,who was Cameroon’s keeper at the 1998 World Cup in France, returns to a position he held from February 2005 to February 2006 when Arthur Jorge was Cameroon’s head coach.

Jacques Songo in his playing days

He replaces the legendary Thomas N’kono who captained the Indomitable Lions at their first World Cup appearance in 1982 and was between the sticks in 1990 when the team reached the quarter finals of the competition.

N’kono was first appointed goalkeeping coach in 1999 and held the position until 2002. He was reappointed in 2007 under Otto Pfister and was interim manager of Cameroon when Pfister resigned in June 2009.

Because of Kameni?

The press thinks N’Kono has been complacent because  he is also main keeper Idriss Kameni’s  coach at Espanyol Barcelona in Spain. They contend that dropping  Kameni’s mentor would generate  fair competition for the goalkeeper’s shirt  and help “rejuvenate” the team.

But, doesn’t it sound unrealistic to speak of rejuvenation when a 37 year old Souleymanou looks most likely to replace the “ageing” and “underperfoming” 26-year-old Kameni?  As far as I am aware they are the two retained for the 3 March friendly against Italy.  N’Dy Assembe who was number 3 at the CAN is not in that squad and he has been relegated to the bench at his French club, Valencienne, since he returned from Angola.

Meanwhile, Kameni has been performing admirably for his club (Espanyol,Spain) this month to the point that the French media asked Paul Le Guen if he was surprised by the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde situation of his keeper. His response: “I can understand because the CAN is a whole different context. I can say so now after living it.”

Read the full story on Gef's Football Club

Earthquake proof house

International calling card search (Recommended!) From: To:

Yes, offices made of these survived the earthquake in Port-au-Prince.

(Movie Review) Mount Cameroon Race: "Volcanic Sprint"

Reviewed by Dibussi Tande (Originally published on Scribbles form the Den in 2008)

“The epic story of Africa’s most grueling mountain race, and the local athletes who risk all for glory.”

Dorst Mediaworks Presents Volcanic Sprint. A Film by Steve Dorst and Dan Evans. 2007. Filmed on location in Buea, Cameroon. 52 mins. $19.99

After about a year of online teasers on Youtube and elsewhere, Volcanic Sprint, the long-awaited film on the Mount Cameroon race by Steve Dorst and Dan Evans is now available on DVD. Extreme sports enthusiasts and fans of the Mount Cameroon race will not regret the long wait. The final product is a beautifully produced, visually stunning and compelling hour-long film built around the trials and tribulations of a handful of athletes trying to conquer “The Chariot of the Gods” or Mount Fako, as the locals call it.

One of the individuals that the film  profiles is John Ekema, winner of the inaugural race in 1971, who is trying to recapture some of the past glory through his 17-year old son. We discover Bart VanDoorne, a Belgian military officer who met his Cameroonian wife during the 2002 edition of the race and has returned with a one-year old son in tow, for another shot at the mountain.

Memory Lane (19 February 1990): The Yondo Black Affair Revisited

Culled from Reform and Repression in Cameroon: A Chronicle of the Smoldering Years (1990-1992) by Dibussi Tande (Forthcoming).

On February 19, 1990, officers from the CENER, Cameroon’s national intelligence service, raided the law office of Yondo Mandengue Black in the city of Douala. They demanded that Black, a former President of the Cameroon Bar Association (CBA), hand over the bylaws and program of the political party that he was in the process of creating.  After a search of the office yielded nothing incriminating, Black took the officers to his residence where he handed over a draft document titled “Coordination Nationale pour la démocratie et le multipartisme” (National Coordination for Democracy and Multipartyism).

Addressed to the Cameroonian people, the document criticized the one party system and the Biya regime, lamented about the worsening economic situation in Cameroon, and called for the reinstitution of multiparty politics in the country:

After a quarter of a century of the AHIDJO era, characterized on the political front by a drift towards monarchy and on the economic front by a state of perpetual take-off which never gained altitude, the Cameroonians – all Cameroonians – took it for granted that the man of rigor, of order, the new master of Cameroon’s destiny, would turn this painful page in our country’s history once and for all, and make possible the progress we have waited for so long.

Continue reading about the Yondo Black Affair on Scribbles from the Den

Buea All Stars - "Stand Up for Haiti"

This song was conceptualised, arranged, produced and the video shot in 2 days. It was performed live on the 12 th of February 2010 at the Grand Charity Concert dubbed ”Stand Up For Haiti”  held at the University of Buea Street. The song was recorded at M1 Studios and the video directed and edited at Bluedrops Studios,Buea. Special gratitude goes to the sponsors CocaCola, MTN, BlueDrops Studios, M1, AfroVisioN, IAMS and the University Of Buea.

Courtesy Nexdim Empire

Chieftaincy: The Bane of Cameroon Politics And What To Do About It

By Joseph M. Ndifor

At this time of despair, when a sizeable number of Cameroonians have lost faith in their national institutions, one would have expected that chieftaincy, a once venerated   institution in some parts of Cameroon, would be the last bastion for some to defend. Instead,   chieftaincy also appears to be teetering on the edge of collapse. Cogent calls on the chiefs to put on their traditional garbs and return to their palaces with honor seem to have no effect. The rapid erosion of their influence on their people is cause for concern for tradition-loving Cameroonians who grew up with some respect for the royal family and the man at the helm of power in the village. Chieftaincy has never come perilously close to its own abyss. It never used to be this way. What happened? 

Picture of the Day: Mount Fako - Take Nothing, Leave Nothing

 

(c) Kauleen

Decolonize the Mount Cameroon Race

By Christopher Fon Achobang, Originally Published on Prince Report

"May Epasa Moto (god of Mount Cameroon) protect Cameroonians and instill the love of fatherland in them. May it strengthen the fainted of spirit to stand up and resist infamy and stir Cameroon to higher glory..."

 

Song,Geremi dropped,Bassong, two local players in squad to face Italy

(From Gef's Football Club)

Paul Le Guen has not included Rigobert Song and Geremi Njitap in Cameroon’s squad to face World Champions Italy in a friendly next 3 March in Monaco,but he has re-called Sebastien Bassong and picked Mabouka Massoussi and Abouna Ndzana from Astres Douala,  local media reported on Tuesday.

Cameroon’s most experienced players, Song  and Geremi, were heavily criticised by Cameroonian media and fans for the Indomitable Lions’  woes at the just ended Africa Cup of Nation is Angola. The World Cup bound squad conceded 8 goals in 4 matches and were knocked-out in the quarter finals by Egypt.

It is unusual that the former captain (Song)  and his deputy (Geremi) are left out of camp except they are injured or suspended. News of their absence has generated speculation in the media that they might miss the World Cup in South Africa next June.

“They (journalists) are going about it in the wrong manner,” a top official of the Cameroon football Federation (Fecafoot) told Gef’s Football Club.

“The coach is using the opportunity to test new players because he  may not have another chance to have in the squad before May.  It doesn’t mean those who have not been called-up have been barred from the team,” he added.

“He can only have a set number of players for a match like this and therefore cannot call everyone,” the official said.

Five other players who were part of the Africa Cup team were also not retained in the 22-man list that was read on State radio (CRTV).

Read the full story - Song,Geremi dropped,Bassong, two local players in squad to face Italy- on Gef's Football Club

Banks, Poverty and Cameroon

Written by Hinsley Njila and edited by Innocent Chia

Warning: This article requires a basic understanding of country-level economics.

Cameroon must urgently reform its banking sector or delay its economic progress indefinitely.

Common sense tells us that for any country to have any kind of sustained economic growth, people and business must have access to capital in order to take risks, buy equipment and supplies, undertake capital investments, hire workers etc. Banks and major lending institutions are typically the best and most effective channels for central banks to manage money supply and control inflation in any economy. In our article, we’re looking at how banks in Cameroon are contributing to economic development compared to those in South Africa, Nigeria and South Korea in their respective countries.

 
All the data we use come from the world development indicators database (WDI) at the World Bank.

Continue reading "Banks, Poverty and Cameroon" » @ www.chiareport.com

Why?

Beyond the Mandela Moment

Mwalimu George Ngwane*

Clearly the Mandela moment is still to fizzle out.  Twenty years after his release from prison (1990) and eleven years after his brief stint as President of South Africa (1994-1999), Nelson Mandela’s towering presence and aura still invade the privacy of South Africa’s life and by extension the corridors of global attention.


A statue of Nelson Mandela stands outside the gates of Drakenstein Correctional Centre (formerly Victor Verster Prison), near Paarl in Western Cape province, February 10, 2010. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly
 

Yet South Africa has to be robust enough in forging a tapestry of a post-Mandela nation at a time when the ninety-one year old icon has legitimately withdrawn to the confines of family life.

Bus Stop: Yaounde

Citizens, Constitutions, Institutions and Systems Part 3

Louis Egbe Mbua

(Originally published in Living Lights)

The idea that Europeans created the present African chieftaincy to propagate or advance their interests is totally without foundation. While, they may have manipulated African chiefs to suit their interests or agenda on slavery and colonialism, it is clear from reliable accounts that African Kingdoms were always there before the arrival of Europeans. So, if we turn our attention to the African method of traditional governance we may be able to understand how such societies were able to be kept politically stable for thousands of years before the arrival of European culture. While it is true that there were inter-tribal wars – there were also inter-nation wars in Europe -- it seems the present historical accounts of early Europeans are skewed – giving the impression that no system of government was present in Africa. This is evidenced in this statement by Lord Lugard, the British Colonial Commander in East and West Africa in the colonial era.

 

In The Rise and Fall of the British Empire, Lawrence James wrote:

He [Lugard] wanted government along the lines that had evolved in India in which the administration would be impartial, firm and respect local institutions and conventions. He had in mind the Indian practice of indirect rule by which British had adopted and sometimes adjusted existing political structures and co-operated with established rulers. It was an attractive alternative to the infinitely expensive and wearisome process of creating an entirely new system of government, which was bound to provoke upheavals and resentment.

Continue reading Citizens, Constitutions, Institutions and Systems Part 3 in:

louis-mbua.blogspot.com

 

 

 

The Southern Cameroons Origins of the Youth Day Celebrations

By Churchill Ewumbue-Monono (culled from Youth and Nation-Building in Cameroon, 2009)

A policy advocacy initiative, the origins of the National Youth Day in Cameroon can be traced to the special days celebrated by youth organizations in the Southern Cameroons such as 22 February, the “Thinking Day”, celebrated by the Girl Guides and Brownies in commemoration of Lady Banden Powell. There was also the Commonwealth Youth Sunday marked by the reading of a Message from the Queen, Church services and a March-Past by youth groups such as the Boys Scouts, Girl Guides, Boy’s Brigades, Red Cross and other youth organizations. It was presided by His Honour the Commissioner of Southern Cameroons, or his Deputy Commissioner who took the salute and read the speech to the parades...

The “Thinking Day” and the “Commonwealth Youth Sundays” were however limited to members of youth movements, most of who were in Victoria and Kumba Divisions. It did not have a very important territorial impact like the “National Days” which were celebrated throughout the territory. In colonial Southern Cameroons, there were two of such important national days. First was the “Empire Day”, which was celebrated in the territory for the first time in 1949 and featured sporting and cultural events, as well as by a march past. Then was the Southern Cameroons Day, celebrated every 26 October to commemorate the creation of a quasi-region for Southern Cameroons in 1954.

Following the 11 February 1961 and the formal reunification of Southern Cameroons and the French Cameroons on 1st October 1961, Southern Cameroons was replaced by the federated state of West Cameroon, which made its continuous celebration irrelevant, especially as the KNDP propagandists saw in the day a mark of Dr. Endeley’s success. In acknowledging both the importance and irrelevance of the day, the Prime Minister, Dr. John Ngu Foncha argued that:

Continue reading article on Scribbles from the Den

February 11th: Mandela Day

Image via Wikipedia

On this day 20 years ago, Nelson Mandela walked out of prison, and our world changed.

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(Video) Plebisite in Southern Cameroons - 11 February 1961

Citizens of the British Cameroons vote in the 1961 UN-sponsored plebiscite (video mislabeled as "1972 plebiscite").

Reuter, 15 February 1961: A West African country divided in two..... this is likely to be the result of a plebiscite held in the Cameroons, on Feb. 11 and 12. Final results have yet to be announced, but in Northern Cameroons there is already an unbeatable majority in favour of union with Nigeria, while in the Southern Cameroons, it is reported that a final majority in favour of union with the Cameroon Republic is already certain.

The Cameroons, a trust territory divided into two areas and formerly administered as part of British Nigeria, was voting on becoming independent in union with either of its two already independent neighbours.-- the Nigerian Federation and the Cameroon Republic.

The plebiscite was conducted by Britain, as the administering authority, under United Nations supervision. The Cameroons, with a population of 1.6 million, is the British part of the old Cameroons which was captured from the Germans in 1916 and divided between France and Britain in 1919. Its capital is Buea, where there are still many reminders of German colonial days.

In Southern Cameroons, the vote in favour of union with the Cameroon Republic is regarded as a big victory for the Prime Minister, Mr. John Foncha, and his party. He claims that considerations of Cameroon nationality are more important than any material benefit that might be gained from joining Nigeria. The pro-Nigeria leader is ex-Premier Dr. E.M.L. Endeley.

British troops were drafted to the Cameroons some months ago, but no disturbances were reported during the voting. At the polling stations, voters dipped their finger in indelible ink for identification purposes.

Final results of the plebiscite will be put before the UN Assembly and a conference called to decide how the plebiscite decision is to be implemented

President Paul Biya's Youth Day Message

My dear young compatriots,

As you are already aware, 2010 will not be just another year. It does indeed mark the fiftieth anniversary of our accession to sovereignty.

This memorable event is certainly of great significance to all Cameroonians in that it restored their dignity as humans and citizens. However, for you, dear young compatriots, it must have special significance.

It would indeed not be surprising if you, who were born two or three decades later, considered this the normal and somewhat inevitable outcome of a historical process. Perhaps! Nevertheless, as I recalled a few weeks ago, do not forget that it was at first an inconceivable dream for which youth like you struggled, sacrificed themselves and subsequently devoted their lives to building a State and forging nationhood.