Poetry - The Citadel (Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Yaounde University Students' Uprising)

By Dibussi Tande

Memory Lane: 20 years ago on April 2, 1991, the Yaounde University students' uprising began. Find below a commemorative poem..

I
The Mobilization:
The fiery speeches
The protest marches
The huge rallies
The call to arms

The angry cries:
la conférence nationale
il y'aura !!
Fait quoi fait quoi
il y'aura !!
Ça gâte, ça gâte !!
Campus Mort!!!

The irreverent chants:
Mbéré, Mbéré di suffer
Paul Biya di Chop Moni
Small Paul Biya big big tif man
Wandafool!

The freedom Fighters:
Parlement, Powell, Schwatzkopt
Nidal, Senfo, Thatcher

The villains:
Délégué, Espion, Auto-défense
Manda Fils, Action Directe

The War of Tracts :
“They have stolen our lands
… and our women!”
“Anglo-Bami Go Home!”

The flashpoints:
Bassorah,
Chateau, Cradat
Carrefour Orly
Sous le manguier
Obili, Mokolo

The violence:
The Ninjas are here!
Run for your lives!
The tear gas and the tears
The blood and the bullets
"le CEPE dépasse le BAC !"
« On va voir qui est qui ! »

The detention centers:
Americanos, GMI
Legion, Semil
Quartier Général
Cinquième…

The wide-eyed denial:
Zero Mort!!!!

II
The unending Misery:
hide-and-seek
with the "bailleur"
to avoid paying rents
SNEC pipes unearthed
SONEL cables cut
- no water no electricity-
but life must go on
in slum city -
Bonamoussadi my love…

Living on the edge:
Epsi pitié...
Pain chargé
Tourne dos
Beignet haricot
"Le Jazz"
Resto… dindon
Survival of the fittest…

III
The decadence:
Women of the night
Desperately hawking their wares
Tycoons in state-owned Pajeros
searching for the elixir of youth
In the dark and dangerous alleys
of the dilapidated mini-cités…
uncaring and treading
where even angels fear…

Partying amidst the squalor:
Pepe Kalle – Bakuba show
Zaiko langa Langa – Nippon Banzai
Zanzibar - Têtes Brulées
Kassav – Zouk la sé sel medi kaman nou ni
Edith Lefel - Frankie Vincent
Zouk Love - Zouk Porno
Nkodo Sitony - Au Village!!!
Mbarga Soukous – "à cheval"
Essamba! Essamba!
Party like there’s no tomorrow!

The loss of hope:
7000 students squeezed into Amphi 700
Travaux dirigés at the poulailler
Third World Doktas 
ranting from the rostrum
and hawking dog-eared polycopies
Le front
Septembriste
Cartouche
Mandat grillé
End of the road...

This is Ngoa-Ekele
The nation’s citadel of learning
The training ground for a lost generation
The graveyard of tomorrow's generation

January 30, 2008

Comments

[limbekid]

Very poignant. I wonder if things have changed.

[Tantoh Henry]

That was a wonderful piece there boy Tande! But you left out one sellout villain the sacrificed generation of that period will live to remember. Do you still recall this blackleg called NGOUFACK? What of the student who was roasted in his minicité room by the socalled autodefense only to turn round and hang the bame on the student's parliament? What of our famous Massa Yo with his 'coups bas' against the student demonstrations? Have you also forgotten this lacklustre Agbor Tabi who challenged the students not only to stop at walking but run?Then in a lighter mood our turns at the oasis: The RESTO. This refraim may inspire you to reformulate the poem into a master piece in memory of the unsong fallen heroes of that era. "Je reviens vers toi Resto! Oui je reviens vers toi..." Then His Majesty Ayatollah Kontchou Koumegni would open his fangs to declare "Il y a eu zéro mort! Je vous dit qu'il y a eu zéro mort! Vous pouvez le vérifier!" And you see him staring at you like a blinking bastard.

[anchor]

You see, people in Cameroon have already tried what took place in Egypt, but these francophone African countries are like information black holes and the world did not notice. France did not encourage Cameroon army not to shoot unlike in Egypt. They encouraged them instead. It is very disturbing, all the double and triple standards. Biya's government has adapted very well to demonstrations and protests. The moment there is an inkling of something, they send brutes with clubs. They have informants everywhere. They must be taking lessons from the Chinese and the North Koreans. Ahidjo trained some of his brutes in North Korea. Biya's guards got their training from Israel, and they have that Israel thing down, right to the uniforms, and surely will use the same tactics employed against the palestinians. No matter, change is gonna come. Just keep hope alive.