Up Station Mountain Club

Tori Shweet for Cameroon Pidgin English

 

 

 

 

Tori Shweet for Cameroon Pidgin English is a compendium of short stories written in Cameroonian creole, commonly called Cameroon Pidgin English (CPE). The grassfields of Cameroon serve as the nursery of these stories.The collection comprises animal trister tales, bird survival tales and human-interest stories.

In conformity with stendhalien ontological philosophy, this anthology of short stories is a mirror that reflects the folklore and mores of the ethnic groups that constitute the grassland region of Cameroon. It serves as a window to the worldview, mindset and value systems of the grafi.

Each story is an entity sufficient onto itself woven around a specific didactic theme.The stories deal with the diachronic and the synchronic; they create an anchor that links yesterday to today and today to tomorrow.These stories bridge the gap between the near and the far. In determining the order of presentation of the stories, the author has intentionally steered clear of chronology.Many readers will want to turn first to a story the title of which intrigues them the most. Whether you read the stories in the order in which they are presented or dart about as your fancy dictates, you will appreciate the narrative verve of this storyteller and sense the abundance of enjoyment that this book holds in store for you.

The didactic value of this book resides in its suitability to all age brackets. Elementary and High School students will cherish the narrative novelty that the book harbors. College and university students with an interest in African history and anthropology would find the collection invaluable. The uniqueness of this volume lies in its universal appeal— it delves into contemporaneous local and global issues—chemical dependency, AIDS pandemic, gun violence, moral crisis, culture of impunity, xenophobia, police brutality, bribery and corruption, abuse of power and more. More importantly, a few of the stories call into question the rationale behind certain time-honored African customs and traditions, namely rites of passage, arranged marriages, serial monogamy and sorcery.

The crafting of this book was motivated by the author’s keen interest in the preservation of indigenous literatures. It is his fervent hope that the publication of this book would meet this objective. We hope that Tori Shweet for Cameroon Pidgin English will be placed where the whole family can enjoy its contents; where guests can turn to it without let or hindrance.

 

Acknowledgement

My deep gratitude goes to  Jean-Paul-Kouega whose seminal work on Cameroon Pidgin English (CPE) titled A Dictionary of Cameroon Pidgin English Usage, Pronunciation, Grammar and Vocabulary (2008) came in handy during the crafting of a glossary for this book. I am intellectually indebted to custodians of oral traditions in the village of Bamunka, especiall my beloved mother of blessed memory, Nah Monica Mbiayuh, story-teller par excellence, who narrated some of the tales included in this antholgy to me in the glowing light of the evening fire during my tender years.

I am also thankful to those literati who share my firm conviction that Cameroonian orature is in dire need of salvaging through the written word.Last but not least, I  extend a hand of friendship to all Pidginophones in Cameroon and elsewhere in Africa, whose tenacity has kept them unfazed in the face of punny threats from linguistic terrorists hellbent on assassinating Pidgin English in Cameroon. 

About the Author

Dr. Peter Wuteh Vakunta is professor of French and Francophone Literature at the University of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America.

 

New Book: Takumbeng and Other Poems from Abakwa

 

 

This collection of poems celebrates the prowess of the Takembeng, a militant female secret society in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. The poems address human rights violations, rape of democracy, misgovernment, and other forms of societal ills that plague post-colonial Cameroon. It is written in impeccable Standard English. The strength of the book resides in the vastness of the thematic terrain broached. 

The Takumbeng, a female secret society in the Northwest Region, has played a critical role in changing the political landscape of Cameroon. The militancy of this group has empowered rural and urban women in their strife to ensure democratic governance and human rights protection under the regime of Paul Biya. It should be noted that Takumbeng has been in existence since the pre-colonial era but came into the limelight in the 1990s in the wake of political liberalization in Cameroon that ushered in a new dispensation, following the launch of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) on May 26, 1990. The group derives its name from the society of Princes in the Bafut fondom (Fonchingong and Tanga, 2007) but its members hail from the fondoms of Akum, Bafut, Bambui, Bambili, Kedjom Keku, Kedjom Ketinguh, Mendankwe, Chomba, Nkwen, and Santa. The strength of the Takumbeng resides in its numerical value and mobilization for the course of social justice. They became prominent at the time of Cameroon’s uneasy transition from unitary to multiparty politics in the early 90s (Takougang & Kieger, 1998).

There is no gainsaying the fact the Takumbeng and its precursors, the Anlu and Fombwen have contributed significantly to shaping the course of political activism in Cameroon. These valiant women have lent their voice to opposition parties’ demands for political freedoms in the country. The role of the Takumbeng in matters of social cohesion cannot be underestimated. The group functions as agents of ritualistic cleansing, enjoining women to refrain from of acts deprecation such as adultery, alcoholism, witchcraft, and gossip.

This secret society plays a role analogous to that played by male secret societies in the Grassfields of Cameroon such as Kwifon, Tifuan, Nwo and Ngwerung. Takumbeng uses occult powers to check excesses in the community. Their modus operandi of using nudity to cast aspersions on evildoers has been transformed into a powerful tool now used by women to press for political freedoms in Cameroon. Kah (2011) observes that “The display of nakedness of the African woman was and remains her expression of anger and outrage at both public injustice and private male viciousness” (73). The women utilize their bodies as combat tools; stripping themselves naked when threatened by authority figures.  This is based on the belief that an exposed vagina is an ill omen in the Grassfields of Cameroon. 

Kah (2011) notes that the symbolic power of the vagina was used by the Takumbeng to cow gun-toting soldiers in Bamenda into submission in the early 1990s following the re-introduction of multiparty politics in Cameroon. The militancy of the Takumbeng gained leverage during the Ghost Town operations or Villes Mortes in Cameroon initiated by opposition parties in a bid to force Paul Biya out of office. At that time, these women used their bodies as symbolic and metaphorical devices to subvert the dominant discourse of manipulation. The practice of undressing and exposing their nudity constitutes the magic wand employed adeptly by these women. 

In general, the Takumbeng is composed of post-menopausal women believed to be immune to witchcraft, sorcery and effects of traditional medicine or megan. These women exert considerable influence on the community,and are sometimes capable of performing ritual roles that were, hitherto, denied them (Awasom, 2002). It must be underscored that during the current dispensation in Cameroon, the Takumbeng has metamorphosed from an indigenous secret society into a contemporary resistance group determined to put an end to political intransigence, abuse of human rights, economic doldrums and social asphyxiation. The political activism of the Takumbeng is comparable to the momentum gathered by the activities of other female resistance movements in Africa, such as the Aba riots of 1929 (Fonchingong and Tanga, 2007), the activities of Kenyan women involved in the Mau Mau war of liberation (1952-1957), the Pare Women’s resistance in Tanzania (Feierman, 1990) and the protest movement of women in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

The collective resolve of the Takumbeng and commitment to social justice are legacies that Cameroon owes this group of resilient women. The evolution of the Takumbeng from the status of a secret society to that of a resistance movement has yielded dividends for opposition parties in Cameroon given the unalloyed support that this group has lent to proponents of democratic governance and social purgation in Cameroon.  The actions of the Takumbeng have engendered a culture of social protest and political consciousness in Cameroon. 

In sum, the militancy of the Takumbeng has had economic, cultural, social and political ramifications for the New Deal in Cameroon. During the pro-democracy turbulence in Cameroon, the Takumbeng showed proof of women’s leadership capabilities by playing a myriad of roles—mobilization and raising awareness of the public through civil disobedience campaigns, lampooning acts of injustice through demonstrations, educating the masses on questions of human rights violations, monitoring the voting process and more. For all these reasons and more, this collection of poems is intended to be a celebration of the prowess of the Takumbeng, a sorority that has become a force to reckon with.  

Notes:  Takumbeng and Takembeng are orthographical variations of the same lexeme.

Termites in Cameroon!

 

 

 

 

 

By Peter Vakunta, Ph.D

Termites everywhere in Ongola!

The makanana and ilk are termites.

Termites don’t build;

They're not bridge-builders;

They're grave-diggers of the nation.

They destroy; they annihilate.

That's the modus operandi of termites.

The folks at the helm in Ongola are termites!

 

Emasculators of the nation-state.

They’ve destroyed the national economy.

They thrive on sodomy!

They’ve destroyed the education system.

They have destroyed the judicial system.

They have destroyed our ecosystem,

They have destroyed the pride of the nation,

And rendered us a skeletal nation!

 

The oligarchy in Yaounde are termites,

The mbeng-mbeng kiri are termites

They have destroyed our nationhood,

They’ve destroyed our moral fiber.

They’ve destroyed the morale of workers.

The folks at the helm in Ongola are termites,

They eat like wolves;

And defecate like swine.

 

These termites have destroyed our self-confidence,

And rendered us beasts of no nation.

They’ve destroyed our self-worth.

They’re hard at work destroying

The legacy of our founding fathers.

Termites are in charge of our collective destiny.

Shall they make or mar?

It’s time for fumigation!

Cry of the Environment: A Review of Ngong’s Blot on the Landscape (Langaa, 2015)

 

Reviewer: Peter Vakunta, Ph.D.

Blot on the Landscape is Ngong’s lament for an abused environment.  The poet uses poetic license to engage with issues relating to the intersection of poetry, politics and  environmental activism as seen in the following excerpt: “I remember G.R.A./Buea, once so green and clean/now so brown and repulsive/thick with unsavory smells/and infectious diseases.”(3) The poet devotes several poems to the theme of eco-terrorism, a leitmotif that takes the form of a narrative metaphor and runs through the entire anthology: “The beautifully trimmed lawns/the gardens and their flowers/ that made me beam like a child/ each time I visited them/are now blots on the landscape.” (3)

Ngong can be described as an environmentally conscious poet whose consciousness stems from ecological literacy. The poet resorts to poetry as a medium to address sensitive questions related to eco-criticism and environmental advocacy. The title of the book itself raises serious ethical questions about the deleterious impact of human activities on biodiversity and the ecosystem. The title crystalizes a vexing issue that pre-occupies the poet, namely environmental abuse. Having highlighted the imminent danger that faces humans and non-human species, the poet turns the spotlight on the imminent apocalypse that awaits humanity if nothing is done to halt the ecological carnage: “The garbage bags are full/and crows sing above us/ their beaks red with booty/The dirt and filth of fear/thrash us through thin and thick/thinning down our thin lives/ lingering in the cold/at the edge of collapse.”(4) The worrisome specter of an apocalypse is preempted in the following verses: “Livestock and dogs drop dead/ in sunbaked villages / Savage beasts kneel over/ crumple and come to dust in the measureless wild.”(24) Notice that the poet has recourse to the metaphor of the dry season in a bid to underscore the callousness of heart associated with folks at the helm in his native land: “The prima donna here/ gargantuan corrupt flesh/ does not acknowledge you/nor the vermilion tears/burning your roasted cheeks/It is your dry season.”(23)

A myriad of environmental issues constitute the crux of the discourse in Blot on the Landscape, not least of which is eco-terrorism: “Leave me the ravished landscape/the flora and fauna/ brutalized day in day out/by hunters and lumberjack/to keep body and soul warm/My heart is split between  them and our scarce ecosystem/faced with total destruction.”(41) This book of poems portrays human beings as eco-terrorists. The poet does not simply label human beings as environmental despoilers, he enumerates the acts of terrorism that man exerts on the natural environment—air pollution: “The smell of dead livestock/drives the rich to wear masks,” (4); “The stomach-turning smell/compels the lungs to scream,”(6); deforestation: “…floods devastate our homes/and bush fires fell forests”(1);ozone depletion: “Pollution everywhere/has knocked holes in the lungs/of the ozone layer/our last hope of living,”(11) and water pollution: “… if we emptied our bowels there/ or dumped carcasses in the stream.”(30)

It is remarkable that Ngong resorts to anthropomorphism as a stylistic trope to drive home his point as the following excerpt shows:” The sick city wakes with mist in her eyes.”(5)  The stylistic device of anthropomorphism enables the poet to attribute human qualities and motivations to non-humans as the following citation illustrates: “The sun rises slowly/creeps across the pale sky/and then clenches its hot fists/to strike the head of the earth.”(5)   By having recourse to the technique of personification, the poet succeeds in painting the portrait of a country in a state of putrefaction: “Breathing with difficulty/ in the tight embrace of dung/the spokesman of dirty dogs/ lies silent in his vomit.” (7) This book of poems passes for political satire. The poet satirizes the status quo in his land of birth: “If the mouthpiece of carrion/looks carefully around him/ with the eyes of Romeo/ he will see the land in waste/and feel the itch of decay.”(7)  Irony is another trenchant weapon wielded with dexterity by the poet logged in an endless vendetta against a government that has degerated into physical and psychological decay: “We live where refuse is wine/in the heart of the nation/ where mucus and afterbirth/are fresh as daisy.”(7) This sort of irony is situational. It alludes to instances where events do not turn out as they were expected to be and emphasizes the incongruity between some expectations or beliefs and the reality of a situation. In the example above, there is remarkable incongruity between man’s psychological bliss in the mist of physical malaise. Notice the poet’s predilection for scatology in his bleak portrayal of a country that has become uninhabitable: “You always flash a broad smile/ willing to have fun on dung/ like maggots in a dead dog.”(7) In this light, the poet poses an ontological question that is intended to be rhetorical: “Why must my life be dung/because of my birthplace?”(11)

In Blot on the Landscape, the poet poeticizes the ferociousness that man’s dogs of war have unleashed on our fragile planet. This warfare is both real and symbolic.  In these poems warfare is portrayed largely as a result of human beings’ nonchalant attitude toward Mother Earth. The fierce war waged against the planet leaves it deprived of thousands of species: “Factories churn out lethal smoke/my flesh crawls with wire worms/in the height of pollution/I cannot have a field day/in the backyard of slovens.”(78) This book of poems is also a rap on chemical warfare as the following excerpt indicates: “People who set out to live/to make life worthwhile living/ in a world worn down by wars… are not better than the dead.”77) Having highlighted the havoc that wars wreak on human lives, the poet dwells on the nefarious impact of drones on the environment: “…the forgotten toothless poor/and the drunken drones who run/ over protesting voices/and drive over their bodies.”(77)  Ngong focuses on man’s symbolic warfare against Planet Earth. He desires to call the reader’s attention to the fact that warfare and its concomitant outcomes can have undesirable consequences on both natural and built environments.

Blot on the Landscape is a clarion call to all and sundry to take action against ecological spoliation: “Dog days will kill us unless we stand up/against both blue funk/and bloody beasts/ tearing our hearts out for more leaves to fall.”(26) By the power of poetic verve, the poet raves against environmental abuse; he chastises governmental officials for dereliction of duty in environmental protection matters. By this token, Ngong’s poetry could be characterized as protest poetry par excellence. The thing that irks this poet the most is prevarication and outright lies that have become the trade-mark of the powers-that-be in his native land: “Leave me a place my beloved/on the cushion of your heart/ where I can lie down and rest/when tongues yellowed from decay/ drive me crazy with their lies.”(50) Desperate for a solution to the aforementioned problems, the poet seeks solace in magical realism as the following excerpt seems to suggest: “Before we ceased to be anything/ we could ride on the wings of a storm…/ we spent much time searching between cracks/scorpions and other poisonous bugs/ to keep our offspring from dying young.”(51)

The poet is strong in his conviction that poetry is not social dead wood. Poets reserve the right to adjudicate over the affairs of the world. That is why in the poem titled “Time to Clean” (77), the poet describes those who sit on the fence as dead wood. As he puts it, “People who set out to live/ to make life worthwhile living/ in a world worn down by wars/ but are at ease not speaking/ in the face of oppression/ the blot on our landscape/ are not better than the dead.”(77) The poet calls a spade a spade; he couldn’t care less whose ox is gored.  He remains unfazed by police and military brutality: “…the drunken drones who run/ over protesting voices/and drive over their bodies.”(77) There is no gainsaying the fact the Ngong uses poetry as a cannon to fire ammo at corrupt regimes in Africa in a bid to “…bring to light the bright green/ face of a brutalized land/ and a corrupted landscape.”(77)

This poetic anthology is captivating in many respects but the feature that distinguishes it from the works of other poets is the poet’s impressive choice of poetic devices. Ngong’s choice of a metaphor, the “blot on the landscape” as a leitmotif is germane to the themes discussed in all forty–two poems in the anthology. By choosing this metaphoric medium of expression, the poet is able to create a nexus between physical and psychological pollution in Cameroon. Similes or poetically generated synonyms permeate Ngong’s poetry as seen in the following excerpts: “I can call to mind/ the very last time/ I laughed like the moon.”(69); and “I stared at it lame and felt rage well up /inside me like rain…” (55) Other poetic devices used with noticeable dexterity in these poems include personification: “At the drop of the hat/ the overburdened sky/emptied its large bladder/on the bald head of the earth.” (44) The poet frequently resorts to satire as a versification device: “The blood on their laps/reminds me of vamps, /torture and abuse.”(22) The technique of reduplication is used effectively by the poet throughout the anthology to underscore intensity: “It rained and rained hard” (44) and “Stretches of green here and there/ sometimes very very thick.”(54) The device of narrative reduplication permeates the anthology as seen in the following excerpt:  “Storm on, storm on wild wind/ for darkness to tremble.”(66)

In sum, Blot on the Landscape is the poet’s lamentation for the ecological holocaust that seems imminent in Cameroon. In forty-two well-crafted poems, Ngong opens a can of worms on the environmental time-bomb on which Cameroonians are poised today. Written in impeccable English, this anthology of poems is suitable for all age groups. The subject matter—environmental sustainability—is a theme of global interest in contemporary society. This book is a masterpiece that should be read by environmental activists, students and instructors of environmental education as well as environmental scientists and political role-players all over the world.

About the reviewer

Dr. Peter Vakunta is a prolific writer with over forty works on literary theory and fiction under his belt. He teaches in the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Indianapolis in the United States of America.

 

 

New Book! Stream of Consciousness: Poetics of the Universal

Poetry has the potential to serve as a double-edged weapon. In Stream of Consciousness: Poetics of the Universal, Vakunta stirs the hornet’s nest, calls a spade a spade and throws gibes at emasculators of social justice. Vakunta refuses to sit on the fence and watch the world go by.Strong in the conviction that poets must adjudicate upon the affairs of men, the poet picks up the cudgels to do battle with forces of evil the world over. He gives to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.Widely traveled and seasoned by his worldly experience, the poet serves the reader with a bitter-sweet menu analogous with the ontological labyrinth to which he has been exposed in the course of his peregrinations around the globe. In this anthology of poems spanning a quarter century, Vakunta bemoans the fate of a world where miscreants pass for holier-than-thou; wherein scoundrels speak for the voiceless; and mammon dines with servants of God. The portrait painted in this book is that of a world where moral bankrupts proceed with nauseating impunity to trample on the rights of lesser beings. Stream of Consciousness: Poetics of the Universal is the poet’s loud cry against the reign of impunity and the endemic moral crisis that has become the canker of this blighted planet.

 

On perusing ''Stream of Consciousness: Poetics of the Universal '' by Peter Wuteh Vakunta, one is struck by the eclectic and englobing nature of themes broached. Vakunta’s poetry is both a transversal and longitudinal dissection of our world. The poet assumes the posture of a divinity casting interrogative glances at the deeds of humans. Not a single terrestrial creature evades his prying eyes. Even the most subtle creatures on Planet Earth are scathed by the poet’s effusion of vitriolic emotions. The poet pursues evil-doers right into their graves. Even in their death throes, he continues to deal them fatal blows. Armed with a caustic pen, this chronicler does not sit on the fence and watch events transpire. Instead, he speaks for the downtrodden of all races and social strata: black, white, yellow, Papuan, Andalusian, wretched, opulent. This adds grist to the title of the book. The poet distances himself from the rigor of Kant and the moralism of La Rochefoucauld.  Weary of hearing the voices of humans in distress, he paints the portrait of another kind of Humanity. Vakunta’s poetry celebrates the harmonious cohabitation of verbal sophistry with the power of the word. [Tamegnon Demagbo, University of Indianapolis, United States of America]

 

About the author

Dr. Peter Wuteh Vakunta is translator, novelist, poet, storyteller and literary critic. He is a prolific writer with over 40 books to his credit. His seminal works include: Lion Man and Other Stories (2005), No Love Lost (2008), Grassfields Stories from Cameroon (2008), Indigenization of Language in the African Francophone Novel: A New Literary Canon (2011), A Nation at Risk: A Person Narrative of the Cameroonian Crisis(2012), The Life and Times of a Cameroonian Icon: Tribute to Lapiro de Mbanga (2014), Camfranglais: The Making of a New Language in Cameroonian Literature (2014). Dr. Vakunta is current Chair of the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Indianapolis, USA.

 

New Book: Poems from Abakwa in Cameroon Pidgin English

 

Poems from Abakwa in Cameroon Pidgin English is the poet’s attempt at capturing in print the speech mannerisms of the proverbial man in the street in Cameroon. Pidgin English, also called Cameroonian Creole, is a lingua franca spoken throughout the national territory of Cameroon and beyond. Of the 200-odd languages that  Cameroonians speak, only Pidgin enjoys the rare privilege of being spoken by people from all social strata and ethnic groups. Mbangwana (1983) lends credence to the importance of Pidgin English as a lingua franca in Cameroon as follows:"Pidgin English is very crucial as a communication bridge, for it links an Anglophone to a Francophone. It also links an Anglophone to another Anglophone, an educated Cameroonian to another educated one, a non-educated Cameroonian to another non-educated one, and more importantly an educated Cameroonian to a non-educated one"(87).

Ayafor (2005) recognizes the importance of  Pidgin English in language planning in Cameroon when he underscores “the role of Pidgin English as a linguistic bridge between the two linguistic communities both in official and private domains” (128). He further notes that Pidgin English is not only the most widespread variety of English but it is the only language in Cameroon with the pragmatic ability to function as a contact language for all linguistic groups.

Pidgin has acquired the status of an independent language in Cameroon.It is no longer restricted to small talk, business and music; it is now the language of Anglophone Cameroonian literature. Francis Njamnjoh, Patrice Nganang, Mongo Beti, Peter Vakunta and Gabriel Fonkou to name but a few,tend to imbue their literary works with Pidgin English and Camfranglais, the language that Mercedes Fouda calls ‘le camerounais’(2001).These creative writers constantly resort to pidginization as a mode of linguistic and cultural appropriation.

This anthology is inspired by the poet’s desire to salvage a language that has been subjected to denigration on account of its being non-standardized.Pidgin English translates not only the worldview of Cameroonians but also their sensbilities and lived experiences.Well educated Cameroonians now resort to Pidgin English for the purpose of phatic communion in informal contexts. To put this differently, they use Pidgin in order to ensure group solidarity and to reinforce a sense of belonging.Although for a long time, Pidgin has survived as a lingo used mostly by the uneducated and semi-literate, this mixed language has now gained currency among the educated in Cameroon. It is important, I believe, to conceive of language mixing as an attempt to make language respond more realistically to the prevailing circumstances under which discourse takes place. Pidginization is no longer equated with imperfectly learned English.  Pidgin English has become the mother tongue of children born to parents from different ethnic/linguistic backgrounds.

 

 

Poems from Abakwa in Cameroon Pidgin English is one patriotic rage. An anthology of sorts, this book of poems contains wisdom, inspirational reflections and witticisms for all. Through apt descriptions, ilustrations, dialogues, interrogations and incisive phraseology, Peter Wuteh Vakunta creates an effective balance of colorful images that traces and documents disturbing accounts and evidences of corruption, greed, skewed values and life experiences that have assaulted his fatherland, betrayed  political leaders and institutions, court judges, and parliamentarians as the police-cum-military continue to put their ambitions above the country’s needs while forsaking future leaders—children. Vakunta describes how civil servants represent selfish interests and aspirations. Judges are intimidated as the nation’s laws continue to be transgressed. The police and military continue to abuse the trust invested in them by civilians and misdirect their patriotism while virtually the entire nation continues to live shaky lives with a punctured integrity. Vakunta does this in popular lingos commonly used by musicians, businessfolks, and the common man under several labels—Pidgin English, Camfranglais, Cam-tok, Camspeak, Majunga tok … [Dr. Fidelis Achenjang, Union College, USA]

Tribute to Takumbeng

 

 

Takumbeng,

Women of steel; women of valor,

Fire-splitting females unfazed by Mbiayaism[1],

You refuse to be cowed into submission

By the gestapo of LRC[2]

 

Takumbeng,

Female dare-devils

In whose unyielding hands

Scatology and nudity serve as lethal ammo

Against emasculators of social justice.

 

Takumbeng,

Women of age, women of candor,

When the hawks came after Titabet[3]

You stood hands akimbo and refused

To budge in the  face of intimidation, beatings and rape.

 

Takumbeng,

Sorority of the post-menopausals,

Whose might astounded the world

In the 1990’s in Abakwa during

The wee hours of demo-craziness in Ongola.

 

Takumbeng,

Backbone of the Social Democratic Front

Harbinger of political liberalism.

You stood firm when the SDF

Saw the light of day at Ntarikon on May 26.

 

Angered by the demise of six young Abakwans,

Unperturbed by the heavy handed attempts

To abort the event by forces from LRC,

You counter-attacked

With brimstone and venom.

 

True to yourselves,

You’ve remained the backbone

Of the opposition in Nooremac[4],

Stimulating militancy and adding beef

To the democratic bare bones in Ongola.

 

Takumbeng—a string of nomenclature—

Takembeng,  Akeeken, Tamanjong—

Offspring of many fondoms in graffi land—

Bafut, Bambili, Kedjom Keku, Kedjom Ketinguh,

Mendankwe, Chomba, Mbatu, Nkwen, Santa.

 

Takumbeng— life-blood of womenfolk,

Entrusted with a myriad of duties—

Purification, exorcism, social justice,

Communalism,  decision-making, mediation,

Cleansing, funeral rites, social pacification,

And communion with Kwifon.

 

Takumbeng,

A formidable force to reckon with—

Endowed with mystical prowess.

Avant-garde of  the infamous Villes Mortes,[5]

Takumbeng lives in the hindsight of Abakwa citizenry.

 

Takumbeng,

Indefatigable women whose

Role in the  civil disobedience

Is no sinecure at all,

You blocked the flow of goods

And foodstuff to the cities.

 

Large blades  of grass

In the mouth of the Takumbeng

Symbolise “no talk but action”

The nkeng, dracaena plant,

Symbol of peace  in graffi land.

 

Another lethal weapon

In the hands of the Takumbeng,

Celebrated for nocturnal rituals,

Symbol of womanhood,

Incarnation of occultism.

 

Takumbeng,

Queens of the earth,

And architects of life,

By virtue of procreation,

Takumbeng is no trifling matter.

 

Takumbeng,

Indigenous secret society,

Metamorphosed into a militant group.

To counter male chauvinism,

Abuse and misgovernment.

 

Takumbeng transcends ethnic frontiers.

Agents of ritualistic cleansing,

Nocturnal witchdoctors,

Purveyors of ominous signs,

You ensure social cohesion.

 

Takumbeng,

Your agenda includes  rallying

Womenfolk for communal labor.

Your resolve to right

The wrongs of society is a creed.

 

Takumbeng's nudity is far being

A sign of vulnerability,

Rather it’s fortitude ,

Queens of the earth.

Hail Takumbeng!

 

Takumbeng,

Architects of life.

Your resolve to protect humanity,

By virtue of womanhood,

Admirable affront aimed at evil-doers.

 

Even more laudable is your use  of

Traditional symbolic rituals,

Mystic powers and shaming as  combat tools.

Recourse to  symbolism

Is extra ammunition to your stock in trade.

 

The exposed vagina,

Harbinger of ill-omen,

The exposed bare breast,

Another lethal weapon,

The whistle a rallying call for war.

 

Awe-inspiring ululations,

Formidable bulwark against

Forces of oppression.

Bodies adorned with

Macabre paraphernalia—

 

Torn male dresses, dry banana leaves,

Fresh creeping plants, charcoal,

Wood ash and dry grass knots,

All means of desecration

In the hands of Takumbeng.

 

Takumbeng take matters

Seriously when despised,

Performing mock burials,

That send cold shivers down the spines of  victims

Who take to their heels Or drop dead!

 

© Peter Vakunta 2015

 Notes

---

[1] Creed according to Paul Biya, President of  Cameroon

[2] La République du Cameroun

[3]  Ni John Fru Ndi

[4] Cameroon

[5] Ghost Town Operation

Cameroonian Sodom and Gomorrah!

By Martin Eyong Tabe

IRIC ADMISSION SCANDAL AND THE YAOUNDE REGIME
……..President Biya intervening in the matter simply confirms the spirit of Nicolas Machiavelli, the father of all lies and deceit in leadership. This entails someone creating a problem in the back ground and allowing the problem to inflict untold suffering on the masses for a very long time and the creator of the problem later comes up with a solution and he is hailed like a god……It’s a shame that Cameroonians call for Profs Fame Ndongo and Tabi to resign when the actual architect of the regime is the Head of State? It’s worth asking if the presidency is situated in Yaounde or in Switzerland. Is there a difference between president Biya and Mr. Biya? It’s surprising the president Biya is on a private visit out of the country yet he acts in official capacity at the same time and no one seems to bother or mention it anywhere. Instead, Cameroonians hail him for intervening in the IRIC matter although an extra name was added to the existing scandalous extra lists. It’s such a big shame.

 This is not the first time such scandals have rocked our infamous institutions of state:
1) In 2001-2003, National Advanced School of Posts and Telecommunications Yaounde under a certain Paul Nji Tumasang now SDF Member of Parliament for Santa. Prof Gervais Mendo Ze came up with a list of 7 people who never wrote the exam. This list came up 40 days into the school year, people who never wrote the exam in the first place. Tumasang outrightly rejected the list. Prof Mendo Ze later sent the same list under the tutelage of the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Maximin Kwe Kongo, threatening  Tumasang of his director post and after a long stand-off, Tumasang ceded and Mendo Ze’s cousins from CRTV found their way into the school without ever sitting for the entrance exam.

 2) 2006- University of Buea faculty of Medicine under Prof Lambi. This scandal heightened the atrocities of this regime. After the publication of the list of successful candidates, Prof Fame Ndongo came up with another list that included many students who did not even sit for the exams yet these students were declared admissible into the Buea faculty of Medicine. Prof Lambi mounted stiff resistance against Fame Ndongo and the private press joined in denouncing the scandal. Intense pressure from the Yaounde masters caused a university strike that lead to the death of 3 people including 2 post graduate students, one of them was a certain AMBUER from Ekona town.  9 years today no one has been held convicted of the killings in cold blood.  No one even knows who gave the orders to shoot unarmed civilians in the Buea strike as is the case in America today, under the distinguished patronage of the black baboon from Kenya. . The then South West Governor was a certain Ejake Mbonda who invoked the obnoxious Louis 14 French declaration…l’etat c’est moi”.  Like the February 2008 killings, the culprits got away with the murder. When it became clear that Lambi could not win the case against the Yaounde barons, the former had to go on his knees and beg in a live CRTV telecast in a bid to save his seat but the die had already been cast. As though that was not enough, Lambi was fired and to further humiliate him, he was retained in the same institution and given a small cave in amphi 750 so that he could be destroyed psychologically. Once again, Fame Ndongo got away with it.

 3) IRIC SCANDAL FEBRUARY 2015 UNDER PROF TABI. IRIC has been shrouded with a lot of secrecy, mystery and mysticism over the years. Most of the diplomacy students come from the ruling tribe and the common man can only stand and glance the institution from afar though it is situated at a populated Anglophone neighbourhood in Yaounde. The first list of 15 candidates was published February 27th and a few days later, yet another list was published, this time by Fame Ndongo with some names of the first list removed like the second name, NTI ESTELL NADIA which did not appear in the second list and a waiting list of 7 people. The publication of the second list sparked a lot of commotion on the internet and within the ranks of the private press who took turns to denounce such a scandalous atrocity. Thanks to the private media, pressure mounted and Fame Ndongo took the podium to disgrace himself, citing the infamous 1982 regional balance as the reason behind his act. Criticism heightened and president Biya had to intervene, ordering the 7 candidates on the waiting list to be included in the final list. A total of 3 lists were published for a single exam.

Motions of praise and of support were sung to president Biya. The curiosity that was ignored or omitted by Cameroonians is the fact that there was a mystery name added to the list bringing the total to 22 admitted students for the first time in history. So who is this mystery person? (15+7+1=22). Mal practices in public exams in not a new thing in Cameroon. Examples of people who NEVER SAT for ENAM entrance yet are civil servants in today’s administration are legion. Talk less of those who made the written part but could not bribe their way through the orals. Or do you want to mention sexually transmitted admissions and successes in our institutions? Of late, married women are preferred in ENAM for satanic reasons so the devils kingdom continues to gain strength in our beloved fatherland. (Initiation rituals during military training). A certain culprit who was investigated for several counts for the theft and liquidation of ORANGE airtime is today a State Counsel in Fako. The case was investigated by notorious MEFIRE Pefaqueu Roger. Thank God he is still alive so anyone who doubts can challenge me by contacting him.  I do not want to talk about regional balance. That should be an argument for another day but let me give you an anecdote. A certain A has 16/20 but must forfeit his seat for a certain B with 10/20 or even less because of regional balance. Well, thanks to this we have the mediocrity we see around. Regional balance simply means that there is no meritocracy at all.

Let’s not be blinded by emotion and miss the substance. If after these repeated malpractices the culprits seem to get away with it then who is to blame? Since the 2006 University of Buea scandal Fame Ndongo is still in office so who is to blame? President Biya is the brain behind this system and if after all these atrocities, the culprits get away with it then Biya is to blame. If you side with a thief then you are equally guilty of the crime. Rather than calling for Fame Ndongo and co to resign, let’s be courageous enough to call for the entire Biya government to resign because his New Deal CPDM regime has simply flopped, failed to deliver the goods or meet the aspirations of the people.
The same argument goes for the fight against corruption. President BIYA has no intention of fighting corruption. The few under arrest are those who have fallen out of political favour with the regime, who have challenged the seat of the Head of State or who have simply been scapegoats. The Director General of Customs Minette Libong transferred 9 billion CFA to her children abroad but she remains a free woman till date. If she transferred that much to her children, how much does she herself have? It’s worth guessing. Though she is due retirement and had made her send off party, she was confirmed on her post, yet Paul Eric kingue was given a life jail sentence for misappropriating 10 million francs. Yet Cameroonians rejoice when spectacular arrests are made to divert attention of the masses when corruption remains the order of the day in our society.

 Principal Police commissioner DINA ESSOKA HELEN was suspended for 3 months and has had no salary since June 2014 for honestly investigating into the theft of 2,800 hectares of Fako land which has been baptized as the FAKO LAND CALAMITY. Big mouthed CHARLIE NDI CHIA was bold enough to publish in front page that the governor was at the centre of the land grabbing scam. It’s so strange how BAKWERI MONKEYS under the blessings of MAFANY MUSONGE with swollen jaws can stand by and watch their native land being torn apart by hoodlums. Sure he doesn’t want to jeopardize his political ambition. He thought he will be Senate president. He even renovated his house and bought drinks in anticipation. We all know the result. He is surely nursing his Constitutional Council ambition now though he is not a lawyer. Well what does it matter in Cameroon? If an ex convict like ATANGA NJI Paul with no background in security matters can head the national Security Council then Musonge with a bigger CV is more qualified to be in the constitutional Council, that’s Cameroon for you.

The south west has always been a no man’s land…south west puppets. If CONAC is anything to go by then MEBE NGO’O, RENE SADI, EKEMA PATRICK, OKALIA BILAI, CHIBILI MAUREEN, ZANG 3 and the BUEA BISHOP should be rotting in jail by now, not leaving out all the FAKO CHIEFS who have connived with the administration to rid the Fako indigenes of their land. It’s so interesting how NJOH LITUMBE single handedly sued Cameroon government in the Gambia under the Bakweri Lands claims committee and today every monkey from Bakweri fence wants to become chief, whether he inherited the right or not, of cause in complicity with the administration since chieftaincy in the SOUTH WEST is no longer hereditary but is now for sale by the highest bidder. LITUMBE received stiff opposition from his kin since he had SCNC affiliation but here we are today. Fako land has become gold and everyone wants to become chief, every village with 5 hits and 3 inhabitants is chiefdom. To get a chief’s attestation in Buea now costs upwards of 200,000 FRS tax free and the amounts are not regulated by any government text.

Readers will be surprised that the Bishop (acting in proxy by his able “intercessor” lieutenant) is also part of the scam. The Buea diocese with the help of the Buea State counsel have used all unorthodox means to procure vast amounts of land in God’s name. the height of the catholic land grabbing saga lead to the death of Molyko chief JOKE who died mysteriously in his Molyko neighbourhood, a wretched taxi driver who rose from grass to grace through the confiscation of the indigenes land and selling it to the Catholic mission. The intercessor spearheaded of the shady deal and the procurement procedure was illegal and the intercessor in cassock received a bashing in a brawl over a girl friend from a one-time municipal administrator who told him in the face that he IS NOT a man of God. Yes, puppets will quickly come to the defense by quoting the famous… touch not my anointed…….balderdash. Question is, who is anointed? A man whose entire life is
mired with all kinds of repeated scandals and immorality, children here and there, affairs with all kinds of women including married women and even lesbians yet someone will dare call him anointed? Two years now and no work is going on in the Molyko Cathedral sight, the priest in charge of the funds siphoned hundreds of millions and got away with it and the famous 200 million CFA scandal that disappeared from the Bishop’s house with the intercessor as prime suspect. Yet someone would dare call him anointed.

The catholic land grabbing saga in Fako is done with the support of the Buea State Counsel perhaps as a way to pay for her since but sorry, God is not a respecter of persons and all that doesn’t count. I would like to mention a few actions of this individual. A certain chief Njombe of Lysoka single handedly diverted 40 hectares of Lysoka land that was destined for the indigenes and till that, the case against him has not seen the light of day thanks to the complicity with Buea State Counsel. Doubting Thomas’ can verify with the Lysoka natives. A certain TITA KEVIN (one of his names though), a renowned scammer who brought in more than 1 Billion from abroad and was tried and jailed is now a free man thanks to the complicity with the State Counsel. Tita Kevin regained his stay abroad after a few years in jail and is now a free man. No one needs to know that money changed hands with the State counsel. CHARLIE NDI CHIA of The Post newspaper covered the story extensively. Anyone who doubts can challenge me by verifying with the former in Buea (his number 677 235 530) for I am sure he has copies in his archive.

Needless mentioning that the ex husband of the State Counsel was involved in a multimillion francs embezzlement scandal in BICEC Buea but with the help of his wife, the Buea State Counsel, he was released and travelled to the USA where he is now happily married with children. And she has got away with all these. She was even promoted and confirmed on her seat, a seat she has occupied for about 10 years now. Who is her God father? Mafany Musonge.   Yet people will claim that president Biya is fighting corruption.
All the BANDITS of the Fako land theft are known. First on the list is:

1). EDGARD ALAIN MEBE NGO’O with his puppet relative ZANG 3 (SDO FAKO). (A manipulation was done to replace BONA EBENGUE with Zang 3 in the mid night because the latter had to do the dirty job in favour of Mebe Ngo’o. Zang 3 was in charge of all the money that all the south west councils contributed for the reunification celebration apart from the 35 billion cheque offered by the Government and what national companies and business men contributed for the event, hundreds of millions that have never been accounted for till date yet he remains a free man, thanks to his god father mentioned above.

 2). RENE SADI acting under his puppet relative OKALIA BILAI (SW Governor) (governor owns hectares of land in Buea and Limbe, has many hectares in Sokolo Limbe where Chariot group is building his 4 storey building hotel. Though Okalia Bilai has been due retirement for 4 years now and with all the scandals in the reunification celebration, the gentleman is comfortably in office and was even confirmed in office during the last shake up….god fatherism.

 3). EKEMA PATRIC ESUNGE ( Buea Mayor) who has sold lots of lands in Buea including State land around the Buea stadium, the new GCE board and even part of Buea University land. Man lives in affluence; BMW American series 700, Mercedes 500, Land Cruiser America Sequoia V8, all in one year in office. Man raised building permits by extra 75,000 CFA in complicity with the SDO, partners in crime. He diverted some Muea and Mile 16 reunification roads to Bakweri wilderness. Man won the admiration of many locals by started his tenure on a high note by challenging administrative bureaucracy by civil administrators but it took less than one year for him to show his true colours. As unpopular as he is the Buea mayor won the best mayor award in some moronic Bamenda event, what a shame. Man has become a Hollywood actor by brandishing his gun at every instance, threatening to shoot down anyone who dares challenge his authority and he gets away with it, after all, Mafany Musonge and the Buea State Counsel will block the any case. The Buea people now live in absolute fear lest the sledge hammer of the LORD TYRANT of Buea falls on them and their houses demolished or their property confiscated.

4). BUEA STATE COUNSEL (LYSOKA LAND 40 HECTARES, BULU LAND and many others). Godfather’ Mafany Musonge.

 5). BUEA DIOCESE (now fighting with national icon, Mount Cameroon Queen SARAH ETONGUE to snatch/grab her government-built house gift, the only legacy she has for her numerous participations in the maiden mountain race), that’s the church for you, preaching what it does not practice. Bishop Nkea of Mamfe own & hectares of land behind Molyko stadium, a man of God, likely with the objective of opening his own church save from the one he officiates in now. The church! Judgement day will shock so many people
6). ALL FAKO CHIEFS (For conniving and contriving with the administration, leading to the massive theft/confiscation of 2800 hectares of Fako land). It is worthy of note that a good majority of these so called chiefs are illegitimate hence their sizzling romance with the D.Os and S.D.Os to misappropriate land that belongs to the indigenes as ruled by the Gambia court.

Needless repeating that HELEN ESSOKA, Principal Police Commissioner was not only suspended for 3 months but has had her salary suspended since June 2014 for her assiduous and honest investigation into the massive theft of Fako land. That’s what you get for trying to be honest in this forsaken fatherland. Often times multiple reports have put the police top in the corruption pedestal but here is one honest and dignified officer who is being penalized for doing an honest job. It’s a shame. Let’s see what CONAC which has been investigating the land case will do. Most of the above owners have been selling the land since the CONAC case started. There is no hiding place for the wicked and nature is just. These people must pay for their crimes and if they don’t pay, their families will pay. Someone has to pay for these. Let’s wait and see how president Biya will intervene in this matter like he did with the IRIC exam. The private press has been investigating this land grabbing scenario until when PETER ESOKA was used to do the dirty job by summoning publishers and suspending their media organs from the air. The old fool who although on retirement for many years now, he is the only one competent enough to translate presidential speeches. Some of us can’t wait to have that old gruff voice off the air. Demons hide behind the scenes and use Peter Esoka to stifle and muzzle any organ that dares expose the atrocities of the regime. God help this country!

Existential Maxims: A Review of Lamnyam’s Strive to be Happy

 

Reviewer: Peter Vakunta, Ph.D.

 

Esther Lamnyam, celebrated author of Love under the Kola Tree: What City Moms Didn’t Tell You about Creating Fulfilling Relationships (2009) has come up with yet another powerful tool intended to enable readers to live impactful lives. Strive to be Happy is a compendium of epigrammatic reflections on human behavior.  The ontological wisdom embedded in the bosom of this 148-page non-fictional book is priceless. Like François de la Rochefoucauld’s Maximes (1665)[1], Lamnyam’s aphorisms are the condensed sagacity of a writer who has traveled many roads. Hers is a clear-eyed, worldly view of human conduct that indulges in neither condemnation nor sentimentality. She posits that our virtues are usually only vices in disguise. Perceiving life as a ritual, Lamnyam offers the following counseling to her readers: “Have a ritual you practice daily. This will help position you and give you your bearings for your present location.”(35). Come to think of it, life is, indeed a ritual, be it the drudgery of existential humdrum or the repetitive monotony of daily chores.  Even the friendships that we create, opines Lamnyam, are ritualistic and tend to be evanescent if we fail to nurture them. As she puts it, “When we abuse and choose to not honor relationships and other humans, they might leave us…"(37). Many a friendship has been broken on account of mutual ingratitude and disrespect. In this vein, Lamnyam argues, to give relationships longevity, it is incumbent upon individuals involved to say or do little things that manifest thankfulness. In her own words, “Many broken hearts are born from being ungrateful” (37. Her words of caution to ingrates ring true: “Do not take others and partners for granted… They have the choice to leave the relationship any given day…” (37

Lamnyam has a predilection for proverbial sayings that remind readers of existential vicissitudes: “Everything that is hot eventually becomes cold” (45). This binary juxtaposition of antonymic words drives home the point lucidly. This writer broaches the importance of nomenclature in social intercourse as seen in the following excerpt: “Give a baby a name/it grows with it…/Fear is in a name when it belongs to a tyrant/A name has personality /when the bearer is subtle/There is credit in a name/ it has honor and influence”(43). Lamnyam’s book harbors the key to a happy life provided we do the little things that matter such as greeting the people we meet every day with a smile: “Start by smiling…One of the most powerful good energy generating tools is a smile”(49). Lamnyam appeals to readers to be mindful of the impact their demeanor has on the people in their entourage: “Think about the effect your demeanor or sadness has on those around you” (49). These words of wisdom may sound trifling but they really do matter and may be the dividing line that dissociates a life of failure from one of success.

Lamnyam’s Strive to be Happy is an inspirational work replete with didactic messages as the following extract illustrates: “Evil energy needs something to feed on just like a hungry person needs food… Evil energy needs evil energy as its food…” (94)These sagacious words brook no contradiction. They are applicable to all and sundry—indigent and opulent, slave and master, governor and governed. This is Lamnyam’s way of admonishing readers against evildoing because evil begets evil.Throughout this book Lamnyam’s voice sounds like that of a quiet peace-maker. She calls for nonresistance as a modus operandi needed to ward off the pangs of pain occasioned by social injustice, exploitation and disenfranchisement.  Hear her voice in the following excerpt: “Learn non-resistance in (different situations)…. this technique of nonresistance can be used in so many ways to diffuse potentially explosive situations” (94). Another didactic lesson that Lamnyam places at the disposal of readers is the importance of keeping promises. As she puts it, “The only thing you can keep when you give out is your word…” (128) By this token, she stands opposed to prevarication and falsehood. She has the conviction that people who tell lies and half-truths eventually lose credibility: “You corrode your credibility when you do not keep your word” (128).Lamnyam envisages a symbiotic relationship between human beings and animal beings: “Learn from the animals” (138). By elevating beasts to the pedestal of human beings, Lamnyam, by the same token, lowers humans to the level of animals. This is food for thought.

In her ontological peregrination, Lamnyam draws inspiration from the indigenous knowledge of her people, the Wimbum, as seen in her recourse to the following proverb: “Truth is slow, but it always arrives” (138). This maxim is pregnant with meaning. She has more to say in this light: “Whatever is done in darkness eventually comes to light” (104). As she sees it, truth begets happiness. When all is said and done, what is happiness according to Lamnyam? She defines happiness in spiritual terms as follows: “Happiness is to know the Savior/Living life in His favor/ Having a change in my behavior/ Happiness is the Lord” (141). The message nestled between the lines in this excerpt is a pointer to the writer’s perspicacious spirituality. In her mind, a life devoid of spirituality is an unfulfilled life: “Living a life that’s worth the livin’/ Taking a trip/ that leads to heaven/ Happiness is the Lord” (141). God is Love but God is also truth. It is for this same reason that Lamnyam calls upon readers to steer clear of tall tales: “Many of us are liars… Be truthful, else all this good stuff I share with you will be hard to come to grounded fruition” (129) Lamnyam does not speak tongue in cheek. She tells it like it is, not caring whose horse is gored.

This book contains cosmological messages intended for readers who nurse skepticism about the symbiotic relationship that exists between natural and spiritual cosmoses as seen in this extract: “… we must understand the interconnectedness of the universe in multi-dimensions to make better progress” (127). Lamynam seems secure in her conviction that the universe is a network of disparate entities needing coordinated harnessing for human progress, without which the results of human endeavors will be “abysmal in many cases” (127). To lend more credibility to her belief system she contends that “the spiritual and physical aspects of human beings have rules that apply and are constantly in motion, like the clouds in the sky” (126). The didacticism contained in Strive to be Happy touches on race matters. Using the colors of the rainbow as a starting point, Lamnyam appeals to human beings to learn to cohabit peacefully without undue attention to racial differences: “Use the colors of the rainbow to harmonize your day, week and life” (105). Figuratively speaking, the colors of Lamnyam’s rainbow are symbolic of terrestrial racialism.

This book brings to readers important lessons on how time and money should be spent:  “Spend time and money on yourself and your aspirations” (82). This message is not an endorsement of inordinate self-love or narcissism; rather it is a call for parsimonious utilization of the recourses that God has bestowed on humanity for the common good—the summum bonum.  Lamnyam’s call for the judicious utilization of planetary resources is echoed in the following extract: “Determine what you need and spend your money to get it.”(82). Strive to be Happy is a futuristic work as this excerpt seems to suggest: “Lay the groundwork or foundation today for your older age … Plan your nights in the day. Plan your evenings in the morning, your summers in winter” (78). These are words of inspiration at their best. Lamnyam’s book is also a clarion call for religious tolerance: “If your religion is very important to you and someone’s religious affiliation is different from yours, discuss that upfront…” (77) The author is certainly not oblivious of the religious upheavals that are rocking the very foundations of contemporary society. The book also satirizes religious hypocrisy in no uncertain terms:” People have many faces, one for work, one for personal life, one for wooing others…” (77)

Style plays a non-negligible role in Lamnyam’s narrative and calls for a comment. She writes in a conversational fashion, opting for words that do not create room for double entendre.  Her recourse to a non-erudite style of writing makes her work accessible to the learned and not so learned, the initiated and the neophyte. Her diction is commonplace and poses no comprehension challenges what-so-ever. This is a masterpiece that should be on the reading list of all philosophy courses nationwide. I thought I noticed a few very light-hearted authorial impositions in the narrative; however these moments of interjections from Lamnyam do not cause any prejudice to the overall flow of the narrative.  The translation of orality into the written word is a noteworthy aspect of Lamnyam’s writing style. She uses poetics like the one on pages 41-42 to communicate culture-specific messages. Proverbs, these pithy wise sayings that communicate profound messages, populate Lamnyam’s written work.

In a nutshell, Strive to be Happy is a hybrid text that combines aphorisms, proverbs, and desiderata to produce a poly-semantic work that appeals to readers across social strata.  The plurality of themes broached in the book constitutes one of its unique strengths. I would recommend this work for inclusion in the required readings of college-level psychology courses. The uniqueness of this book resides in its accessibility to all age groups.

About the reviewer

Dr. Peter Vakunta is Professor French and Francophone Literature at the University of Indianapolis, United States of America. He is chair of the Department of Modern Languages.

 

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[1] François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, was a noted French author of maxims and memoirs. His principal achievement is a collection of 500 epigrammatic reflections on human behavior, expressed in the most universal terms.

Just Published: Requiem pour Ongola en Camfranglais: Une Poetique Camerounaise

Thursday 12 February 2015, author(s)-editor(s)  Peter W. Vakunta

En se servant des  tournures linguistiques aussi subversives que les messages nichés entre les  lignes, Requiem pour Ongola en Camfranglais: Une poétique Camerounaisede  Vakunta présente au lecteur une critique acerbe de la corruption du  lexique « démocratie » en «demo-folie” et la corruption galopante chez  “l’Homme malade de l’Afrique. » Écrit en Camfranglais, ce recueil se  qualifierait de la poésie de résistance du premier plan: “Tokking’ par la  bouche des sans-voix,” l’auteur ne ménage aucun effort dans son  entêtement à condamner le pays du roi fainéant, le règne du feymania, la  réduction de la Constitution nationale en papier hygiénique, et le climat  général d’impunité qui a créé une atmosphère de frustration et de désespoir.  Ayant recours à la force rédemptrice logée dans l’expression—”Speak  truth!” le poète navigue habilement dans le lexique multilingue d’un nouveau  langage hybride africain pour mettre à jour le compte rendu d’un initié des  enjeux réels d’Ongola, mot ewondo pour Yaoundé

“Using linguistic stylings as subversive as  the messages nestled between the lines, Vakunta’s Requiem for Ongola in  Camfranglais: Cameroonian poetics presents a scathing critique of the  corruption of democracy into “democraziness” running rampant in the “Sick Man  of Africa”. Written in Camfranglais, this is resistance poetry at its best:  ‘tokking’ through the mouth of the voiceless”, the author pulls no punches in  condemning the country’s roi fainéant, the perverted acceptance of feymania,  the reduction of the national Constitution into toilet paper, and the general  climate of impunity that has created an atmosphere of frustration and  hopelessness. Calling upon the redeeming power of the Word – “Speak truth!” –  these verses deftly navigate through the multilingual lexicon of a new, African  hybrid language, providing an insider’s account of the real stakes at hand in  Ongola, the Ewondo word for Yaoundé.”

Linguistic Apartheid and the Quest for Freedom and Identity in Cameroon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Wuteh Vakunta, PhD— University of Indianapolis

Introduction

The language question in Cameroon has become the elephant in the room. Of all the burning issues that continue to plague Cameroon, the language question is the most problematic. This paper argues that Cameroon’s Official Bilingual Policy has fallen short of expectations.  We propose a Quadrilingual Language Policy that would lay the foundation for effective Multilingual Education that guarantees national unity and integration.  Our model incorporates Cameroonian official languages, indigenous languages and a lingua franca—in our case Cameroon Pidgin English (Cameroonian Creole). The merit of this MODEL is that it would normalize Cameroon’s linguistic anomalies. More than five decades after gaining token independence from imperial powers—France and Great Britain; Cameroon still does not have an implementable language policy that protects linguistic minorities.  Writing along similar lines, Ayafor (2005)notes that “language policy and planning suffer a political hijacking in which language measures are monopolized by political authority and are used as a form of blindfolding against the civil society and linguistic principles”(138).

This political bad faith violates Article 1:3 of Cameroon’s national Constitution which puts French and English at par. It states: “The official languages of the Republic of Cameroon shall be English and French, both languages having the same status. The State shall guarantee the promotion of bilingualism throughout the country. It shall endeavor to protect and promote national languages.” The fundamental flaw of this constitutional stipulation on official ‘bilingualism’ is that it fails to provide a clear working definition. It is not clear what level of linguistic proficiency must be attained by Cameroonian citizens in order to demonstrate officially sanctioned bilingualism.  Worse still, the constitution glosses over the dichotomy between individual and state bilingualism. In a linguistically pluralistic nation such as Cameroon, Bilingualism could mean anything from fluency in English and French; English and a national language; French and a national language; Pidgin English and a national  language; a national language and another national language, etc.  Besides, proficiency in any of these languages could vary from zero to near-perfection. It is in this perspective that Rosendal (2008) makes the following observation: “The extent of bilingualism in French and English in Cameroon is hard to estimate. Bilingual proficiency varies from zero to near perfect at the universities, depending on how semi-bilingualism, functional bilingualism and passive bilingualism are defined.” (25)  An interesting dimension of the discourse pertaining to official bilingualism in Cameroon is its correlation with biculturalism. Scholars such as (Echu, 2012; Tadadjeu, 1975; Fonlon, 1963, 1969) have pointed out that biculturalism is an integral component of official bilingualism. Sadly enough, official bilingualism in Cameroon has been treated with such levity that it has virtually been rendered dysfunctional. Jikong (1983) attributes the failed implementation of Cameroon’s official bilingualism to inadequate language planning. That’s why  Bobda and Tiomajou (1995) observe that “In Cameroon there is no government position on language policy and planning apart from the statement that French and English shall be the official languages of the Republic”(127).

To put this differently, Cameroon’s official bilingual policy has been presented as a mere statement of intent. According to Soule (2013), “the State is doing quite a lot to ensure the promotion of bilingualism, as stated in the Constitution, but is doing very little to ensure practical implementation of bilingualism”(13).There is no legislation on the practice of bilingualism in Cameroon. Consequently, Cameroonians who infringe the constitutional stipulation cited above cannot be held accountable because there is no institution charged with the implementation of the nation’s bilingual policy. Though strongly articulated in policy documents, Cameroon’s bilingual policy remains a mere manifesto on paper. In daily practice, French has dominance over the English language in the spheres of administration, education and the media.

The position of dominance accorded the French language is attributable to the absence of an effective language policy that safeguards the rights of linguistic minorities.  This status quo does not bode well for the nation’s quest for freedom and identity because as Echu (2004) would have it, “The Policy of official language bilingualism has created an Anglophone/Francophone divide in Cameroon that is seen in recent years to constitute a serious problem for the State” (6). Thus, though conceived to play the role of a unifying factor, Cameroon’s official language policy embodies germs of disunity.  The lackluster implementation of the nation’s language policy has been described by scholars as a harbinger of national disintegration (Soule, 2013; Echu, 2004; Ayafor, 2005; Tiomajou, 1991; Bobda and Tiomajou, 1995). Ayafor for instance, argues that “language has become one major factor among the socio-political grievances of Anglophones’ so-called ‘The Anglophone Problem’ since 1980s” (133).

The ‘Anglophone Problem’ stems from the second fiddle status assigned to English-speaking Cameroonians by francophone members of government. This probably explains why in English-speaking towns and cities such as Bamenda, Buea, and Tiko, to name but a few, there are billboards and toll-gates with inscriptions written entirely in French. Rosendal (2008) notes that “bilingual policy implies that official documents and laws are published in both languages” (29). These examples lend credence to the fact that English remains a mere afterthought in the minds of government officials in Cameroon. In Cameroon official documents such as decrees and more are endorsed with an official seal and their content implemented without official versions in English. It is not uncommon to find English translations of important government documents fraught with mindboggling spelling and grammatical errors. These are pointers to the fact that the implementation of Cameroon’s official bilingualism has failed woefully.

There is no gainsaying the fact that what prevails in Cameroon today is tantamount to linguicide, a term used throughout this paper to describe the linguistic genocide that has been given leeway in Cameroon. Linguistic genocide is observable in all spheres of government business. In the judicial branch of government, the interpretation of the letter and spirit of the law is left to the whims and caprices of French-speaking judges who are ignorant of how the Anglo-Saxon legal system functions. This has resulted in countless miscarriages of justice. For instance, a travesty of justice was evident during the infamous Yondo Black trial[1] in the 1990s.

The National Radio and Television Corporation (CRTV) is another case in point. The preponderance of French news at the CRTV is no secret to anyone living in Cameroon. During electoral campaigns, little or no time is allotted to the campaign speeches of Anglophone opposition leaders desirous of addressing the nation in a bid to sell their political platforms. The language of instruction and daily routine in Cameroon’s armed forces, police and gendarmerie [2]is French. Anglophones recruited to serve in these forces have to fight or flee; in other words, they must learn French or perish.

Such is the crux of the Anglophone Problem in Cameroon. To eradicate these policy bloopers and save Cameroon from linguistic disintegration, this paper proposes a Quadrilingual Education System that is linguistically inclusive. Our model is calqued on previous models proposed by two of Cameroon’s most acclaimed experts in the field of early childhood second language acquisition, namely Bernard Fonlon (1963) and Maurice Tadadjeu (1975).

A Quadrilingual Educational Model in Cameroon

The Model that we propose is anchored on the acquisition of four (4) languages: English, French, a National Language and a Lingua Franca (CPE) before the Cameroonian child gets to University. We argue that a quadrilingual education model that gives pride of place to the acquisition of both official and national languages serves as a catalyst for the attainment of national unity and economic advancement; the more so because language constitutes the bedrock of nationhood and self-identity.  

In our conceptualization of the Quadrilingual Model we have espoused the  stance of Tadajeu (1975) who argues that “if language is to be the primary concern of the primary school then there is no reason for not including the vernacular languages in the curriculum at this level”(58). Tadajeu actually echoes Fonlon’s thoughts on this theme: “I must confess that the expression Cameroon bilingualism is a misnomer. It would be correct to speak of Cameroon trilingualism because even before the Cameroon child comes to school to learn English and French, he should have already learnt his own native tongue” (“A Case for Early Bilingualism…,”p.206).  Other scholars in this field have argued for the inclusion of indigenous languages in the educational system in Cameroon (Mba and Chiatoh, 2000; Todd, 1983; Chumbo, 1980; Ngijol, 1964; Achimbe, 2006). Achimbe argues that the language education policy in Cameroon largely ignores the importance of national languages. As he puts it: “In promoting its bilingual language education policy, the government has largely disregarded the multilingual make-up of the country. Indigenous languages play only a secondary role…” (96).

Similarly, Tadadjeu advocates the inclusion of national languages in the education system in Cameroon in his trilingual Education Model. The Quadrilingual Model proposed in this paper envisages the inclusion of a lingua franca (Cameroon Pidgin English) for several reasons.

Lingua Franca as Component of the Quadrilingual Model

The rationale for including CPE in our model is three-fold. First, the number of households in Cameroon where Pidgin English is the primary language of communication is on the increase. Just as French and English are mother tongues for the majority of urban kids today, Pidgin English has supplanted these hegemonic languages in many homes, especially in instances of mixed marriages between Francophone and Anglophone Cameroonians. Second, Pidgin English is the only language spoken by over 85% of Cameroonians. According to Achimbe (2006), Pidgin English acquired a national character, “representing the mother tongue of fifty percent of the population” (99). He further notes that Cameroon Pidgin English (CPE) is fast becoming the mother tongue in some urban communities. Breton and Fohtung (1991) buttress this point when they refer to Pidgin English as a language of “wider communication in Cameroon” (12).  Mbangwana (1983) lends credence to the importance of Pidgin English as a lingua franca in Cameroon as follows:

Pidgin English is very crucial as a communication bridge, for it links an Anglophone to a Francophone. It also links an Anglophone to another Anglophone, an educated Cameroonian to another educated one, a non-educated Cameroonian to another non-educated one, and more importantly an educated Cameroonian to a non-educated one(87).

Ayafor (2005) recognizes the importance of lingua franca in language planning in Cameroon when he underscores “the role of Pidgin English as a linguistic bridge between the two linguistic communities both in official and private domains” (128). He further notes that Pidgin English in not only the most widespread variety of English but it is the only language in Cameroon with the pragmatic ability to function as a contact language for all linguistic groups.

The third reason for including Pidgin English in the Quadrilingual Model is that Pidgin English is no longer just a language of the streets. It has evolved into a medium of literary expression. Cameroonians are now producing works of literature in Pidgin English. A few examples would drive home the point:  Majunga Tok: Poems in Pidgin English(2008), CamTok and Other Poems from the Cradle (2010), African Time and Pidgin Verses(2001) Stories from Abakwa (2008), Je parle camerounais (2001), Moi taximan (2001)and Temps de chien (2001).

What we would like to do at this juncture is provide a succinct description of the Quadrilingual Model.

A Blueprint for Quadrilingualism in Cameroon

In our conception of a Quadrilingual Education System in Cameroon,  we have made a clear distinction between a first official language(O1), which is the medium of instruction and the second official language(O2) which is a subject to be learned at school.  At the same time, we have underscored the dichotomy between a national language (indigenous language) and a lingua franca (hybrid language used as a means of communication among speakers of other languages).  

The long-term objective of the Quadrilingual Education System would be to prepare Cameroonian learners linguistically for university studies.  The ideal would be to see each Cameroonian child literate and fluent in their mother tongue or a related regional language, the two official languages as well as a lingua franca as they work their way toward university studies. To be labelled fluent, the individual must be able to function at level 3 of the Inter-Agency Language Roundtable Scale of Descriptors.[3]

 The Quadrilingual Blueprint

• Primary School Level

At the primary school level, the mother tongue should be the medium of instruction and the first official language (English for Anglophones and French for Francophones) would be a curricular subject. This stipulation would apply to both rural and urban schools. A proportionate number of indigenous language teachers will have to be trained in order to see this project through.

• Secondary School Level

At secondary school level, a gradual switch would be made to the learner’s first official language (English for Anglophones and French for Francophones) as a medium of instruction. The mother tongue, lingua franca and second official language (French for Anglophones and English for Francophones) should become curricular subjects.This model ensures that learners are exposed to three languages before they get to High School.By the end of secondary school, the Cameroonian child should be Quadrilingual in the strict sense of the word as it is used in this paper.

• High School Level

At high school level German, Spanish, and Latin courses should be replaced by courses in Cameroonian indigenous languages.  Also, some language majors would be encouraged to participate in indigenous language literacy programs. No specific modifications are anticipated at this level as regards the teaching of French and English, except where instructional pedagogies are concerned.

• University Level

At university level two things could occur.

                                 i.            The extension of current indigenous language courses in a bid to transform them into inter-lingual translation courses covering all national languages as well as Pidgin English.  Program designers and coordinators could conceive incentives that would encourage a greater number of students to sign up for languages related to their own mother tongues if there are no courses in their mother tongues.

                               ii.            Students with linguistics as minors or majors could be encouraged to take indigenous language literacy courses that would enrich their mastery of the phonology, morphology and syntax of indigenous languages.

 Conclusion

This paper has unearthed the root causes of the bilingual policy abortion in Cameroon. Incontrovertible evidence has been unraveled to lend credence to the contention that Cameroon’s language policy is a non-starter and has, therefore, failed to serve as guarantor of national unity and territorial integration. To fill this lacuna, this paper has proposed a Quadrilingual Blueprint that is inclusive of Cameroonian national languages and Pidgin English. The merit of this paper resides in the fact that it has broadened the scope of the national language policy discourse in Cameroon by arguing for the inclusion of indigenous languages and Pidgin English. Most importantly, it has made the point that national language policy decisions ought to be made on the basis of sound pedagogic principles rather than on the whims and caprices of uninformed political role-players.

 Works cited

Achimbe, Eric A. “Anglophonism and Francophonism: The Stakes of (official) Language Identity in Cameroon.” Alizés: Revue angliciste de la réunion 25/26(2006): 7-26.

____________________.

Amvela, Zé. “English and French in Cameroon: A Study in Language Maintenance and Shift.” In Echu G. and Grunstrom, W.A. (eds.) Official Bilingualism and linguistic Communication in Cameroon. New York: Peter Lang, 1999.

Ayafor, Isaiah, Munang. “Official Bilingualism in Cameroon: Instrumental or Integrative

Policy?’ Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Bilingualism. Ed. James Cohen et al., Somerville: Cascadilla Press, 2005.

Bobda, S. and Tiomajou, D. “Integrating ESL and EFL: The Cameroonian Experience,” In British Council, Senegal. Across  the West African Divide. Proceedings of the West African English Language Conference, Mbour, Senegal, 1995.

Breton, Roland and Fohtung, Bikia.  Atlas administratif des langues nationales du Cameroun. Yaoundé, Paris: CERDOTOLA, CREA – ACCT, 1991.

Cameroon, Government. Constitution of the Republic of Cameroon. Yaoundé: Government

printer, 1996.

Chumbo, B.S. “Language and Language Policy in Cameroon,” In Kofele Kale (ed.) An Experiment in Nation-Building: The Bilingual Cameroon Republic since Reunification. Boulder: Westview Press, 1980.

Chumbo,  B.S.  and  Pius Tamanji. “Linguistic Identity across the Borders of Cameroon Triangle,” In Kweshi K. Prah (ed.) (2000):53-74.

Echu, George. “Influence of Cameroon Pidgin English on the English and

Cultural Development of the French Language” (1991). Retrieved on

 March 12, 2014 from https://www.indiana.edu/~iulcwp/pdfs/03-

 hu03.pdf

 _______________. “Pidginization of French in Cameroon” (2006). Retrieved on

                February 12, 2014 from

                http://www.inst.at/trans/16Nr/01_5/echu16.htm

 _______________. “The Language Question in Cameroon.”(2004). Retrieved

                January 13, 2012 from http://www.linguistik-

                online.de/18_04/echu.html

Echu, G. and Grundstrom, A.W. Official Bilingualism in Cameroon: Francophone Cultures and  Literatures . New York. Peter Lang, 1999.

Fonlon, Bernard. “The Linguistic Problem in Cameroon: An Historical Perspective,” ABBIA 22  (1969):5-50

____________________. “A Case for Early Bilingualism,” ABBIA 4

(1963):56-94

 Fouda, Mercédès. Je parlecamerounais: pour un renouveau francofaune.Paris:

Karthala, 2001.

Hirsch, E.D. Cultural Literacy: What Every American Should Know.  New York: Vintages Books,1988.

Jikong, S.Y. “Official Bilinguallism in Cameroon: A Double-Edged Sword,” Alizés:  Revue angliciste de la réunion 19(2001): 7-26

Kouega, J.P. (2003): “Camfranglais: A Novel Slang in Cameroon Schools,”

English Today 19-2(2003): 23-29.

Kuitche, F. Gabriel. Moi taximan. Paris: L’Harmattan, 2001.

Mba G. and Blasius Chiatoh. (2000). "Current trends and Perspectives in Mother Tongue Education  in Cameroon,'' African Journal in Applied Linguistics (AJAL) No. 1 (2000) 1-2.

 Mbangwana, P. “Flexibility in Lexical Usage in Cameroon English,” Retrieved December 12, 2012  from d_praqz5Z4#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%9C%20mbangwana&f=false

 _____________________. Mbangwana, P.N.  “Invigorative and Hermetic Innovations in English in Yaounde.” World Engishes 10.1(1991):53-63.

Nganang, P. Temps de chien. Paris:  Serpent à Plumes, 2001.

Ngijol, Pierre. "Nécessité d'une langue nationale,"ABBIA No. 7 (1964): 83-99.

Nyamnjoh Francis. Stories from Abakwa. Bamenda: Langaa Research and

Publishing Common Initiative Group, 2007.

Rosendal, Rove. Multilingual Cameroon: Policy, Practice, Problems and Solutions.Gothenburg: University of Gothenburg Press, 2008.

Soule, S N. “Official Bilingualism in Cameroon: Farce or Reality? The Need for Texts to Govern the  Practice of Official Bilingualism in Cameroon,” Retrieved on October 2, 2014 from  https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=official bilingualism in cameroon: farce or

reality%3f the need for texts to govern the practice of official bilingualism in cameroon

Tadadjeu, M. “Language Planning in Cameroon: Toward a Trilingual Education System.” In Patterns in Language, Culture and Society: Sub-Saharan Africa. Ohio:  University of Ohio Press, 1975.

Tiomjou, D. Bilingualism in the Mass Media in Cameroon:  A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Cameroon Radio Television. (Unpublished Dissertation). Yaounde: University of Yaounde.

Todd, Loreto. "Language Options for Education in a Multilingual Society: Cameroon."In Kennedy, Chris (ed.): Language Planning and Language Education. London, 1983.

Vakunta, P.W. Majunga Tok: Poems in Pidgin English. Bamenda: Langaa

                RPCIG, 2008.

_________________________. African Time and Pidgin Verses, Pretoria, Duplico,

                2001.

__________________________. Cam Tok and Other Poems from the Cradle. Bamenda: Langaa RPCIG, 2010.

Wolf, H.G. English in Cameroon: Contributions to the Sociology of Language. Berlin: Mouton de Grutyer, 2001.

Notes

---

[1] On April 4, 1990, the Yaounde military tribunal was the focus of national and international attention as arguments in the trial of Yondo Black Mandengue and 10 others began.They had been arrested in February of that year for trying to create a political party. Officially, however, the accused were charged with holding clandestine meetings, fabricating and distributing tracts hostile to the Government, rebellion, and insulting the Head of State.

[2]  Police officers in francophone countries.

[3] The following ILR descriptions of proficiency levels 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 characterize spoken-language use. Each higher level implies control of the previous level’s functions and accuracy. A skill level is assigned to a person through an authorized language examination called the Oral Proficiency Interview(OPI). Examiners assign a level on a variety of performance criteria exemplified in the descriptive statements.

 

Translation or Treason? On Translating the Third Code

Translation or Treason: On Translating the Third Code

Translation or Treason? On Translating the Third Code

Football: Aboubacar, Njie and Ondoua Shine as 'New Look' Cameroon Thrash Ivory Coast

Are the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon on the path to resurrection after a farcical World Cup campaign? After Vincent Aboubacar and Clinton Njie each scored a brace to enable Cameroon defeat the Ivory Coast 4-1 in an Africa Cup of Nations 2015 qualifier, there are many in the soccer-mad country who think so.

Playing the Ivory Coast was supposed to be the big test for Volker Finke's new look Indomitable Lions. Yes, they may have defeated the Leopards of the Congo (DRC) in Lumumbashi but could they cut it against a star-studded Ivorian team including Yaya Toure, Gervinho,Bony, Arthur Boka, Soulemane Bamba, Cheikh Tiote?

Well, Njie, Aboubacar, the impressive young goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoua and the rest of the Lions didn't really care. Cameroon playing dominated the early exchanges. Georges Mandjeck who wasn't at his very best in Lumumbashi upped his game in central midfield alongside the ever combative Eyong Enoh, quickly seizing control of that vital part of the pitch. This allowed Choupo-Moting to stay close to Aboubacar who this time around kept his game simple and efficient.

On Cameroon's left flank, Njie gave the Ivorian right full-back a torrid time. The young forward breezed past his marker on several occasions and his beautiful runs created openings for a quick back to front transmission of the ball.

Read the full match report here

Cameroon v Congo: Finke Hands International Debuts to Four Youngsters ?

Cameroon's head coach Volker Finke has handed senior international debuts to four youngsters in his starting team to face the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier this Saturday in Lumumbashi, according to media reports.

If news filtering in from Congo is confirmed, Joseph Fabrice Ondoua from FC Barcelona's academy will start in goal ahead of the more experienced Ndy Assembe who was at the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup in 2010. There are also starting berths for Oyongo Bitolo, the former under 20 left-back who plays in the US for New York Red Bulls, as well as Jerome Guihota who plays for Valencienne in France. Forward Clinton Njie who has been rising within the ranks at Olympique Lyon in France also gets the nod as Cameroon seeks a fresh start after a woeful World Cup campaign last June.

Continue reading about Cameroon's starting line-up versus DRC here

 

Of Cameroon, the World Cup and Match Bonuses

It was supposed to be a day of celebration. June 8, exactly 24 years to the day when Cameroon scored a memorable victory against Argentina the then holders of the World Cup. Phone companies and local sports officials had planned to 'triumphantly' lead the new pride of  Indomitable Lions to the plane that was to take them to  the World Cup in Brazil. Well, the squad didn't turn up. They refused to fly to Brazil until a row over match bonuses was resolved. They only left the country around 5:45  in the morning of 9 June.

Haven't we heard this before?  Cameroon sports officials and players not in agreement over bonuses before or during a FIFA World Cup.  Even that famous victory over Argentina in Italia 1990 (which sparked a historic run to the quarter-finals) was obtained amid disputes over match bonuses between the players and authorities from Cameroon's sports ministry and the football federation.

"[Bonuses were] discussed until the eve of the opening match (against Argentina)," said Bertin Ebwelle, Cameroon's left-back at the tournament in Italy. "I can assure you that the discussions were rough and it wasn't until 5 a.m. that the last player received his bonus,"

Continue reading Cameroon, the World Cup and Match Bonuses

World Cup 2014: Guide to Cameroon’s Group A. Fifa ranking: 50 (correct to 6 June)

The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon are arguably the most successful African team at the World Cup, qualifying for the tournament seven times and in Italy in 1990 they became the first team from the continent to reach the quarter-finals. In Brazil they will face the hosts, Croatia and Mexico in Group A.

Unfortunately, it is pretty a long time since Cameroon lived up to their nickname of Indomitable Lions. Cameroon have failed to qualify for the last two Africa Cup of Nations amid player friction and discontent with the country’s football federation (Fecafoot), which was briefly suspended by Fifa last July because of government interference.

By Yemti Harry Ndienla

Two Home-based Players Included in Cameroon's 23-Man World Cup Squad

After Cameroon's 2-2 draw with Germany in a friendly, Volker Finke, the head coach of the Indomitable Lions, has named the 23 players to defend the country's colours at the soccer World Cup that kicks-off in Brazil next week.

Two players - Cedric Djeugoue and Loic Feudjou - who play in the  Cameroon's  top league are included in the squad. Two other youngsters: Swiss-based Fabrice Olinga and and France-based Edgar Salli make it to Brazil.

Goalkeeper Ndy Assembe, defenders Jean-Armel Kana Biyick and Gaetan Bong; as well as midfielder Raoul Loe and attacker Mohammadou Idrissou were left out by the German trainer.

If fans generally expected that Idrissou and Loe would not be part of the final squad to fly to Brazil, it wasn't so clear for the three others. Assembe, who was at the last World Cup, appeared to be the second choice keeper behind Charles Itandje but the coach preferred Loic Feudjou and Samy Ndjock as back-up goalkeeper. 

Click here for the full list of 23 palyers to represent Cameroon

Goldman Sachs Predicts An Early World Cup Exit For Cameroon

Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions, currently at a training camp in Austria, will fail to qualify for the knock-out stages of the World Cup in Brazil this year, according to statistical analysis by the New York-based bank Goldman Sachs.

Based on a regression analysis that uses the entire history of mandatory (official) international football matches—not including friendlies—since 1960, the financial institution attempted a prediction of all games in the tournament that kicks-off on 12 June 2014.

Cameroon will obtain two draws: 1-1 with Mexico and 1-1 with Croatia but will be thrashed 5-0 by Brazil in Group A of the competition, according to the model used in the fifth edition of The World Cup and Economics. Brazil and Croatia will qualify to the knock-out phase while Cameroon and Mexico will return home.

Continue reading Goldman Sachs Predicts An Early World Cup Exit For Cameroon

Who is in Cameroon's Provisional Squad for the World Cup in Brazil?

Cameroon's head coach, Volker Finke, has named 28 players in his provisional squad for the World Cup to take place in Brazil in June, the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) said on Monday.

Apart from the inclusion of two home-based players - Loic Feudjou and Cédric Djeugoue - there are few surprises in the squad, which includes 16 players who were at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.There is no space, though, for veteran goalkeeper Idriss Carlos Kameni and England based defender Sebastien Bassong.

Click here for the full squad list and the two players on standby

Football:Cameroon's Lions to Face Ivorian Elephants in AFCON 2015 Qualifiers

Cameroon's Indomitable Lions have drawn the Elephants of Ivory Coast and the Leopards of the Democratic Republic of Congo in a tough looking Group D of qualifiers to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2015.

Cameroonians have bittersweet memories of the last time they were with Ivory Coast in the same qualifying group for a tournament (qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup in Germany). The Indomitable Lions beat the Elephants at home in Yaounde (2-0) and away in Abidjan (2-3) but still failed to qualify for the World Cup after they drew 1-1 with the Pharaohs of Egypt in Yaounde on 8 October 2005 in the final group game.

Both teams met in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006. The game finished 1-1 after 120 minutes of regular and extra-time. It then went on to one of the longest penalty shoot-outs in the history of the competition, with eleven players from each side scoring their kick. When the shoot-out restarted, Ivory Coast's talisman, Didier Drogba scored while Cameroon's star, Samuel Eto'o missed.

The Ivorians have since become one of Africa's best teams (although they have unfortunately won no trophy) while Cameroon's fortunes have gone downhill, except for their surprising run to the final of the Africa Cup in 2008.

Click to continue reading: Lions to Face Ivorian Elephants...

Download Video-2012-07-01-10-20-04

 

Tribute to a Fallen Hero

By Peter Vakunta, PhD

Revolutionary ideas tend to outlive their originators. It takes a selfless hero to change a society. Lapiro de Mbanga, born Lambo Sandjo Pierre Roger on April 7, 1957 was a conduit for social change. He fought for change in his homeland and died fighting for change in Cameroon. Lapiro believed in the innate goodness of man but also had the conviction that absolute power corrupts absolutely. He was noted for contending that “power creates monsters.” His entire musical career was devoted to fighting the cause of the downtrodden in Cameroon. He composed satirical songs on the socio-economic dystopia in his beleaguered country.  In his songs, Lapiro articulated the daily travails of the man in the street and the government-orchestrated injustices he witnessed.

Initiated into the pro-democracy movement of his own accord in the early 1990s  in the wake of the launch of Ni John Fru Ndi’s Social Democratic Front (SDF) at Ntarikon Park in Bamenda, Lapiro remained steadfastly committed to his crusade against misgovernment, politics of ethnicity, tribalism, corruption, culture of impunity, influence peddling, electoral fraud and gerrymandering.  Lapiro was laureate of many prizes, the most prestigious of which is the Freedom to Create Award, conferred on him by Freemuse in November 2009 at a ceremony in London. This write-up is my celebration of one man’s vendetta against a cancerous regime that thrives on the rape of democracy and human rights abuses. Paul Biya, Lapiro’s pet-peeve, symbolizes inhumaneness, misgovernment and the abortive democratization process with which Cameroon has come to be identified. The leitmotif in Lapiro’s musical composition is the entertainment of resistance in Cameroon against overwhelming odds.  As a songwriter, he distinguished himself from his peers through bravado, valiance and the courage to say overtly what many a Cameroonian musician would only mumble in the privacy of their homes.

Lapiro was an anti-establishment songwriter who walked tall where angels dread to tread.  For daring to compose an acerbic song titled Constitution constipée (constipated constitution) in which he lampooned the Cameroonian Head of State for tinkering with the national Constitution, the singer was arrested on September 9, 2009 and incarcerated in the notorious New Bell prison in Douala for three years on trumped-up charges. He was ordered to pay 280 million CFA francs (640,000 US dollars) as compensation for damage caused during riots where protesters had taken to the streets, angered by high living costs and a constitutional change that would allow the country’s president to stay in power indefinitely. Released from prison on April 8, 2011 he was later given political asylum by US authorities. On September 2, 2012 Lapiro relocated with some members of his family to Buffalo in New York where he died on March 16, 2014 after a long illness.  What a loss for Cameroon and the international community!

I am working on a book that will provide the world with ample information on the issues that motivated this fallen musical virtuoso.

Dr.  Peter Vakunta is professor of modern languages at the University of Indianapolis, USA

 

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Tribute to a Fallen Hero

By Peter Vakunta, PhD

Revolutionary ideas tend to outlive their originators. It takes a selfless hero to change a society. Lapiro de Mbanga, born Lambo Sandjo Pierre Roger on April 7, 1957 was a conduit for social change. He fought for change in his homeland and died fighting for change in Cameroon. Lapiro believed in the innate goodness of man but also had the conviction that absolute power corrupts absolutely. He was noted for contending that “power creates monsters.” His entire musical career was devoted to fighting the cause of the downtrodden in Cameroon. He composed satirical songs on the socio-economic dystopia in his beleaguered country.  In his songs, Lapiro articulated the daily travails of the man in the street and the government-orchestrated injustices he witnessed.

Initiated into the pro-democracy movement of his own accord in the early 1990s  in the wake of the launch of Ni John Fru Ndi’s Social Democratic Front (SDF) at Ntarikon Park in Bamenda, Lapiro remained steadfastly committed to his crusade against misgovernment, politics of ethnicity, tribalism, corruption, culture of impunity, influence peddling, electoral fraud and gerrymandering.  Lapiro was laureate of many prizes, the most prestigious of which is the Freedom to Create Award, conferred on him by Freemuse in November 2009 at a ceremony in London. This write-up is my celebration of one man’s vendetta against a cancerous regime that thrives on the rape of democracy and human rights abuses. Paul Biya, Lapiro’s pet-peeve, symbolizes inhumaneness, misgovernment and the abortive democratization process with which Cameroon has come to be identified. The leitmotif in Lapiro’s musical composition is the entertainment of resistance in Cameroon against overwhelming odds.  As a songwriter, he distinguished himself from his peers through bravado, valiance and the courage to say overtly what many a Cameroonian musician would only mumble in the privacy of their homes.

Lapiro was an anti-establishment songwriter who walked tall where angels dread to tread.  For daring to compose an acerbic song titled Constitution constipée (constipated constitution) in which he lampooned the Cameroonian Head of State for tinkering with the national Constitution, the singer was arrested on September 9, 2009 and incarcerated in the notorious New Bell prison in Douala for three years on trumped-up charges. He was ordered to pay 280 million CFA francs (640,000 US dollars) as compensation for damage caused during riots where protesters had taken to the streets, angered by high living costs and a constitutional change that would allow the country’s president to stay in power indefinitely. Released from prison on April 8, 2011 he was later given political asylum by US authorities. On September 2, 2012 Lapiro relocated with some members of his family to Buffalo in New York where he died on March 16, 2014 after a long illness.  What a loss for Cameroon and the international community!

I am working on a book that will provide the world with ample information on the issues that motivated this fallen musical virtuoso.

Dr.  Peter Vakunta is professor of modern languages at the University of Indianapolis, USA

 

Toase, Tara Toase - A Musical Tribute to Lapiro de Mbanga

 

A Tribute to Lapiro de Mbanga Cameroon’s Best Political Activist - Ever

By Boh Herbert

It was a Sunday in the early 1990s. It was one of only two days every week for six months when Cameroon pretended to be a normal country. Citizens did brisk business on Saturday and Sunday. Monday through Friday, Cameroon sank into the civil disobedience campaign code-named “ghost town”. Excluding the pre- and post-independence armed struggle, this was unprecedented political revolt for a country that advertises the docile nature of its citizens as proof it is an island of peace.

Lapiro in Prison, November 2009. Photo by Jen Bell.

In a small hall on a campus owned by the Presbyterian Church in Bamenda, about three dozen leaders of political dissidents - the coalition later named the Union for Change -  the group that had engineered the revolt, were gathered to take stock, refine strategies – as they did frequently… switching towns each time.