Cameroon will on the 15^th of October 2016 join the International Community to observe the International Day of the Rural Woman commemorated under the theme, “Empowering Rural Women, Ensuring Food Security and Ending Poverty.” Discussions have already started with some elite attempting to answer the question of who is a rural woman and how the rural communities are coping with the challenges of the 21^st century. In Cameroon, a rural woman is considered as one who dwells in a rural area and depends largely on agriculture, livestock, fishing and mining.

Cameroon’s rich landscape makes her activities relatively easy even though she faces a number of challenges including access to funding. Cameroon’s rural women however, have been exposed to a number of positive changes which has affected their mentality over the years. The mentality change, some of the women have opined is thanks to their affiliation to little groupings and associations where they have been made to understand they are worth more than just the farmlands and the animal farming they are involved in.

Some government officials have observed that the rural women have been taught how to develop their businesses and they have also been introduced into other self-reliant activities including “njangis”, thereby partly resolving the issue of funding. The CPDM government through the Ministry of Women Empowerment and the Family has also been actively involved in upgrading the status of rural women in the country. Their production rate has increased due to training, counselling and donation of farm tools and seedlings from NGOs and government.

Celebrations this year will also focus on some setbacks including insufficient access to information, inaccessible roads, isolation, influence of stereotypes and difficult access to land among others faced by the women.

CRTV

The Lord Mayor of the Buea city council, Ekema Patrick Essunge has been given a civic reception by the Manyu Youth Association based in Buea. The mayor was honoured in a reception recently that was purely traditional and was rich in pomp and colour.  In a rare recognition of new generation leadership in the South West constituency, the Manyu Youth led by its Fako branch president, Ako Julius was full of praise for the mayor who is reportedly doing a remarkable job in the city of Buea.

During the unique occasion that also witnessed a powerful display of the rich Manyu culture, Mayor Ekema Patrick was decorated with the Manyu traditional regalia in the presence of the Manyu Youth National President and some prominent South West elites. The Manyu community assured the Mayor of their unflinching support in his fight aimed at transforming Buea and reiterated the fact that they were at his service whenever the need arises.

The Manyu citizens made an appeal to the Lord Mayor to make available a small piece of land in his municipality for them to build a Manyu Youth Centre in Buea. The renowned National President of the Manyu Women, Meg Agbor in her key note address revealed that Mayor Ekema was a true son of the South West region, a great Cameroonian and a brother to the Manyu community.

In his reaction to the huge Manyu presence at his residence in Buea, the lord Mayor Ekema observed that “I am very honoured and touched that you have bothered to organise this occasion for me.”  The mayor added that the Manyus were the first in the South West region after the North West Fons to honour him. Mayor Ekema explained during the forum that the ongoing activity in Buea is not to demolish houses but to get rid of some existing structures that were constructed some half a century ago.

The man of action did praise the Manyu Youth for their sense of responsibility and thanked them for the honour. In his Mola Ekema style, the mayor granted the request of the Manyu people and noted that he was going to speedily obtain the piece of land for them to build their youth hall. Manyu traditional rites were performed amid heavy applauds for peace and prosperity to reign in Fako Division.

By Eyong Paolo

Dusseldorf City News Buea

An official of the Regional Delegation of the Ministry of Forestry and Wild Life for the East Region who also moonlights as a chartered member of the ruling CPDM party, Poye Narcisse Alex has been arrested for illegally keeping elephant tusks in his house.

Poye Narcisse who got a part time job at the regional delegation via his political connections found himself in police drag net on the 2^nd of October 2016 at Kika Village a locality situated at the border with the Republic of Congo.

The Brigade Commander of the Gendarmerie for the East Region, Paul Nseng Aka’a who ordered the arrest, revealed that Narcisse Alex while on duty came across four illegal Nigerian traffickers of elephant tusks who abandoned their belongings and escaped. Alex Narcisse then picked up the elephant tusks left behind by the Nigerian businessmen and instead of reporting the happenings to the Gendarmerie, decided in a typical CPDM pattern to transport the items to his residence.

A day after the incident, he personally told the Gendarmerie Legion Command that he had impounded 4 elephant Tusks from some illegal traffickers instead of 11. An investigation led the forces of law and order to his home where they discovered the rest of the tusks. The 30 year old Narcisse Alex and one other suspect are presently under detention in an undisclosed National Gendarmerie Post in the East Region pending further investigation.

Rita Akana with files from CRTV