Education

17, April 2017

Anglophone Problem: Flogging a dead horse ⁰

With the third term of the school year scheduled to start on Monday, April 17, 2017, government officials have stepped up their actions to ensure schools effectively open in the Anglophone zone where students and teachers have spent almost the entire school year at home. A strike started by Anglophone lawyers and joined by almost all Anglophones in 2016, has left schools closed and exposed the marginalization orchestrated against Cameroon’s English-speaking minority. The strike has also exposed the government’s inability to deal with socio-professional and political issues, a situation that has eroded the government’s authority and credibility.

Over the last two weeks, government officials have had some relief, as schools closed for the much celebrated Easter break. However, with schools scheduled to start this week, the government is once more scrabbling for solutions to the Anglophone problem that has become a nightmare that will not go away anytime soon. Cameroon’s three ministers of education are once more losing sleep as Anglophones students and teachers stick to their guns. The core issues have not yet been properly addressed to ensure things return to normal. The strikes that have paralyzed the English-speaking part of Cameroon are gradually spreading to the Francophone region and this is striking fear in the minds of many government officials.

Federalism and the imprisonment of Anglophone leaders are still standing in the way of genuine dialogue. Anglophones do not trust the government and despite explanations by some government surrogates that some of these issues could only be addressed over the long term, Anglophone teachers and parents are not buying into the government’s rhetoric which, in their view,is not worth its weight in gold. The government is being accused of speaking from both sides of its mouth and despite the numerous presidential decrees and ministerial orders, Anglophone teachers, parents and students have remained frozen in their positions. They hold that the decrees and orders are not even worth the paper on which they are written. The government, according to Anglophones, has reneged on many of its promises, many of which are always designed to score political points. Anglophones point to the 1996 constitution that has been in the drawer for twenty-one years. Many hold that if key provisions of this constitution had been implemented, Cameroon would have avoided this unfortunate situation in which it finds itself and life would have been worth living in this resource-rich country.

Over the last six months, the government has used a slew of measures to ensure schools resume in the Anglophone zone, but the English-speaking minority has, through peaceful civil disobedience, made mincemeat of all government efforts to send teachers and students back to school. Government policy has so far been focused on getting schools in major Anglophone cities to resume. In rural areas, grass and rodents have taken over schools. While its efforts to have schools reopened could be commendable, the government must understand that most schools in Cameroon are in the rural areas and its inability to generate employment opportunities and create wealth for many Anglophones is pushing many parents to question the rationale behind sending their kids to school when many of them end up struggling to put food on the table after many years in school.

The government’s message seems to be falling on deaf ears. As far as Anglophones are concerned, the government is flogging a dead horse. Its efforts to please the international community are making it look ridiculous. Its numerous actions to restore its authority have always collapsed like a pack of cards and many analysts hold that the government has been shooting itself in the foot by sending out the wrong signals. It has been carrying a bloodshot eye ever since Anglophones decided to break rank and challenge it on many fronts. According to Anglophones, the government is guilty as charged and only a genuine appeasement policy will restore confidence. The government is replete with hard-liners who clearly belong to a different epoch and their heads seem to be stuck in a thick cloud. Its appeasement strategy has, at best, been shoddy. Its basket of measures has not been convincing. It is bereft of sincerity and humility, and this has given Anglophone teachers and students an opportunity to enjoy the longest holiday in the country’s educational history. Its mix of policies smacks of incompetence and bad faith, and this has made the conflict to stick around for a very long time.

Its carrot and stick approach is only helping to dent its image as the people have turned down even its most luscious carrots. Anglophones understand that what could be as luscious as locust today, could one day be as bitter as “coloquintida”. For the stick, Anglophones are simply not paying attention to it. The wall of fear has collapsed and Anglophones are determined to wear down the government until it understands that old ways and strategies can no longer work in an era where many Cameroonians are self-reliant and less dependent on a government whose corruption and ineffectiveness are spreading death, pain and suffering across the country.

The country’s English-speaking minority wants its young students to go to school, but not in the context where they will be taught by Francophone teachers whose knowledge of English is, at best, embryonic. The government’s harmonization and integration policy has hurt many Anglophones. It has unfortunately resulted in Anglophones being “Francophonized” and this is leading to the creation of “intellectual hybrids” among Anglophones who, in many cases, end up being unemployed because their knowledge and skills are inadequate. Without the proper skills, language level and knowledge, these “half-baked” Anglophone graduates cannot ply their trade in a global village that is very demanding when it comes to intellectual refinement. While many countries are embracing the new mantra that calls for citizens across the globe to think globally and act nationally, the Cameroon educational system seems to be fostering the opposite and this is robbing many Anglophone Cameroonians of great opportunities abroad. The world has become a global village and a sound education is the master key to a better life even beyond a citizen’s territorial borders. Anglophones think they do not have that master key and the government is investing little or nothing to put them on the same pedestal with their Francophone colleagues.

While educational authorities are trying to put their best foot forward to clean up the mess they created six months ago, their colleagues of the justice ministry are still caught up in their cobweb of confusion. Like Anglophone schools, Anglophone courts have also been closed for more than six months. This has given criminals the liberty to ply their trade without fear, especially in places like Akwaya and Eyumojock. In these places, many administrative officers have been rendered helpless and some have even been fired by the local population. In Akwaya, in particular, the locals have been replacing the Cameroon flag with the Nigerian flag. They are currently considering themselves as Nigerians until such a time that an appropriate solution to the Anglophone problem is found. They hold that the Yaounde government has marginalized them for decades, pointing to the absence of roads and modern hospitals in their region.

They view the arrest of Ayah Paul, an illustrious son of Akwaya, as an insult to honest citizens who have been victims of a well-orchestrated marginalization scheme. They insist that until Paul Ayah is released, the government will never have its administrative officers in that part of the country. They contend that the government will never send troops to that part of Manyu Division as there are no roads and Nigeria will never allow large numbers of troops to transit through its territory in order to get to Akwaya. In such a context, it will be hard for courts to operate and deliver the justice that is supposed to ensure peace. The country’s administrative and legal systems, they say, are ineffective and dysfunctional. The judges, they contend, are corrupt and many have only rudimentary knowledge of English. This explains why Anglophone lawyers have called for the practicing of Common Law and the withdrawal of Francophone judges and magistrates from courts in the English-speaking part of Cameroon.

In a bid to get the legal system running once again in Anglophone Cameroon, last week, the President of the Cameroon Bar Association, Barrister Ngnie Kamga Jackson, announced that striking Common Law Lawyers would next month call off their strike. This implies that the courts will be open for business on May 2, 2017. But many Common Law lawyers are already characterizing his statement as part of the Laurent Esso staged “comedy of helplessness”. They contend that the strike was never called by the Cameroon Bar Association president, adding that Mr. Ngnie Kamga had no right to call off the strike. Many of the Common Law lawyers hold that they are no longer part of the Cameroon Bar Association as they have formed their own bar association which has, unfortunately, been proscribed by the government.

While the government has yielded to some of the demands of Anglophone lawyers, the lawyers, for their part, are looking forward to the implementation of those measures the government has announced. The government, they hold, cannot be trusted as it has, on many occasions,reneged on its own promises. They argue that the government is noted for creating many commissions on many important national issues, but no concrete actions are ever taken after many years of investigations. Many presidential decrees, they argue, have remained dead letters, as their implementation leaves much to be desired.

If the government has to stop flogging a dead horse, it must change its strategies. Old strategies have failed and have gone a long way in causing the Anglophone problem to take root and snowball. If schools and courts have to resume, the government must release Anglophone leaders who, the population contends, were kidnapped by the government and shipped to Yaounde. The government must establish a comprehensive appeasement programme and put in place implementation mechanisms that will inspire hope and confidence in the people.Many observers hold that Cameroon is gradually sliding into chaos. The presence of the UN Secretary-General’s special representative, Mr. François Louncény Fall, in Yaounde last week speaks to the fear the international community has regarding the country’s Anglophone crisis. Mr. Fall used the occasion to urge Cameroonian authorities to examine with diligence the difficulties of the populations and entrepreneurs of the English-speaking regions of North West and South West, which have been deprived of Internet since mid-January 2017. “This is a deplorable situation. But I am convinced that this important development and communication tool will be gradually re-established throughout Cameroon”, he said before leaving Cameroon on 13 April after a four-day official visit.

Cameroon has to avoid chaos because in the event of chaos, the impact could be far-reaching. The government has the responsibility of ensuring that Cameroon remains stable. If Cameroon fails as a nation, the entire Central African sub-region will be thrown into a pretty mess that will destabilize the entire sub-region for decades. If it wants to spare the country such a tragedy, it must release all those arrested following the outbreak of the Anglophone problem. It must also understand that the law was made for man and not man for law. If it continues to stick to the law, then it really wants to see Cameroon go down the dangerous path of political chaos that has weakened its neighbours.

Dr. Joachim Arrey

Contributing Editor

Cameroon Concord News Group

17, April 2017

Biya Laptop Gift: A CPDM 419 scam ⁰

More than 45 press releases have so far been made public ever since Biya announced that he will provide laptop computers to all university students in Cameroon. The nation has seen updates on the laptop program coming from various ministerial departments including rectors and divisional officers. Recently, it was the anti Anglophone Minister of Higher Education, Fame Ndongo who addressed the public on the situation of the 500 thousand laptops promised to students of the eight state universities and private higher institutions by the President of the Republic.

In a release signed on Wednesday the 12^th of April 2017, Fame Ndongo stated that to be eligible for the offer, students have to meet a certain criteria. The communiqué did not reveal the special barometer. Fame Ndongo pointed out that nine computer network centers shall be created and interconnected. According to the Francophone Beti Ewondo Minister, this will facilitate the production of a biometric list of students including those in all the 215 recognized private higher institutions in the country.

It is more than a year since Biya spoke of the laptops and thousands of students have already graduated and left the country. Fame Ndongo is now saying that to be eligible, students must be registered for the 2016/2017 academic year. He also added that a biometric list including students’ ID cards shall be presented at the Ministry of Higher Education for appropriate verification by a competent authority at the ministry.

Jacque Fame Ndongo, (to use his three names) assured students that distribution of the laptops will begin four months after the conditions have been fulfilled. It seems the Biya Laptop Scheme requires a different matriculation day in all the universities in Cameroon. President Paul Biya, it should be recalled, promised five hundred thousand computers to students in his 2016 Youth Day address to the nation. The consignment has been estimated at FCFA 75 billion. Cameroon Concord News is aware Biya and his Francophone regime does not have the money.

By Sonne Peter

12, April 2017

Joseph Antoine Bell and the Anglophone Crisis: The AGBAW-EBAI Debate ⁹

Joseph Antoine BELL, the former Francophone footballer maintains that Southern Cameroonians are not marginalized in Cameroon. He recently opined that people from the North West and South West are not under-represented in everything that is done in Cameroon.

Bell said in French that “Quand on dit que les Anglophones sont marginalisés il faudrait qu’on nous dise en quoi” When we say that Anglophones are marginalized, we should be told in what way.

In this April edition of the AGBAW-EBAI DEBATE, we are asking our readers to react to what the legendary footballer made of the Southern Cameroon crisis.

10, April 2017

The Doctrine of non-violence and liberation struggles ¹

The first act of revolutionary violence, that comes easily to mind, is the destruction of the God-thought- sinful-world with a 40 day down pour of a killer rain. That is if we can neatly by-pass all individual acts of punishment from the curse of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to the water destruction of the world. Noah in this case, like it would be through-out God’s interaction with man, was the chosen one asked to build an ark of specific dimensions, where he would secure what existed before the flood for posterity. This in effect became the genesis of mass-destruction of what God himself has created. The appearance of the rainbow in the sky remains a living testimony of this act, although its promises of “never again”, would stand inconsequential at the moment for the purpose of the present analysis. The act was committed and destruction through violence, to march human disobedience and immorality against God was recorded.

Biblical Examples

During the period of Jewish bondage in the land of Pharaoh, a time came when God wanted his chosen children of Israel out of Egypt. The choice this time fell on Moses, a man whose childhood had been secured under very mysterious circumstances and who was at the time on exile for a violent act he committed that was by all means, but in words, condemned by God. Moses was to negotiate first peacefully the exit of the children of Israel and when he expressed his skepticism on this, God promised to teach Pharaoh a lesson should he prove headstrong to peaceful negotiations. When peaceful dialogue and consultations didn’t work, God resolved to the use of violence and force. The methods ranged from epidemics to outright killings.

During the 40 years in the wilderness, God used violence to get the liberated Jews to obey Him. The old hands including Moses, perished before they could get to the Promised Land. Getting to the promise land, they had to use violence prescribed by God. Violently through the hands of God, Sodom and Gomorrah were wiped off the surface of the earth for their sins and pervasions. Not even Abraham’s mediation could save them. All along the old testament of the bible, we come across instances of violence by God to solve one problem or another. Moses crowned it all when he prescribed an eye for an eye and teeth for tat. Holy wars were fought violently with the direct participation of God to free his so-called chosen race (or was it tribe) from bondage or impurity.

A new social order with greater spiritual inclination was promised and given. Then entered Jesus Christ, a spiritually molded child who would have cost his virgin mother her marriage to her carpenter lover and her life according to the Jewish culture. This is typical with God: to violate the norms of some societies in order to get His point across, that salvation is only through absolute obedience to Him but in such examples as the virgin birth, little consideration is given to possibilities of human initiations or skepticism of such divine acts that only go further to widen the spiritual gap between humanity and God. According to the doctrine of the new social order, this child of the virgin birth was to carry all alone on his head the burden of all the sins of humanity. To this he was to pay with his life. Before death could occur, Jesus had used both violent and non-violent approaches in his spiritual revolutionary mission. Instances of his non-violent approach can be mainly noted in his vast differences of application of the scriptures with the scribes and Pharisees, his teachings to the multitudes eg the Beatitudes, sermon on the mount, the 70x 7 forgiveness principles, the turning of the other check etc. But it must be noted that it was not in every situation that Jesus Christ practiced non-violence. For example: Jesus violently destroyed a herd of innocent pigs when he was angry with the demons he had cast from a possessed person. Jesus violently beat people out of the temple when they were doing their commerce in the house of God. Jesus violently turned his friends into pigs when their mother lied to him. The killing of Ananias and Saphira over the sale of their land was another instant of Christ-like violence. Not only did Jesus use physical violence, he also used psychological violence; like his answer when he was told his mother and brothers were looking for him. Even his death brought a lot of violence. As soon as he gave up the ghost, the grave were the dead were buried, opened and there was a terrifying storm all over. There is no instant in the bible where Jesus, not God for that matter, advised the soldiers to leave or not to join the army because they use violent methods in solving problems. The supposed Biblical condemnation of the use of violence in seeking liberation and justice, needs a serious reviewing by those who have out rightly condemned the approach thus far on the basis of scriptural interpretations.

The modern acceptable approach to revolutionary struggles and the seeking of justice has been non-violence. The question we must ask here is, non-violence acceptable by whom and to what end? The bitter fact is, it is not the church nor any genuine moral organization that accepts and preaches the non-violent approach because the church and these bodies if true to themselves, should be in the frontline of these struggles. It is sadly the perpetrators of violence and injustice that accept and promote their non-violent struggles are not threats to these political demagogues and moral lepers who know in themselves that the way they have structured things, they would find themselves presenting a balance sheet to whoever confronts them non-violently.

THE EXAMPLES OF GHANDI, MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR AND MANDELA

We can quickly name some of the world’s recognized great names of the doctrine of non-violence. Gandhi comes to mind, the one from whom Martin Luther King Jr. gathered his much needed inspiration. Gandhi believed so much in nonviolence that he always had to physically risk his own life through periods of wet and dry hunger strikes when there was apparent violence. But Gandhi’s case should be viewed with care because even though the Indians had internal religious problems and that of the untouchables, they had a common problem of independence from the British who were arrogantly flying their union jack with impunity over local Indian territory. Of course, the undisputable happened in Indian immediately independence was achieved. The center that nonviolence pretended to hold together gave way to what was more realistic and natural. The man of nonviolence was violently taken out of the scene. Practically things took the place of theoretical things.

Martin Luther King Jr. who was brought to the scene through an invitation to address a black rally, also benefited from the deplorable American racial problems of his time. Martin was successful in rallying the blacks but he was not successful in controlling violence on both sides. In all earnest, if people like King recorded degrees of recognition, credit must be given to controversial black leaders like Malcolm X, who neither preached violence nor denounced it but stated the rights of the blacks to defend themselves against aggressions and attacks from the whites. The existence of people like Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey etc. placed the white racists in the unfortunate position of choosing between two evils and their choice fell on Martin, whose approach was less of a threat to them. Of course and again, violence took them out into immortality.

Mandela can preach nonviolence today but what had given him and the A.N.C. much impact is his more than two decades refusal to sell his birthright by renouncing violence to the devil Botha. If Mandela is today Mandela and ANC, it is thanks to the violent struggle Oliver Tambo put up in exile while Nelson was in jail. Even Gandhi would accept that whatever approach is adopted for any struggle for liberation and justice would depend to a large extend on the moral structure of its society and the state of it governance. Nonviolent approach must not be viewed as the lone universally approach and violence should not be seen as a shun option that must be universally unacceptable. Just as it has always been the case, all disciples of nonviolence have always ended up victims of violence.

Tracing the supporters of nonviolence gives the clear picture of human hypocrisy. The Americans and their western friends would tell you of their support for nonviolence. This is as far as their interest is not threatened. If the camp of nonviolence is a camp that would morally disturb their imperialist exploitation of the area, they would arm the violent side to destroy the nonviolent crusaders. If a violent approach is used to disturb their interests, the pretentious nonviolent supporters would match violence with violence. So the moral custodians of nonviolence, as long as their interests are at stake, would use violence against nonviolence and violence against violence. To these guys, the African crusaders for justice and total independence must limit their means of success by appeasing the dubious western capitalists with an ill supported doctrine of nonviolence. Bhutulezi, the leader of the Zulu Inkatha was always hailed by the white racists minority government of South Africa and the capitalist racist western world for his socalled nonviolent constructive engagement in solving the long degrading racist problem country, while at the same time the racist white world armed him to brutally murder militants of other black anti-racist movements.

These same apostles of nonviolence, finance and arm brutal dictators in Africa and third world countries to ruthlessly massacre innocent armless citizens and turn around to tell African revolutionaries to use endless dialogue and consultations to be permitted to bury even their dead, victims of cold blooded violence from the flag bearers of nonviolence.

By Christmas Atem Ebini

31, March 2017

GCE 2017: Francophone Minister extends deadline for the fourth time ³

The Francophone Minister for Secondary Education, Jean Ernest Massena Ngale Bibehe has again extended registration deadline for the General Certificate of Education Examinations, GCE to April 15, 2017. This is the fourth time the Biya member of government is authorizing an extension.

Minister Jean Ernest Massena Ngale Bibehe known in Southern Cameroons as “the Clown,” made public his decision on Thursday March 30, 2017in Yaoundé. The minister added that the extension shall benefit only students in Buea and Bamenda centers who have not registered.

The Ministerial order comes some 10 days after the 3rd deadline expired on March 20, 2017. Ngale Bibehe also gave a two weeks period of grace for the GCE examination. Correspondingly, the examination will hold two week after the initial date.

Confirming that he was indeed a clown, the Francophone minister stated in his press release that Anglophone students should take advantage of this two weeks Easter holiday break and enroll in holiday classes to catch up with time lost. A leading figure of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium has rubbished the extension stating that schools and universities in Southern Cameroons will remained closed till both French and West Cameroon will open dialogue in the presence of a third party.

By Sama Ernest with files from CIN

29, March 2017

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Buea University Campus remains deserted ¹

The Buea University campus is still completely dead after calls from the National Union of Higher Education Teachers demanding students to return to school. A certain Dr. Abangma who had moonlighted with the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium made the appeal after a senior aide to President Biya promised him the post of Rector of the university.

In a scantily attended press conference at Chariot Hotel in Buea, the leadership of the University Teachers Trade Union stated that they had moved for the respect of decisions reached at the ad hoc committee which included the release of teachers arrested.

The National Union of Higher Education Teachers issued an empty political statement that those detained in connection with the Anglophone crisis that began in November 2016 should be also be released and noted that internet connection should be restored to the North West and South West. Also, the Union revealed that there would be some major adjustments on the academic calendar to allow students to catch up with the courses.

The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium has maintained its position that there shall be no dialogue with the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime until all those arrested since 2016 including were released. The Consortium has also made it abundantly clear that those that have been killed must be accounted for and the troops behind the action brought to justice. The Consortium has also sounded a note of caution that there will be severe consequences if anyone dares to counter the Southern Cameroons revolution. Schools and all higher education establishments in Southern Cameroons will remained closed.

By Sama Ernest

25, March 2017

Divided Loyalties: Prof. Arrey Abangma call off strike after Fame Ndongo promises him post of Rector ²

Senior security agents from the nation’s capital Yaoundé, have reportedly pressured members of the National Union of Higher Education Teachers Trade Union, SYNES to announced that the body has called off the strike action initiated last November 21, 2016 in the two state universities.

The CPDM-La Republique move came on Monday March 20, 2017 in a fake press release that was made public at Chariot Hotel in Buea. Journalists sponsored by the Biya regime were made to report on some pronouncements by the President of the University of Buea chapter, Prof, Arrey Abangma.

Prof. Arrey Abangma, heard murmuring privately over the shabby treatment given to his kinsman, Lord Justice Ayah Paul Abine was quoted as saying that the suspension was due to what he termed good faith by the vicious Beti Ewondo government who according to him has been implementing resolutions of the meeting which held in Bamenda last January.

Abangma was promised the post of Rector of the University of Buea and compelled to opine that “The conference today is to declare the suspension of the strike; we are calling on all students and lecturers to come to school on Monday for classes. We are also appealing to the Government to release some students and Lecturers arrested.”

The calling off of this strike action by SYNES members comes weeks after they had vowed that the strike must continue. Police stormed the residence of the President Arrey Abangma and made away his son.

By Rita Akana in Buea

8, March 2017

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Mo Ibrahim Foundation calls for the restoration of internet services ¹

In a statement on the use of internet and cellphone services in Africa published on Tuesday, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation noted that there has been a significant progress in almost all countries in Africa. The African foundation which shares the belief that governance and leadership lie at the heart of any tangible and shared improvement in the quality of life of African citizens however said it was concerned about the prolonged internet blockade in the North the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon.

The Foundation that follows with attention the development of internet and mobile services on the African continent said such blockades have potential devastating consequences for economy, education and health, and prevent citizens to access news and to engage socially. “We hope that the government of Cameroon, and others will share our concern and facilitate the access of internet and mobile phone services to all its citizens,” Mo Ibrahim urged in the statement.

The Mo Ibrahim statement coincided with the Prime Minister’s visit to the North West region in an attempt to negotiate the resumption of classes. At a stakeholders’ meeting in Bamenda on Monday, North Westerners told PM Yang that schools will only re-open if detained strike leaders are released, internet restored and the region demilitarized.

One of the speakers at the meeting, Hon Wilfred Fusi Naamukong told the PM and his entourage that the state hasn’t yet given a statement to apologize for the massive killings orchestrated by armed government troops on unarmed civilians carrying out peaceful protests. “Our detainees because of these grievances that the president himself has acknowledged should be freed and our internet restored,” the people’s representative told the government envoys as an obligation for school resumption in the region.

In response, the Head of Government urged the population of his native region not to sacrifice the education of their children for whatever grievances. “The greatest empowerment you can ever have is education. Don’t give it away for anything even if you are angry and you don’t eat. Even if you cannot go out to see your friends and drink a beer, do not sacrifice on education; that’s a wrong place to go. It is an embarrassment to the international scene,” the Prime Minister said calling on parents in the region to accompany their kids to school latest Tuesday March 7. However, the plea seems to have fallen on deaf ears as schools are yet to resume in the region.

Cameroun Info Net

6, March 2017

Social Media and the Anglophone Crisis ⁰

The Anglophone crisis that has put Cameroon in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons clearly underscores how social media, a key development tool, can become a force for unity and mobilization on the one hand and a tool to manipulate and expose violence and injustice on the other. This crisis which,occurred amid political and economic exclusion of Southern Cameroonians, has scarred the country’s social and political landscape forever. It calls for the establishment of a new status quo as the status quo ante is no longer tolerated by Cameroon’s English-speaking minority. The effectiveness of social media in mobilizing Anglophone Cameroonians across the world cannot be overemphasized. Across the world, social media have been considered as “technologies of freedom” that have given the voiceless an opportunity to express their views and have access to the public sphere. In Cameroon, while the government has always viewed social media as tools that should drive development, the ordinary citizens have always seen them a little differently though they agree on their role as agents of development. The emergence of social media technologies raised a lot of enthusiasm about citizen political participation in the public sphere in the digital era and this was based on the popularity of these technologies and the fact that they would provide relative autonomy from state and commercial control and influence when it comes to the dissemination of information.

Social mediaare considered to be extremely effective means to record, store and distribute information and the crisis in West Cameroon has proven that beyond a doubt. Most of the information about government atrocities was brought to the world in real time, thanks to this technologies of freedom. The ferocious brutality that has been the government stock in trade throughout this crisis and the violence perpetrated by protesters was captured and released to the world, thanks to social media.The beauty of social media stems from the two-way flow of information while at the same time they are independent of spatial constraints. Considered exceptional tools for individuals and groups to promote their causes to public officials and interested members of the public, social media have demonstrated during the Anglophone crisis that they are effective in exposing violence from both sides of the conflict that is tearing Cameroon apart. The government’s response to the publication of incriminating videos, some purported to be fake, highlights the role social media can play to bring the people’s plight into the spotlight.

Based on the positive results social media have delivered in other parts of the world, especially in the Arab world where many dictatorshave been kicked out of power, the use of social media in Cameroon for participatory communication in the public sphere is viewed as a significant path to the advancement of deliberative and participatory democracy in Cameroon, especially at a time when human rights are suffering. Over the last two decades, the country’s global media sector has been decisively changed due to the globalization of electronic media and what were once highly regulated industries, often dominated by public service or governmental broadcasters, have been open to individual citizens to use to obtain access to the public sphere and influence government actions and policies. While the government of Cameroon may still be dragging its feet regarding the holding of genuine dialogue with Consortium leaders, the popular demonstrations that have taken place abroad and the population’s compliance with decisions taken by various Anglophone organizations are testimonies to the effectiveness of social media as tools for mobilization and political communication. Often seen as redemptive features of new media are the availability of large stores of information for citizens to tap without the prior intervention of media gatekeepers or other mediators; interactivity which enables citizens to find out things for themselves rather than passively receiving or ignoring what is given and the creation of virtual forums which make it possible for exchanges between citizens and officials. Today, social media dominate in the new media era and this has made information about government actions just a click away; a possibility that is widely exploited by Southern Cameroonians to challenge government authority and highlight its weaknesses.

In Cameroon, just like in other parts of the world, social media such as Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter are delivering information and documents to the population in a very fast way. Unlike print communication, social media have given the ordinary Cameroonian greater access to information and significant possibilities to participate in the political discourse which, in the past was a luxury to the poor. Falling Internet charges are enabling many Cameroonians to engage in online communication which has altered the substance, form, and style of communication in ways that have never been seen before, creating new-style electronic formats such as Internet discussion groups and chat rooms. These platforms have also creatednew public spaces and provided unprecedented opportunities for political discourse in the country; a tool the Anglophone minority, especially its Diaspora, is making the most of.

The coming of the social media age is not only serving as a catalyst that is instigating a populist political movement in Cameroon where citizens have greater access to the political world than before, it is going a long way in educating huge segments of the population which were once cut off from the political reality of their country. Social media are serving as stimulants to political interest and activism among Cameroonians, a situation that is very disturbing to the country’s government. In Cameroon today, ordinary citizens are able to establish meaningful and effective roles for themselves in the political arena that has been primarily the domain of the elite and this is causing the government of Cameroon to lose sleep and its decision to cut off an entire region from the World Wide Web is a clear demonstration of the government’s inability to win the war of propaganda that has been playing out on the Internet.

With social media, there is more political information disseminated today through a vast diversity of sources than at any time in the country’s history. Political news is available for general audiences through network newscasts and real time news broadcasts. The wide range of available formats also permits information to be targeted at specific audience segments, including those who traditionally have been under-represented in the political world. Social media are allowingCameroonians to receive information that is relevant to them personally and to make contact with others who have similar social and political orientations. As opposed to the “sound-bite” journalism that characterizes much mainstream political media in the country, newer forums have more time and space for the presentation of contextual and historical material as well as extended discussions of issues than the government would have loved.

One of the primary characteristics of the social media age is the interactivity that communications technologies facilitate among citizens, public officials, and media personnel. Rather than merely being the passive recipients of political information, it is now possible for Camerooniansto make their political presence and opinions known. They are today playing more visible roles in political events and this is undermining the government’s influence. For example, record numbers of Cameroonians are joining political organizations other than parties, especially those associated with particular issues. The Anglophone problem has clearly proven this and the citizens’involvement has been aided by media publicity and interactive communication forums which allow them to express their opinions, ask for and obtain information quickly, and receive instructions on how to take action. This explains, in part, why Southern Cameroonians have been successful in mobilizing their citizens across the world over the last three months to leave the government with a sticky situation on its hands.

While social media offer novel opportunities for democratic politics in Cameroon, it is presenting testing times to a regime that is wont to manipulating its people and checking the free flow of information. Social media have created significant communication forums that have the ability to spark citizen interest, increase awareness and knowledge of public affairs, and prompt political participation and dissent. Today, a significant number of Cameroonians seek out political information online and participate in discussions in electronic spaces which grant them the opportunity to develop and express their own opinions. The content and presentational style of news in the traditional media, especially government-owned media in Cameroon, is turning the public off traditional media, with more people migrating to the social media world where information is delivered in real time.

While social media is far from being the cause of recent uprisings in Cameroon, it has become an undeniable fact that social sites are dramatically changing the way protests and revolutions in Cameroon are taking place. Participants and planners have been using social sites like Twitter and Whatsapp to spread the word about upcoming protests, making it easier to gain supporters. Posts on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites have been allowing protesters to form a cohesive voice and to enjoy a feeling of unity. Real time posts on social media have also been offering a raw look at what is happening and eliminating the editing and polishing that can dull mainstream news reports. The global reach and immediate updates available via social media have radically changed the face of the protests in Cameroon and this is highlighting the power of social sharing. Despite the government’s disconnection of the Internet, the power of social media has not declined and their use has grown exponentially among the country’s Diaspora. For many activists, Twitter, Whatsapp and Facebook have become tools to help keep the spotlight on the revolution which is being run out of the country and to remember those who have lost their lives since the uprising, or those who have since been imprisoned by the authorities.

By Dr. Joachim Arrey

About the Author: The author of this piece is a keen observer of Cameroon’s political and economic landscape. He has published extensively on the country’s political and economic development, especially in the early 90s when the wind of change was blowing across the African continent. He has served as a translator, technical writer, journalist and editor for several international organizations and corporations across the globe. He studied communication at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom and technical writing in George Brown College in Toronto, Canada. He is also a trained translator and holds a Ph.D.

6, March 2017

Death threats sent to GCE Board Registrar ¹

The Registrar of the Cameroon General Certificate of Education Board, CGCE , Dr Humphrey Ekema Monono has revealed that he receives death threats everyday from anonymous persons who send messages threatening to kill him if he goes ahead to organize the 2017 session of the GCE.

The Registrar made the declaration in Buea as the Board held an extra ordinary Council session to take a decision on the prevailing situation in Southern Cameroons. Cameroun Info.Net reported that the board has recorded the lowest registration ever for the 2017 GCE session. Humphrey Monono also revealed that though the board is independent, it is under the tutelage of the Ministry of Secondary Education. He pointed out that he is expected to take instructions from his hierarchy, hence cannot unilaterally suspend the writing of the exams.

During the meeting which took place at the head quarters of the board, members of the council gave the Registrar authorization to extend the registration deadline to March 20; 2017 to get many more candidates into the 2017 session. Mr. Monono hinted that some 70,000 students have registered as of February but some sources say it is below 40,000.

Members also called on parents, students and other education stakeholders to effectively take their children back to school on Tuesday March 7, 2017. They equally called on Education Secretaries of both Lay private and Confessional schools to disseminate the information, calling back students to their various schools by the said date.

Cameroun Info.Net