Life

27, August 2018

Giving Back To Society: SOBA UK donates 1000 Pounds to ExSSA UK ⁰

In a massive show of solidarity and support the Executive President of the Sasse Old Boys Association, SOBA UK over the weekend in Chesford Grange Hotel unveiled a one thousand pound (£1,000) donation to the ex-students of Saker Baptist College, ExSSA UK in their latest string of charitable support to alumni associations.

Cameroon Concord News Group understands that the money will help expand and improve ExSSA UK’s activities including their theme to engage and elevate the education of the girl child. In a captivating speech delivered by the much respected SOBA UK President Mr Ayuk Akoh-Arrey, the Sakerettes were reminded of the long standing connection between the students of Joseph’s College, Sasse and Saker Baptist College Limbe. President Akoh-Arrey told the sell-out crowd of over 300 guests that Sasse College and Saker Baptist share a long standing history, and that their cause to support the education of the girl child was a good cause, and he congratulated the National President of ExSSA, Ms Irene Tamajong and her organising committee for putting up a great convention.

The SOBA UK President made public the names of the many SOBANS who attended the event, among them, the former CPDM UK Section Vice President Comrade Alfred Bate Bawak, Chief Bate of MECA Leicester and Hon. Eko Ngwashi, along with members of the SOBA UK Executive team in full attendance.

The President of ExSSA UK, Irene Tamajong assured the guests at the convention that the money will be spent on good causes. Speaking to our UK correspondent immediately after his presentation, President Akoh-Arrey said SOBA UK will continue to make significant donations to support its members and charitable causes. He said the key target for SOBA UK now is to deliver a very successful Convention on 22nd September 2018 at St George’s Park, the Home of England National teams.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

26, August 2018

No amount of alcohol is healthy ⁰

No amount of alcohol consumption is healthy and any slight health benefits of drinking alcohol are clearly offset by the risks, according to a major new study in the United States.

The study by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation looked at levels of alcohol use and its health effects in 195 countries, including the US, between 1990 and 2016.

The researchers built a database of more than a thousand alcohol studies and data sources. The goal was to estimate how alcohol affects the risk of 23 health problems. The number that came out, in the end, was zero. Anything more than that was associated with health risks.

“Our results show that the safest level of drinking is none,” researchers explain in the study published in The Lancet. “This level is in conflict with most health guidelines, which espouse health benefits associated with consuming up to two drinks per day.”

“What has been underappreciated, what’s surprising, is that no amount of drinking is good for you,” said Emmanuela Gakidou, a professor of global health at the University of Washington and the senior author of the report.

“People should no longer think that a drink or two a day is good for you. What’s best for you is to not drink at all,” she said.

This new data concludes that “consuming zero standard drinks daily minimizes the overall risk to health,” and recommends that countries with high rates of drinking do more to prevent a troubling rise in the use of alcohol.

Prior studies have suggested that moderate drinking can help prevent some kinds of heart disease and diabetes, among other medical conditions. But the new study found that many other health risks offset and overwhelm the health benefits.

The top 10 countries for drinking are all in Europe, according to the study, which also identifies men as most likely to abuse alcohol around the world. The countries with the least alcohol consumption were predominantly Muslim. Drinking alcohol is prohibited in Islam.

The report found that 2.8 million people across the globe died in 2016 of alcohol-related causes. Those deaths include alcohol-related cancer and cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, intentional injury such as violence and self-harm, and traffic accidents and other unintentional injuries such as drowning and fires.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 88,000 US residents die of alcohol-related causes each year.

US health officials have highlighted the problem of binge drinking and have said that lawmakers should consider a variety of actions, including alcohol taxes and limits on the density of alcohol retailers.

Source: Presstv

22, August 2018

Southern Cameroons War: Understanding the school resumption crisis ⁰

The school boycott adopted in Oct 2016 was a strategy by the Consortium to force the hand of French Cameroun to reverse its policy of assimilation and destruction on the Anglophone Sub System of education. It was a necessary strategy at the time.

However 2 years on, the Apartheid regime of Paul Biya of French Cameroun has no immediate intention to stop or reverse its Apartheid Policy.

The current crisis in Ambazonia is a political crisis-that of Decolonization and Annexation. Which if French Cameroun had good intentions it would have been resolved at the Negotiations Table not in the bushes with the barrel of the gun.

The current war environment makes it very difficult for schools to function normally and effectively. Some whole communities have been deserted. Some destroyed and burnt by Apartheid soldiers of French Cameroun.

And this has not stopped. We have seen some photos of French Cameroun snipers in Ambazonia. This sets the stage for the killings of innocent school children as they attempt to go to school.

Yes it’s very easy to say children should return to school. How do you guarantee the security of these children in the current war environment? This is the subject we should be discussing including the security of children while they attend their daily school routine.

The security of children is not a subject for emotional minds, but a subject for level headed, pragmatic and rational minds. How will children attend schools in Lebialem, Belo, Kupe, Batibo, etc where bullets are constantly flying in the air.

As a parent will you send your child to school in the named LGAs above. That is the challenge we are facing. What about all the villages that have been scorched (As contained in the report by Agbor Balla’s CHRDA – Centre for Human Rights and Development in Africa).

Schools can never resume effectively with bullets flying in the air. Unless there is a cease fire from both sides schools will continuously be disrupted.

I know some will quote Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan etc. Which also have ongoing wars but yet children are still studying.

So yes schools should carry on, however parents should note the following;

1) The Security risk of sending your child to school each day.

2) The potential of your child being injured or killed while in school or in the process of attending school.

3) The curriculum will only be partially completed due to the disruptive nature of the school environment.

4) Prepare for the trauma which some children will face as a result of the violence that they may experience as result of the war.

These are some of the challenges parents and teachers should brace themselves for.

Both sides – French Cameroun troops and Amba Boys should respect the Geneva Convention as schools should be protected.

But from past and recent experiences we all know who the defaulters of the Geneva Convention are. French Cameroun of course.

My dear Ambazonians, these are the challenges we face as to schools continuity as we continue to fight for the restoration of the autonomy of Southern Cameroons.

By Oswald Tebit

19, August 2018

An attempt to define the undefinable: Petit Pays the phenomenon ⁰

An attempt to define Petit Pays is an attempt to define, the indefinable. The Greeks once defined man as something between a fool and God- this definition could probably be the peck into which Petit Pays could comfortably fit into, for simple reasons. But if we were to add flesh to this skeleton of a definition, I will start by saying that, the status of an artist has proven itself incapable of holding bound the vertiginous spirit of this man.

Here is a man who for more than 30 years has evolved himself into the most significant and un-avoidable cultural phenomenon in Cameroon. There is arguably no other individual in the history of this country who has sketched, defined, defied, influenced and shaped popular or public opinion. Void of fear, he has gone on to put on the table of public debate, the most inflammatory topics, as per African society-with issues like, homosexuality, sex positions and the eventual death of African Presidents. To name a few

Being the epicenter of contradictions that he is, Petit Pays has proven himself capable of articulating in sound and text, the transcendental dimension of Love a la Eros in tracks like “Ne me Quitte pas”. And on the other hand, has made evident his ability to excel in the profane-by making edible the breast of a woman in a song Like ‘’Bobee’’. Again he is credited with “Loba” one of the most favorite gospel and soul-searching songs in Cameroon; but on the other side of the coin he has gained alarming value in controversial currency for his song “Pede”; which is nothing else but a comic recognition and description of homosexuality in Cameroon. He is continuously seen putting on the griot’s attire for men in power-then will again come up with S.O.S songs decrying the deplorable living conditions of the citizens under their governance. “Refusing to kill the child” in him like every other genius, he is seen on his album covers playing with his sex (Maestro, 2002), dressed like a woman (La Monaco, 2005), and with virtually no quantum of shame

Posing naked (Class F and Class M, 1996), making his entrance into concerts in a coffin, dubbing himself with a multitude of titles and names ranging from Effata to Raba Rabbi or from turbo to omega. As he describes himself, “It seems like I have the genius to shock.” For sure there is no doubt, which the ability to perennially reconstruct one’s image and to surprise the audience is the mark of every true artist.

He remains one of the few Makossa artists continually redefining the genre. For example, by collaborating with the Cape Verdean musical director, Manu Lima, in the early 90’s he created a sub-genre today called Makossa-Love; characterized by the ubiquitous presence of the clavier and its sentimental effect; immensely influenced by the afro-zouk groove popularly played in Lusophone Africa. He as well injected pop and rock colors into Makossa by crowning the presence of the drums in his compositions. To create what can be defined as Makossa-pop; characterized by quick-exciting drum movements.

As a groundbreaker, he made his entrance into the musical scene with two instant hit albums; “ca fait mal” in 1987 and “Ancien Parigo” in 1988 till date considered by most critics as a masterpiece. He holds till date the speed record for album sales in Cameroon after selling in a week 50000 cassettes of his double album “Class F and Class M’’in 1996.

Using the autobiographical elements of his former marriage to a French woman, popularly known as Maria, Petit Pays composed songs and introduced a mythic character into the love mythology of the Cameroonian society called Maria. A character defined by her elusiveness and the sensuality of all her parts. And overtime Maria has gained grown as a mythic character in the country, virtually everybody has heard about her, but on the other hand, almost nobody can recognize her without the introduction of her former husband (Adolphe Claude Moundi)

Considered by some as an incarnation of the devil and by others as an incarnation of God the father love or hate him, it is impossible to be insensitive or indifferent in Cameroon and in Africa at large at the mention of the name Petit Pays. And once indifference seizes to be presented as a reaction to a man or objects, then we are sure to be witnesses of something great; irrespective of how one may like to define the word “great.”

And am sure my Cameroonian counterparts would agree with me that, there is no way to escape, forget and ignore a man in this country who stands up to say “a Etoudi et a Mvomeka C’est Nioxx.” Finally, In his new album coming this summer, titled ” Renaissance” Petit pays brings a cultural rebirth of his musical career with themes from the 80s through the 90s, based on the reawakening of Makossa love the strengthens till today.

By Siben Gerard

19, August 2018

All Africa Music Awards unveils nominees for 2018 ⁰

The 13-man Jury of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, on Tuesday, unveiled the nominees list for the 2018 edition. The event which held at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, had officials of the African Union Commission, Jury members and some stakeholders in attendance. The released nominees list covers the five Regional Categories divided into Female and Male categories as follows: Best Female Artiste in Central Africa; Best Male Artiste in Central Africa; Best Female Artiste in Eastern Africa; Best Male Artiste in Eastern Africa; Best Female Artiste in Northern Africa; Best Male Artiste in Northern Africa; Best Female Artiste in Southern Africa; Best Male Artiste in Southern Africa; Best Female Artiste in Western Africa and Best Male Artiste in Western Africa.

A total of 79 songs made it to the Regional nominees list. Cameroon takes up four of the eight spots in the category for Best Female Artiste in Central Africa, followed by DRC (2), and Angola (2). In the category for Best Male Artiste in Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) takes the lead with five spots followed by Cameroon 2 and Chad 1.

From Eastern Africa, the female category Kenya holds three spots while Uganda takes 2 with Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania occupying one nomination slot respectively. In the male category, Kenya and Tanzania maintain three nominations each Tanzania ties with Ethiopia & Tanzania registering one nomination apiece. The Algerian female artistes have a lead ahead of their male counterparts as they took four out of the six spots in the category for Best Female Artiste in Northern Africa, with Tunisia and Egypt holding one spot each.

The Male category has Moroccan artistes occupying four of the eight spots, Algeria 2, Egypt and Tunisia earning one nomination each. The Southern African region is dominated by South African artistes both in the male and female categories, with a total of nine spots, followed by Zimbabwe- 3, while Swaziland, Namibia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe take 1 spot each. The Western region Male category is having great contenders between Nigeria and Ghana. Holding up 4 spots is Nigeria, closely followed by Ghana (3), while Guinea and Cape Verde hold 1 spot each. The Best Female Artiste in the Western region has Nigeria and Ghana in a tie of 2 spots respectively, with Benin (1), Mali (1), Senegal (1), and Cote d’Ivoire (1).

While providing insights into the process by which the entries were reviewed and graded, the spokesperson for the International Jury of AFRIMA and the Programme Director, Cameroon TV and Radio, CRTV, Mr. Robert Ekukole (representing Eastern Africa) explained that tasked with the responsibility of carefully and mindfully sieving through 8,009 entries submitted by African music professionals within the awards validity period of August 1, 2017 to August 1, 2018, “the jury members have no choice but to be thorough and deliberate about their work because we will be doing artistes and creators of these works a great injustice if we don’t accord them the review their works deserves”, “The AFRIMA Nominees list we arrived at reflects and represents the top-notch creative expressions of music talents and professionals within the relevant regions and validity period. However, we also have a challenge where some artistes failed to enter for the awards and as such missed the opportunity to be evaluated or possibly nominated for AFRIMA”.

The AFRIMA adjudication is carried out electronically via the proprietary AFRIMA Adjudication Software, which was designed by AFRIMA in 2014, has been deployed for use since the 2015 annual adjudication process. When public voting opens on the AFRIMA website on Monday, August 27, both continental and regional nominees in the 38 AFRIMA award categories will compete against one another for the coveted 23.9 carat gold-plated AFRIMA Trophy.

Nominees will now depend on votes from their fans and followers spread across the globe to vote for their songs in an open voting process via the AFRIMA website, www.afrima.org From August 7, when the annual adjudication process began, the 13-man AFRIMA Jury worked painstakingly and tirelessly in assessing and grading the submitted entries which was an astronomical increase of 63% against the 2017 entries received by AFRIMA.

Speaking on the parameters considered by the Jury during the adjudication process, Jury member representing Diaspora (North America), Hadja Kobélé Keita, a music executive with work experience in international music companies like Universal Music Africa and Island Africa, reiterated the AFRIMA objective, which is about rewarding and promoting talents and

www.vanguardngr.com

18, August 2018

Medical Staff Abandon Hospitals in Southern Cameroons ⁰

Medical staff are fleeing hospitals in Cameroon’s troubled English-speaking regions after attacks this month left several nurses dead and many others wounded. Medics say they are stuck between a military that accuses them of aiding armed separatists and rebel fighters who say hospitals betray them to the army.

Elvis Ndansi, of the Cameroon trade union of nurses, says the killings and abuse provoked outrage in the medical corps.

“The military comes, chase them out of the hospital, brutalize them, beat them. As medical personnel, we all stand to condemn these acts and say they are very wrong. Medical personnel are supposed to be protected in times of war. They are there to take care of all casualties, be they from the military, be they from the Ambazonians or secessionists. Their role is to save lives,” Ndansi said.

Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai of the English-speaking southwest region denies the military is responsible for the attacks, saying the separatists seeking an English-speaking state in Cameroon are the ones to blame. He says he has instructed the military to protect hospitals from armed gangs.

Mourners gather for Nancy Azah and her husband, Njong Padisco, both nurses killed in Cameroon's northwest region, during their funeral services in Alahkuma, Aug. 15, 2018. — Mourners gather for Nancy Azah and her husband, Njong Padisco, both nurses killed in Cameroon’s northwest region, during their funeral services in Alahkuma, Aug. 15, 2018.

Despite the danger of traveling in the region, hundreds of medics showed up Wednesday for a funeral to honor Nancy Azah and her husband Njong Padisco. The couple, both nurses, were shot dead last week, reportedly by Cameroonian troops.

Nurse Arrey Rose says the association of nurses called on the medical community to show solidarity by attending the funeral service.

“We have mobilized to let the world know that doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians and pharmacists are tortured and killed just for saving lives,” Rose said. “God spared mine when I was pulled out of hospital and beaten just because I was accused of hiding terrorists. Many are dead, many are wounded.”

The violence has led patients and medical staff to desert hospitals in both the northwest and southwest.

Eighteen-year-old Mundi Ernestine says that when she took her younger brother to Bamenda regional hospital, there was no one to treat him.

“God has been sustaining him,” Ernestine said. “We were not attended to in the hospital for a week because the staff was absent. We had to carry him on our back through the bush to Bamenda, which is a bit calm. He is recovering, but my fear is that many are dying in the bushes just because there is no nurse to help.”

The Cameroon Medical Council says, due to the ongoing conflict, the exact number of medical staff who have fled the two volatile regions is unknown.

Governor Bilai is calling on them to return. He says all political leaders and civil society groups should educate runaway staff to go back to their work, especially now that the military is protecting medical facilities.

More than 300 civilians and security forces have been killed in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions since 2016, when separatists launched their drive for an independent state they call Ambazonia.

The United Nations says at least 200,000 people have been internally displaced in the conflict and tens of thousands have fled to neighboring Nigeria.

Source: VOA

17, August 2018

Israeli Technology Helps Fight Cholera Epidemic in Cameroon ⁰

The Israeli company NUFiltration (NUF) that specializes in water purification and filtration systems is implementing its unique patent to help fight a cholera epidemic that is affecting Cameroon. The water systems will be supplied under the auspices of the Israeli Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel.

In Cameroon there is currently a major crisis due to the spread of cholera that is affecting many water sources and turning them into sources of the disease. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel through MASHAV and the ambassador of Israel in Cameroon, Ran Gidor, decided to take the initiative to help Cameroon in the current crisis.

For this, they contacted the Israeli company NUFiltration, which developed innovative special water purification systems. Through its system, the purification is done manually and without the need for a source of electrical energy or special chemicals. The system can work anywhere and can supply 8 liters of high-quality drinking water in a minute, managing to meet the needs of about 500 people in one day.

The NUF water purification system is registered as an original worldwide patent in which the water is purified through a medical filter used in the dialysis process.

In recent months, NUF technology has even been used by UN agencies to be used in two UN camps in Congo and Mali.

The technology used in NUF was invented by Prof. Yoram Lass, former Director General of the Ministry of Health of Israel and former congressman of the Israeli Labour Party. Mino Negrin, an entrepreneur and entrepreneur who has been active in the area of water purification for years, bought the patent and founded the company NUFiltration to develop the product and take it to different parts of the world.

Source: Jerusalemonline

15, August 2018

Facebook support’s the next generation of creative talent at The Loeries Awards 2018 ⁰

For the third year running, Facebook (www.Facebook.com) is sponsoring the annual Facebook Challenge as part of the Student Category at The Loerie Awards 2018 – Africa and the Middle East’s premier award that recognises, rewards, inspires and fosters creative excellence in the advertising and brand communication industry. During Loeries Creative Week, Facebook and Instagram will also host a series of workshops, hackathons and activations for the creative community – including advertising students – and a special event for women in marketing.

For this year’s student challenge, Facebook partnered with the International Federation of Red Cross to provide a creative brief on helping to tackle the cholera crisis on the continent. Students from across Middle East and Africa were challenged to create an impactful mobile-first campaign for Facebook and Instagram that educates at-risk communities around preventing the spread of the disease. Facebook’s Creative Shop team also provided ongoing support to students entering the category, tutoring and mentoring them in understanding how to create ‘thumb-stopping’ mobile content that grabbed the users eye.

As part of the competition, the winning team will be crowned ‘the Facebook Challenge Winners of 2018’ and will also be provided with an all-expenses paid trip to Loeries Creative Week to collect their coveted award, at an exclusive ceremony on 17 August. The final campaign will then be featured on Facebook and Instagram.

“Digital plays a huge part in all of our lives, and to make the most of it, creative agencies across Africa need to continue to tap into creative talents that understand building for the digital age, and the needs of the next billion users coming online,” said Nunu Ntshingila, Regional Director at Facebook Africa. “Our partnership with The Loeries for the third year running, reinforces our commitment in nurturing young, creative and diverse talent, who are passionate about creating powerful mobile-first campaigns that resonate with users.”

Last year’s Facebook Challenge winners – Peni Buckton, Lunje Jwambe and Claudia Bester from AAA Advertising School in Cape Town – worked on a campaign for The Nelson Mandela Foundation to tackle gender diversity. Their winning concept, Everyday Armour, saw them create a series of fashion ads encouraging women to buy items such as a ring that can spray pepper, or a pair of high heels that can also be turned into a self-defense weapon, highlighting the fact that women should not be “dressed’ to be ready for assault.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Facebook.

13, August 2018

Fire at Taiwan hospital kills 9, injures 16 ⁰

Nine people were killed and 16 injured in a blaze that broke out early Monday at a hospice for the terminally ill near Taipei, fire officials said.

All 36 people, including three staff, were evacuated after the fire started in the hospice which is located on the seventh floor of a nine-storey hospital in New Taipei city.

The fire broke out at 4.36 a.m. and was put out at 5.37 a.m., after 76 vehicles and 208 firemen were dispatched to the scene.

Sixteen had cardiac arrests and seven were revived.

The other nine died with the cause of death given as smoke inhalation, according to the local fire department.

New Taipei fire department chief Huang Te-ching said the cause of the fire was still being investigated and denied reports that the sprinkler system had malfunctioned.

“The sprinkler device was on but there’s some distance between its location and where the fire started so the fire couldn’t be immediately put out,” he told reporters.

CCTV footage on local media showed staff rushing through the hospice corridors, carrying patients out in their arms or in wheelchairs to evacuate them after the fire broke out.

Fire inspectors inspect the damage after a fire broke out at a hospital in Taipei, Taiwan,
on August 13, 2018.

Local media said 10 of the 16 are in serious condition. Some were rushed to several nearby hospitals.

Local media quoted some patients’ relatives saying they heard a blast and suspected that an oxygen tank might have exploded, causing the fire.

Premier William Lai apologised to the public and expressed condolences over the tragedy.

“We will review the cause of the incident to prevent a similar situation from happening again,” he said.

The fire was believed to have started in Ward 7A23, where four patients and one migrant worker were staying.

A hospital bed’s faulty motor is believed to have caused a short circuit which started the fire, reported local media.

(Source: AFP)

9, August 2018

SOBA UK President Issues Statement On Upcoming Residential Convention ⁰

Dear Guest,

We are delighted to announce the SOBA UK Residential Convention which will take place from 21st to 23rd September 2018. The Gala night will be on Saturday 22nd September 2018 at The Hilton, St George’s Park in Burton Upon Trent. Last year, we had a very successful Convention at Dunchurch Park, Rugby, Warwickshire which continued to set high standards for SOBA UK.

This year we are going to the splendid venue at The Hilton, St George’s Park, Burton Upon Trend. This is the Home of England National Teams befitting of a World Cup year, which saw the England National Football Team make it to the last 4 teams in the World Cup football tournament. We believe that Sobans, their families and guests will have a fantastic time in such a wonderful venue.

The theme of this year’s Convention is “Together We Succeed“, reflecting on the difficult year our association and people have had both in the UK and Cameroon. Our focus will also be on the crisis in the Northwest and Southwest regions in Cameroon which has led to thousands of people being displaced and significant loss of lives. We will be looking to assist where possible and we look forward to your generous support.

Our tickets have been priced very competitively at £70 for a standard ticket, but there is an early bird discount of £10 which reduces the price to £60 provided, if you purchase your ticket by 23rd August, 2018. There are also limited VIP tickets on a first come first serve basis. Please contact our sales agents for more details from the attached flyer. You can purchase your hotel room directly using the dedicated SOBA UK link attached below at discounted prices up to 23rd August 2018.

On behalf of all Sobans in the UK, we say a big thank you in advance for your continued support and to this end, I commend the 2018 Convention to you and encourage you to buy your tickets and start making plans for this esteemed SOBA UK event. We look forward to welcoming you and your families at The Hilton at St George’s Park.

SOBA:UK Secretariat soba@sobaintheuk.org

Yours sincerely,

Ayuk Akoh-Arrey President SOBA UK

Email: soba@sobaintheuk.org