Cameroon: Plan International supports vulnerable and Internally Displaced Children in the Northwest.

October 11 is observed every year as the International Day of the Girl child as declared by the United Nations. It is in records that October 11, 2012, was the first Day of the Girl Child. The UN seeks to use the day to ignite  more opportunities for girls and increase awareness of gender inequality faced by girls worldwide. The theme for this year's celebration is  Girls Force: Unscripted and Unstoppable. Empowering Girls for a brighter tomorrow.

As the crisis in the North West Region (NW) of Cameroon persist, children especially the girl child suffers more.

Vulnerable and internally displaced children.

To protect and fight for the rights of these children, Plan International initiated and established Child Protection Committees (CPC) in all communities in the NW region. The role of this committee is to sensitize parents and children on the Rights of the child.

This year, the day was celebrated with alot of emphasis on the well-being of the internally displaced girls in the North West Region. Participants at this year's celebration came from almost all the social classes.  Addressing her mates and parents, one of the internally displaced girls, Valiska, thanked Plan International for the constant financial, moral, material and spiritual support given to the Internally displaced children living in Ntamulung and other communities in the NW. "We equally want to thank the organization and its donors for the psychosocial support and the fight against gender inequality, and empowering the girl child." She added.

Sylvia Anyangwa Mbu

Sylvia Anyangwa Mbu, project coordinator with Plan International NW expressed satisfaction with this year's celebration, especially as parents turned out in their numbers to support the kids in the sensitization process. She added that  celebrations are taking place in all the communities supported by Plan international in the North West. She urged parents to make use of the Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) created by Plan International. It is worth mentioning that these spaces are carefully selected in safe areas to accommodate children during this unsafe moments.


However, it should be noted that Plan International has been constant in the fight for rights of the girl child, gender balance and combating gender inequality. This inequality includes areas such as access to education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care, protection from discrimination, violence against women and forced child marriage.
The celebration of the day also reflects the successful emergence of girls and young women as a distinct cohort in development policy, programming, campaigning and research.

Children celebrating with cultural values

Kids who could not have the opportunity to make speeches expressed their gratitude to plan international in songs, poems and drama for empowering them.

The International Day of Girls initiative began as a project of Plan International, a non-governmental organization that operates worldwide

Section of the event hall.

The idea for an international day of observance and celebration grew out of Plan International's Because I Am a Girl campaign, which raises awareness of the importance of nurturing girls globally and in developing countries in particular.

Ambe Macmillian Awa.

Major National Dialogue: TALKING POINTS, FEDERATION/DECENTRALISATION!!

WHAT MATTERS IS THE CONTENT NOT THE NAME

In the wake of the teachers and lawyers sit-in strike in 2016, these corps asked for more English Language in schools and courts of the Northwest and Southwest to fend off what was termed ‘assimilation’ of the Anglo-Saxon culture by the francophone majority.

Preview of dialogue hall. (Photo credit. Lasha Kingsley)

 A consortium of teachers and lawyers was born in the course of the strike and clamoured for a return to the 1961 federal system as a panacea to the ‘Anglophone problem’. 

This was further trumpeted by the population of the Anglophone regions. The convening of the Major National Dialogue by the Head of State H. E Paul Biya on September 10, 2019, thus presents an opportune moment for this request for a return to federalism to be reiterated.

From September 30 to October 4, Cameroonians will gather at this historic event at the Yaounde Conference Centre, to mark a turning point in the life and future of Cameroon. Delegates to the dialogue from the Northwest and Southwest regions are poised to make federalism the centerpiece of their proposition. 

However, a return to federalism might present a difficult conundrum in terms of making core arguments against the government-preferred stance of decentralization and even more so in terms of implementation in the short run. 

 So what tangible, achievable option is there?

The core argument behind demands for a federation is that it assures Anglophones of greater autonomy in the management of their affairs- a sentimental attachment from the indirect rule and post-independence era until 1972.

Hence, it is about the devolution of power to the decentralized units (the regions). If this is supposed to be taken for its merits therefore, the essentially aspect of governance will therefore be the content and not the form. Anglophone delegates at the Major National Dialogue should focus on the type of power and resources devolved to the decentralized units.

 This will clear the path for Anglophones to manage their affairs, with minimal intervention of government delegates. Regional councils are to be made up of indigenes who will deliberate and vote on local development issues—from infrastructure to education through health policy, etc. 

1500 seats Yde conference center. (Photo credit. Etienne M)

Presently, this is the fastest and easiest way to self-rule. Anglophones can flesh the devolution already provided in the Constitution of Cameroon. Federation may take longer negotiations. 

Moreover, the Major National Dialogue has no locus standi to decide on the form of state. Hence, the MND can only propose for the parliament to decide later.  

Besides, the trend is leaning towards a ten-state or two-state (wherein the Anglophone regions are one). Any federation where Anglophones are not an entity undermines the nostalgia of the old days. Anglophones from the Southwest region have lingering memories of Northwest hegemony in the federation era. All the federal prime minister, the three well-known business magnets at the time came from the Northwest, for example.

 No doubt, the Southwest Chiefs proposed a ten-state federation.

Federation may  not be as rosy as the old guards paint it.

 At the end of federation, only CCASST Bambili and Saint Joseph’s College Sasse existed in 1972 as the only secondary schools in West Cameroon. Yoke power plant, for example, could only light Kumba. However, the Anglo-Saxon education system (pride of the Anglophones) built up till 2016, has been shattered in the last three years of the crisis. The time to rebuild is now and this is an emergency.

Journalists in crisis-affected regions drilled on peace, conflict reporting.

Journalists who are members of the Cameroon Community Media Network (CCMN) drawn from the North West/West and South West/Littoral regions have been drilled on various ways of preventing and managing conflicts through crisis reporting.

Photo credit CMF/CWF study book.

During a three-day workshop organised by the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC),and Bread for the World Germany in Bafoussam, through its  Peace Journalism and Conflict Transformation Project, the journalists , mostly members of the Cameroon Community Media Network (CCMN) were schooled on handling the various stakeholders in a crisis situation.

The workshop which is a follow up of previous initiatives equally helped the journalists understand the types of crisis, persons affected during a conflict, understanding humanitarian response, data journalism as well as the role of the media in conflict situations.

Opening the workshop, the coordinator of the PCC  Peace journalism and conflict transformation project, Rev Mokoko Mbue Thomas told journalists to be cautious in conflict reporting be able to draw a line between eye witness account and getting information on the ground.

Rev Mokoko Mbue Thomas

"A good journalism story must be balanced and it is our prayer that all CCMN members and the journalism family in Cameroon embrace peace-oriented reports. Many IDPs have not been counted and need their stories to be heard and we are their mouth piece so should drum up support for them. Let our hearts be in what we do, so we can use our voices to help better the lives of IDPs in our communities” Rev. Moukoko Thomaas said.

The main facilitator, Omer Songwe urged the participants to strive for neutrality and balance especially in the present context in the North West and South West regions.

"The workshop is going to create a link between the affected communities, humanitarian response and the role journalists can play in reporting the conflict. If we do not understand the exact needs of the affected communities, then we would have failed," Mr. Songwe who bags decades of experience in journalism and conflict reporting said.

Cross section of participants

"If we don’t understand how humanitarian aid is delivered, the mechanism put in place, principles, then we would have also failed in reporting, we need to understand what conflict-sensitive reporting journalism is, if not, it will be very difficult for us to report from an angle that can promote peace," he added.

One of the participants, Yannick Fonki, journalists with HiTv in Buea, said the workshop would help him going forward in refining and gearing his works towards peace and development.e

There is a lot of hate speech being preached on media platforms but how can we convert all of these into peace and development? So through the network’s seminars and workshops I have attended, I have sharpened my skills towards peace building and it is making great strides,” Yannick said.

Yannick Fonki (participant)

According to Sally Mboumien, the CEO of Common Action for Gender Development and a communicator, challenges faced by journalists should not stop them from being solution orientated.


"Their reports should be impartial, neutral and credible so as to guide the people and help them think critically so that they can make informed decisions. This workshop has helped journalists realize the powerful role they have to play in conflict resolutions and the power their pens and voices have in their communities,” he said.






Mangek Promise

Cameroon Crisis. Women take the lead in Humanitarian actions on "GZ"

The United Nations system in Cameroon has pledged to continue assisting persons in need in the NW and SW Regions of Cameroon.

Public sensitization at event ground.

Commemorating the International Humanitarian Day in Bamenda on Saturday August 17, the UN as well as its specialized agencies and other partners presented aspects of their work to the public.

 The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) which is presently operating in the North West region for the first time took the floor to introduce the various specialized UN agencies working on Humanitarian response actions in Cameroon and made it known to the public and civil society organizations where and how they can be reached and for what reasons.
It was equally an opportunity for other humanitarian and civil society organizations to enlighten the public on their various activities in providing relief to the local population affected by the conflict in this part of the country.

Cross section of participants

One of the UN partners in the provision of humanitarian assistance in the current socio political unrest in the North West and South West Regions of the Country is Plan Cameroon, who have so far been involved in the creation of safe spaces for children displaced by the crisis in the South West and North West regions. They have provided Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH kits) to over 30,420 people in 1 WASH clusters in the two regions. According to Plan Cameroon, about 78% of persons in these regions are in need.

With main aim, the protection of children especially girls due to their vulnerability, Plan Cameroon said it has also provided psycho social support to some internally displaced children in the North West by engaging them in livelihood activity trainings. Some of such children after going through counseling have been put into training workshops where they are acquiring some skills in beads making. According to Plan Cameroon officials, at the Bamenda Program Unit, “this is to make sure that after bringing aid to children or a family, they don’t continue to depend on that aid which may not come again due to the ever increasing need for aid in other areas. This is an aspect of sustainability which we are bringing in to see that we can make these young girls acquire some skills that can eventually put food on their tables”.

It is however worthy of note that they have challenges which are the continues displacement of persons on a daily basis, the continues blocking of roads leading to the most hit areas of the region needing emergency humanitarian aid like Bui, Boyo, Batibo, Menchum among others. Plan Cameroon and other humanitarian actors have complained that these factors have greatly limited access to communities.
The World Food Program on their part complained of the storage of food which often gets bad due to lack of storage facilities.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) whose aim is to coordinate the distribution of humanitarian aid by various UN agencies and their partners during a humanitarian crisis also revealed during the celebration that they now have a permanent office in the North West region.

Tanda Theophilus (UNOCHA representative NW)

“We have so far been doing well with the various actors and we are making sure that we identify and advocate for the inclusion of persons with disabilities as well as identify where there is humanitarian need and to advice the actors working on such needs to intervene. We also have joint evaluation conferences with the various actors to follow up the effective distribution of aid,” TandaTheophilus, representative for UNOCHA North West region said. He added that the focus of this year's celebration aims at honoring women humanitarian actors who this far are taking the lead in humanitarian activities on the ground.

Heads of the UN specialized agencies in Cameroon.

Other UN agencies present at the celebration were; UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF, and INTERSOS, as well as partners like Norwegian Refugee Council, Doctors Without Borders, Medicins du Monde Suisse, COMINSUD, LUKMEF, and CARITAS.

Ambe Macmillian Awa.

Disability and Inclusion, a Necessity in Cameroon.

Persons living with disability in the Northwest Region have criticized the inaccessibility to public institutions in Cameroon. Access to many public places have been a problem but little or no attention is paid to them.

According to the World health organization (WHO), there are 2 million people living with disability in Cameroon, with a prevalence rate of 6.9%  according to Cockburn et al, 2011, and 10.2%  according to Mactaggart et al, 2014 being 138,000  and 204,000  PWDs respectively.

 Most of them have limited access to education, healthcare, employment and public transport. Myths and believes have continue to make life even more difficult as  discrimination and a sense of sad feelings looms in their minds.

Ambe Wilta Bihnwi, living with disability is a level 3 three student studying English Private Law at The University of Bamenda. She expresses dissatisfaction about the inaccessibility of the campus and study halls.

Ambe Wilta Bihnwi

"Since I came to this school, it has not been easy. I think everybody at the university is supposed to be inclusive but that is not the case here expecially for us. Most classes are held upstairs which is very difficult for me to attend. Now I'm supposed to graduate this year, but I'm not quite sure I will graduate because I have been missing classes, CAs and most lecturers give marks for attendance. I grew up to discover that I was disabled and my mother told me I missed a polio vacine vaccine. It is not my fault that I am disabled, so i feel bad when infrastructures here are not inclusive and students don't associate with me."

However, the awareness on the need to be inclusive is gradually being considered by some.
The Bamenda General Hospital has been undergoing some rehabilitation works. The rehabilitation has put a smile on the faces of persons living with disability for it’s disability inclusive sensitivity.

VIP public toilet General Hospital B'da

Persons with disability can have access to the toilets and other infrastructures of the hospital.



Comfort Mussa a journalist, media personality and an award winning Freelance Journalist initiated a women’s empowerment organization called SisterSpeak237, with desire to an open space engaging discussions about women's issues in Cameroon and Africa. SisterSpeak237 under its founder, recently organized a fashion show in Cameroon's capital Yaoundé featuring models with disabilities.

Models living with disabilities 

Its aim was to change perceptions and break down barriers. The fashion show was dubbed Access 2019. This was an opportunity to inspire a new generation of Cameroonians living with any form of disability to feel accepted.
"One thing we want to achieve at SisterSpeak237 is to change perceptions around what people think about women with disabilities in Cameroon" said the event organizer, Comfort Mussa.

As the advocacy for inclusion and mainstreaming of disability continue to take center stage in discussions around, many people in Cameroon have been making their voices heard to break the chain. Lawong Kendra Yaah a female activist is going this way and shall be hosting a seminar at The University of Bamenda campus on Tuesday 16th April 2019, organized under the theme "Hands Together with The Physically Impaired"

Ambe Macmillian Awa

Cameroon: Separate Govt, Separatist Bans Frustrate Life, Business

Bamenda now has a double identity standard. Streets void of people who seem to be loyal to the calls for ghost towns by Ambazonian Separatist Leaders and administrative ban on night life.

A Bamenda man has in the past twelve months learnt many things among which is the word curfew. Since the 10th of February 2018, people have been completely restricted from night movements in the Northwest Region. In the month of August, the time of the restriction was added. It was a taboo for a human to be out between 6pm to 6am.

NW Governor's release extending curfew

This was the most traumatized period until November 24th when the time was modified for the restriction to start at 9pm.
In all of these alternations, the effects are enormous to the common population.

Doh Christel is the Deputy Manager of one of the most popular Snack Bars in Bamenda known as Dreamland found in Bamenda III subdivisin. In an interview with this reporter, she explains that:

 "The curfew has almost rendered me

Doh Christel Deputy manager Dreamland Snack. 

jobless. People use to effectively come here as from 11pm and only go back at 5am but it is a different story now. Even when the curfew is announced for 9pm, it takes effect just immediately. How do you expect someone to cope with such? The governor said 9 but before 8pm the police are chasing people out of my place, so people are even scared and afraid. See how emty my place is. Our salaries since May 2018 was reduced by 15%. Some workers paid off. It's a sad situation."

In the past, buses used to live town at 10pm for night journeys but this time, they kick off as early as 5pm at least and 7pm at most.

Abimnui Franca (Trader) 

Abimnui Franca is a trader "Buyam Seller" who frequently travels to Bamenda.  She makes her living by buying vegetable in Bamenda and distributing in Yaoundé, as she narrates, "my main town is Yaounde and I usually travel to Bamenda through night journeys but now, traveling to Bamenda by  night is difficult because at  the checkpoint at Santa, we are always stopped to wait for about 2hours or more until it is 6o'clock before we enter. It makes it difficult for me since i usually buy my market items as early as 6am fresh from the farms. Same night I'm off back to Yaounde"

To make a bad situation worst,  an administrator in Ndop restricts inhabitants with a prefectoral order

Release from SDO Ngoketunjia

from farming in some major areas in his area of command. This decision will go a long way to starve citizens who may only have farms at the restricted areas.

Talking to a senior administrator of the region who wished to remain anonymous and inline with what the governor of the region will always say,  all these efforts are to protect citizens and their properties.

No one knows when all these will end but it is the wish of many to get back to a normal life less of restrictions.

Ambe Macmillian Awa.
PJ Advocate.

Unemployment, Bedrock of Social Violence in Cameroon.

Major cities in the Northwest, Southwest and the Far North regions of Cameroon are gradually becoming empty of youth as a result of the rising insecurity in these areas.

No one knows their whereabouts, but many think they have joined the trending forces popularly referred to as Boko Haram and the "Amba Boys".

Finance Junction (main entrance into Bamenda) 

 However, that seem not to be the major preoccupation in this writers mind. It becomes baffling how youths will mortgage their futures by joining such groups where the line between life and death is very thin. However, a greater reflection pushes this writer to assert unemployment is a greater factor that pushes most of these youths to join the armed groups.

Regular bans on commercial motorbikes in major cities of the North West and South West regions as means to counter armed groups in these regions have left many young people who depend on the activity gnashing their teeth. The bans are still in full force in localities like Widikum, Bafut and Batibo, thus the lure to join armed groups in hope for a better future becomes tempting.

I talked to this gentleman who at the time of one of these administrative bans of bikes in Bafut, was the President of the bike riders in his neighbourhood but has since relocated to Bamenda.

Former president of a bike union in Bafut

"I waited for 5months thinking that the ban will be lifted,  but because of hardship, I had to transport my bike to town. I'm the successor to my father. For this reason, I stayed in our family compound and took care of the 3 wives and 18 brothers and sisters my father left behind. Since I moved to town it has not been easy. Numerous ghost towns, curfew, house rents and the difficulties to send food or money to the village is a serious challenge."

Consider students who have spent over 15 years in school, obtaining one certificate to the other, but no jobs for them. Nothing else looms in their minds but frustration. Thousands of unemployed youths are stocked with many certificates but nowhere to go.

Ndonwi Derick Shu, Former SDF National Socialist Youths Coordinator is a Masters degree holder in Business and Management. Unemployment is the main reason he decided to gainfully employ himself and 47 others by cultivating ginger on this piece of land in Bafut.

Ndonwi Derick Shu (Farmer)

"All efforts of business are closed, farming activities are impossible with crops from the previous season already rotten in the farms since it's impossible to harvest. Consequently, processing of such crops too has been suspended thereby affecting the complete chain from the funders (MFI) who provide micro loans to us (farmers), to the farmers who supply the raw materials."

Inhabitants have been hurt in one way or the other. People have lost their lives, property, houses reduced to ashes, businesses paralyzed and many people internally displaced.

In anonymity, a local administrator on phone spoke to this reporter, "You know it all Ambe. That is exactly the reason. More than 30 bikes were burnt in Bafut and as if that was not enough, the Governor placed a permanent ban on the movement of bikes in Bafut. As such, almost all the young men who were engaged in this activity for a living, had no option than to enter the bush."

Accepted, the iron can be bent if it is still hot, but how will it be bent now when he to do so is afraid of the heat? A thousand dollars question.

Ambe Macmillian A.
PJ Advocate.

GOLDAS 2019 Confederacy Championship launched in the NW Region of Cameroon

GOLDAS uses soccer to promote peace and unity in the world.

Cross section of teams

Amidst rising tensions in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, Golden Age Soccer (GOLDAS) brings together over 500 youths and spectators  to foster peace through soccer. Mainly sponsored by CAL - RT, GOLDAS believes that the world can use soccer to ignite human consciousness that would ensure good governance, unity in diversity, peace and development.

Speaking at the launching of the first GOLDAS confederacy Championship launch, Dr Ngiejung nabil founder, reiterated that GOLDAS is the brainchild of Peace Ushers Foundation. "we hold strong that soccer has an irresistible gravitational power that affects people emotionally and psychologically. From this perspective,  we believe that if values are incarnated in this industry of talent and rationally used to uphold human values, we can use this industry to reconcile the world, integrate the world and pacify the world".

At the launching ceremony which took place this Saturday 16th February at the mile 3 field in Nkwen Bamenda, it was announced that a total of 8teams devided into different zones will take part in this maiden edition of the championship. 10million is the net amount for the entire competition for 2019 in the Northwest Region. 4million for the first position, 2million for the second and 1million for the third. The rest of the money shall be for individual trophies.

Trophies presented to the public. 

GOLDAS divides her management body into departments. One of them is the departments in charge of Education, according to the deputy vice president of this department, Gariba Abdulahi,

Gariba Abdulahi VP in charge of education  

 "The concept of GOLDAS is a new concept that people need to be aware of. We are looking at football from a different perspective. For instance, in traditional soccer, we refer to those playing as players but here,  we call them valiants. Cards are called tools because they are tools for discipline and peace. This is why there are counselors to talk to the valiant when the tool is used. In this 10million championship, we should be expecting something great because GOLDAS has a vision for Cameroon in particular and the world in general".

Elaborating on communication strategies to market this initiative. Mengnjo Idelle Limnyuy is the communication officer in the VP's office. "We are working closely with the media (radios, TVs and newspapers) in Cameroon. We even have partnerships with some radios eg (A moment with GOLDAS over Ndefcam Radio every Saturdays). We also acknowledge the strength of the social media, reason why we are using it. Above all,  our members in the different departments do a one on one sensitisation from time to time."

Mengnjo Odell Comm officer VP's office 

GOLDAS has introduced a jersey of letters not numbers and a spherical pitch for the players. It is expected that the various teams to participate in the first championship will register in due course to enable the competition commence in appropriate time.


Mangek Promise

The statesman blog gets new manager

Mangek Promise Ngum has been named the new manager of The Statesman blog. The information was made public after he stroke a deal with the chief executive officer (CEO) Ambe Macmillian Awa.

Mangek Promise Manager The Statesman 

The new manager has a degree in English language from the University of Bamenda and a diploma in performing and visual arts from the same institution. He has a strong passion in journalism. He is a member of the Cameroon community Media Network (CCMN) Northwest and West. The 25years old manager works with Rush FM radio Bamenda. He has as task to keep the flames of the blog burning and enhance peace through peace-oriented articles.

The statesman blog is a non profitable media outlet created on June 17th 2018 with mission to work for the country. It has as description  "True statesmanship, a character for everyone who loves and works for country. We stand for anything that represents true statesmanship".

Takeover greetings CEO and Manager 

  Mangek Promise takes over from Ambe Macmillian the CEO of the blog, journalist at WAKA Africa television. He doubles as the president of Cameroon English speaking journalists Association (CAMASEJ)NW Chapter and Secretary General of the Cameroon Journalists Trade Union (SNJC/CJTU)NW. He remains the CEO and Editor-in-chief of the statesman blog.

 Mangek Promise takes over office poised for proper action in due course.

Sama Christel.

Jean Nkuete accuses opposition parties for instigating and abandoning the NW to safer regions for campaign. .

"The people of Northwest deserve peace like Cameroonians in other regions." Jean Nkuete.

NW Governor, SG Jean Nkuete and Yang Philemon 

In a campaign speech presented to militants of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) last Tuesday 02/10/18 at the Bamenda Congress Hall, the Secretary General (SG) of the CPDM Central committee Jean Kuete, lashed out at opposition parties for instigating the present Anglophone crisis that at last has made them unable to carry out campaigns in the troubled regions. "Apart from the CPDM,  the other parties are only seen on television campaigning in peaceful regions " he mused.

For the past twelve days the 9 candidates for the 2018 presidential elections have been conducting campaigns across the country.  With a few days to the electoral polling (07/10/18) only the CPDM has been seen campaigning in the troubled NW region.

Mr. Nkuete emphasized "Cameroonians are rightfully entitled to peace", making it apparent who is responsible for the current stalemate in the country.

The CPDM is the party in power and true enough should guarantee peace in the entire nation like the SG made it clear. His reckon for peace is shared nationally.

NW CPDM members, supporters and sympathisers. 

For the past two years now peace has been on the lips of every Cameroonian. The churches, opposition parties, civil society  and even the party in power talks about peace.

What is this prestigious jewel that a nation and her people can not afford? Who is not doing what for us to achieve it? How did we get here?

Johan Galtung,  the father of peace in his distinction, defines the situation that got us here as the result of Negative Peace being "absence of violence in all forms and the unfolding of conflict in a constructive way". It was easier and better for the party in power to have managed the situation at the level stated above.

However, the importance of peace to a nation can not be over emphasized. This is the reason why all Cameroonians must get onboard to network towards its realization. Peace will exist when we interact nonviolently with respect for the legitimate needs and interests of all concerned.

Several elements account for peace,  but the most important thing is one's inward state of mind. Inner peace eventually leads to external peace. The agitations of the mind, caused by various factors,  produce repressions in the external atmosphere that lead to social conflicts.

Peace remains a well managed social conflict. Dr King,  reminds us that peace is not only the absence of tension,  but the presence of justice.

If both camps should cease fire,  then the red carpet for peace and negotiations would then in effect be rolled.


Ambe Macmillian Awa

Peace Journalist, a Community Media role model to a better society.

Community Media (CM) are any form of media that function in service of or by a community. A community in this sense can refer to a geographical area, a cultural identity or another concept linking people together. Community media represent a separate entity and are fundamentally different from public media.

Participants at workshop

The CM can take all the forms of other conventional media, such as print, radio, television, blog, Web-based and mixed media.
Community radios are particularly widespread around the world with radio stations being funded to inform their listeners on issues important to the community.

 Their services are very important in giving communities a platform to express their concerns for local issues, engage in social democratic debates and deliver a reliable access to information. This explains why the people identify more with it.

Majority of the Cameroonian population is yet to embrace the social media. Having in mind that the social media propagates mostly unverified information, the importance of the community media can not be over emphasized.

CM better known as grassroots media is focused more specifically on media making by and for the local community that it serves. It makes the discussion more narrow and precise to the understanding of the common man. It is essentially a subset focusing on small scale media projects which aim to bring different visions and perspectives to the "codes" that are so easily embedded in the social psyche.

Group picture participants NW/West.

The above explains why the Cameroon Community Media Network (CCMN), an initiative of the Communication Department of the P.C.C, brought together some 50 practitioners from the communities of the NW and West regions of Cameroon. The media men and women were schooled on Peace Journalism, social media, crisis, refugees, IDPs and Elections reporting.

The peace journalism Professor and Director of the Center for Global Peace Journalism and Crisis Reporting (Steven Youngblood), expanded on the technics and language journalist could/should use in their reports on their mediums to report during crisis and elections.

The expectations of this Bafoussam workshop which lasted for 3 days  are that, media persons put to adequate use the principles of peace journalism (good journalism) to adequately inform their masses so that they make informed choices.

                                           Ambe Macmillian A.

Sexual Violence, Sympathizers more of perpetrators.

Rape is a form of sexual assault, but not all sexual assaults is rape. The term rape is often used as a legal definition to specifically include sexual penetration without consent.

Sexual assault refers to sexual contact or behavior that occurs without explicit consent of the victim. Some forms of sexual assault include:
- Attempted rape
- Fondling or unwanted sexual touching
- Forcing a victim to perform sexual acts, such as oral sex or penetrating the perpetrator’s body
- Penetration of the victim’s body, also known as rape.

Sexual assault/rape can take many different forms, but one thing remains the same: it’s never the victim’s fault.

Most often we hear of sexual violence,  the term "sexual violence" is an all-encompassing, non-legal term that refers to crimes like sexual assault, rape and sexual abuse. A person raped like the case reported in Bamenda recently suffers the following
√. Blitz assault: this is  when a perpetrator quickly and brutally assaults the victim with no prior contact, usually at night or in a quiet place.
√. Psychological abuse (also referred to as psychological violence, emotional abuse, or mental abuse) is a form of abuse, characterized by a person subjecting, or exposing, another person to behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder.

The above explains why we should protect the image of victims and rather expose perpetrators of such acts. Please desist from sharing the videos/images of the abused. Let us respect their dignity.

What to do when faced with a person who has been abused.
√. After a sexual assault,  you should help the person seek medical attention as fast as possible. This will help in checking and treating any possible injuries, STIs and pregnancy.

√. Report to Law Enforcement officers. Note that to fight it, we must speak out. But the manner or medium of speaking out matters.

√. Self-Care after trauma.
Whether it happened recently or years ago, self-care can help the abused cope with the short and long-term effects of a trauma like sexual assault.


We should join our voices to denounce all perpetrators of sexual violence.

                                       Ambe Macmillian A.

What a francophone whispered to us (Journalist) at the Bafoussam police station.

Across the globe, journalism has become very dangerous and it is time for us to use our audiences and platforms to get the world to listen and change the already bad situation.

Journalist sitting on tarmac at the police station

Nine English speaking journalists had their rights violated by the forces of law and order in Bafoussam West region of Cameroon over the weekend 12/07/18.

When faced by the security officers at about 11pm that fateful day, we presented our identification papers and our mission in the region, but we were given deaf ears.

We experienced gross human rights violations during our detention at the Bafoussam police station post 1 beside (palais de justice) central town. We were forced to sit outside in the cold on tarmac all through the night. A majority of us had just T shirts on.

As we sad in the cold wondering why we were arrested, it only donned on us that the language (English) we were  speaking could be the only call for concern in the snack we were at to have dinner and a few drinks.

To buttress this point, I remember a francophone cautioned us to stop speaking English at the police station. He insisted that the language was going to put us into more trouble.

With this in mind, one begins to wonder what crime it is to speak one of the two official languages of Cameroon in any part of the country. And if this could happen to journalists, what more of other citizens of English expression living in French speaking parts of the country?

Journalists are continuously facing challenges in the exercise of their duties and profession in Cameroon. In spite all these, some journalists still exercise professionalism in the face of such intimidation and undue torture.

According to World News Publishing Focus, they advice journalists to commit  to:

#Speaking out on the importance of the protection of our profession
#Tell the stories of the violence experienced by our colleagues across the globe
#Point out how attacks against journalists affect society at large in our coverage.
#Sighlight  governments’ obligation to ensure journalists are able to work freely and without fear of repercussion,
and continue to do so when the institutions fail to prosecute the perpetrators of the violence against our colleagues.
#Cover the causal links between violence against journalists and the impunity behind the great majority of the attacks.
#Hold governments and institutions accountable, when they fail to prosecute the perpetrators of the violence against our colleagues.
                                         
                                           Ambe Macmillian A.