Journalistic Hooliganism: The Case of Cameroon

There seems to be a problem with Journalistic practices in Cameroon. Journalists from the Cameroons have derived a new but old term known as Gumbo-This term has seemingly come to be a daily affair within the cycles of journalistic practices. Ministers and government officials have pocketed some journalist with Gumbo, these journalists turned to writing beautiful articles about them, once Gumbo stopped, blackmail takes the order of the day. Some journalists have developed the tactics of creating award-these awards are fast track for gumbo. Some even go to the extent of trying to blackmail officials who might  not tally with their objectives of providing awards. What might be causing these problems? Is it the low pay check of journalists?

Photo of Tim Finnian: Life Time Newspaper Editor.

Reading through an article posted on " Come and see Journalism in Cameroon" on Facebook, one could not laugh, but noticed a quack headline , with undertones of an unsuccessful gumbo attempt. Some of the headlines read "....How Achidi Achu and some of the NW Fons sponsors Boko Haram". In trying to investigate this newspaper (Life Time), one took notice of a seemingly frustrated editor trying to settle scores by tarnishing the image of a 'father' after futile attempts to extort money from his son. It is reported that a certain Tim Finnian of Life Time newspaper telephoned the paymaster of Ngaoundere, a certain Donatus Achu to inform him that he had been awarded a prize- the condition in which to obtain was a series of bank notes. My sources reveal that, the paymaster suspicious of a scam, politely thanked Finnian but turned down the award and everything it entails. Reports suggest refusing to take "No" for an answer the Gumbo related editor proceeded to make tens of phone calls to an uninterested paymaster. Finnian sent a series of text messages begging Mr Achu to take the award and provide him with some money . Reading through the screenshots of the messages, some of them read:

" IS IT THAT THE AWARD IS OF NO VALUE TO U OR WHAT? I CANT REALLY UNDERSTAND WHY U DROP MY CALLS WHEN U DISCOVER THAT I'M THE ONE OR DOES NOT EVEN PICK MY CALLS. REALLY IT IS PAINFUL. ITS GOOD TO BE CLEAR SO THAT I STOP DISTURBING U.THANKS"//...

"THANKS BUT, I AM REALLY IN FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS FOLLOWING THE SERIES OF DEATHS WC I HAD WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.THANKS// ...

"BRO GD MORNING,WE ARRIVED THIS MORNING WITH THE CORPSE OF THAT MY LATE BROTHER FROM KUMBA WC I TOLD U ABOUT.PRESENTLY WE ARE IN BAMENDA AT THE MORTUARY TO FUTHER TO NJINIKOM TOMORROW FOR BURIAL AND I AM REALLY STRANED.IF I CAN HAVE YOUR OWN SUPPORT FOR THE AWARD,THEN I BE VERY GRATEFUL.LOVE FROM TIM FINNIAN NJUA IN BAMENDA.THANKS// "...

It is really painful to see how some journalist will go to the extend forcing personalities to give them money for award to the extent of lying that they are bereaved. Owners and journalists of newspapers are using their business for gumbo related news articles. However, realizing that the paymaster has decided not to yield to his claims, Finnian decided to get even and as such Finnian is using the edition of his newspaper called Life Time to attack the victim's uncle. Cameroon is better than that.

I have decided to publish this article after doing my own personal findings so that the bad seed within the profession are uprooted. Some of us love this profession and we take it as a passion. Let the professional journalists don't spoil for those of us who are not professionals bust using it as a passion.

God is still saying something.

STOP GENERATION - WHY NEW WAYS ARE NEEDED?

STOP GENERATION -A Southern Cameroons Production

The need to decolonize the Southern Cameroons aka Ambazonia.

Preamble:

It should be recalled that, the 1961 plebiscite vote by the people of Southern Cameroons to gain independence by joining was not meant to form La Republique Du Cameroun. The vote was meant to form a federation of two states, equal in status with La Republique DU Cameroun, thus keeping the culture, way of life and identity of a “people”- the Southern Cameroons people. The following points comes to mind:

1)      In 1972 President Ahidjo said the federation was too expensive and organized an unconstitutional referendum opting for a unitary state (United Republic of Cameroon) and it was a 99.99% victory for him. A vote which involved both Southern and French Cameroun. President Ahidjo forgot that, the Southern Cameroons were a “people” that freely got into the union because a federation was mentioned. If at all there was to be a change in the status of the Union, the referendum organised on 20th May 1972 should have included only the people of Southern Cameroons-the same people who voted to join the Union freely, La Republique had no business to do with the referendum.. Looking at how it was organized, one will say there was no need for a referendum since the result was already known even before it began. Even if all Southern Cameroonians had voted “NO”, it would not have changed the results putting the population of the two states side by side.

2)      In 1984, the new President Paul Biya followed an already laid down script to completely annex the Southern Cameroons. He issued a presidential decree that changed the name of the country from United Republic of Cameroon to La Republique du Cameroun- the same name La Republique had prior to the federation with the Southern Cameroons who had also let go her name (Southern Cameroons). For a president to reverse to La Republique Du Cameroun meant they had opted out of the federation and Southern Cameroonians had the right to revert to their own name prior to the federation. Southern Cameroonians like Chief Godji Dinka, Albert Mukongetc stood against this and the answer from the new colonial master was arbitrary arrest and imprisonments.

3)      With this new development which infringed into the very core of the 1961 plebiscite, Southern Cameroonians saw a need for an All Anglophone conference (AAC) which was held in 1993 in the capital city of Southern Cameroons-Buea. Southern Cameroonians came out with an ultimatum requested Paul biya to revert to the federation or the Southern Cameroons will have no choice than to revert to an independent nation by restoring her independence. As any colonial master will do, Paul biya humiliated them and spat on their faces taking it as a none event.

4)      In 1994, there was a follow up conference in Bamenda termed the  AAC 2. Here after heated debate, Southern Cameroonians opted for the zero option meaning “ Southern Cameroonians shall stop at nothing but independence under the banner of the Southern Cameroons National Council” (SCNC). The colonial regime of La Republique du Cameroun still did not read the handwriting on the wall that said a stitch in time saves nine. Their response was arbitrary arrest, tear gassing and granite lunching on armless Southern Cameroonians. As a barbaric and alien regime they increased their military barracks in the Southern Cameroons.

5)      In 1996 the architects of the defunct federation Dr John Ngu Foncha and Hon ST Muna amongst others went to the UN and tabled a bill informing the UN that the planed federation between the two states has failed. A copy was issued to Paul Biya, note here that Biya has not even for once called for a dialogue between the two peoples.

6)      In 1997 members of the Southern Cameroons Youth League (SCYL) preparing to defend the land were arrested and jailed in colonial prisons in la Republique Du Cameroun. One would have thought that at this time Biya would try to come out with a solution, but no he doesn’t want to dialogue with his captives.

7)      1998-2002 Southern Cameroonians announced the independence over radio Buea and the response was arrest and torture in an underground prison. In 2002, over 70 members of the SCNC were arrested and whisked to jail for celebrating the Southern Cameroons independence day. Still no attempt to dialogue from the tyrant.

8)      In May, 2000 the then UN secretary general Koffi Annan in a visit to the Cameroons asked Paul Biya to get into a constructive dialogue with the SCNC. The response was still brutal force, arrest, maiming, killing and imprisoning of Southern Cameroonians.

9)      The Banjul ruling of 2005 prescribed that Biya gets into a constructive dialogue with the SCNC/SCAPO for a peaceful resolution of the Southern Cameroons question. The Biya regime called the Southern Cameroons leaders terrorists in the African court but were swiftly reminded by the judge that terrorists don’t come to court. According to the colonial regime they don’t negotiate with terrorists, but one would note here that the Biya regime has negotiated with the Boko haram terrorists in their country more than 3 times.

10)   Southern Cameroons lawyers on 9th May 2015  gave an ultimatum to Biya concerning the Southern Cameroons question. The President of La Republique du Cameroun has still not responded.

It is therefore evident that from these ten points listed above,  one would conclude that there seems to be only one language the colonial regime is willing to speak. Southern Cameroonians had spent time begging for freedom. The Stop generation is now taking another twist to this saga. The Southern Cameroons question cannot have a political solution. The stop generation just realized that in other to kill the snake that has invaded the compound, they had spent their time beating at its shadow. Now it is time to leave the shadow alone for it has no effect and go for the real object.

It is therefore imperative to conclude that Biya should be held responsible for anything befalling the Cameroons.

Your Humble Servant

M.Kaavi the Southerner

Biafra and Catalonia fights while Southern Cameroons look on

The Catalonia Parliament recently voted to start independence procedures, however, the Spanish government is fighting in the country's top court a motion passed in the Catalan parliament backing independence from Spain. Catalonians have poured out into the street to support independence. Meanwhile in Nigeria, we are seeing a new wave of Biafra movement protesting freely. These two movements owned businesses, radio houses, newspapers etc. Their protest movement is largely peaceful.

The Southern Cameroons movement has been reduced to writing resolutions and history. SCNC which is one of the most significant movement has somewhat gone comatose if I can use that language. However, the differences in these movements is very much understood. The French spirit has eaten so deep into the fabric of Southern Cameroonians in such a way the Camerounese agenda has become a normality. The Cameroon political system is somewhat complex and the fact that Southern Cameroons have been under a unitary system for more than 42 years makes matter worse. Southern Cameroonians do not yet understand their true history, history textbooks have been truncated to favour La Republique and keep the status quo in such a way that some Southern Cameroonians do not see the need to change the political system.

My understanding is that should Southern Cameroons had remained in a two state federation with La Republique with our own parliament, it would have been very easy for the Southern Cameroons Parliament to vote out of the Union and start a separation process like Catalonia are doing. The same is true for Biafra, the French system has not eaten into them and a federal nature of their government gives them some upper hand against Southern Cameroonians. You will now understand why France advised Ahidjo to collapse the Federal structure in 1972. One of the reasons is to make it very difficult for Southern Cameroons to opt out of the Union as these movements are doing today.

We cannot really compare the Catalonia and Biafra movement with Southern Cameroons on many facets. The underlying point is that Catalonia and Biafra movements are seeking secession because they gained independence with Spain and Nigeria as a nation. Southern Cameroons never gained independence with La Republique. The Southern Cameroons fight is not that of secession . It is that of colonialization and annexation. They are two distinct people who decided to forge a political union based on some terms which has not been respected.

Now, we asked ourselves. Are Southern Cameroonians ready to regain their independence? Are they ready to dare the odds and engage to seek address? Who is that savior to lead Southern Cameroons? Has the force of argument failed? Are we going to continue fighting, seeking independence on social media? The answers lie with you and me.

God is still saying something.

Pan-Africanism and the West: What meaning do we give to it?

Pan-Africanism is defined as the principle or advocacy of the political union of all the indigenous inhabitants of Africa. Wikipedia define it  more clearly as an ideology and movement that encourages the solidarity of Africans worldwide.It is based on the belief that unity is vital to economic, social, and political progress and aims to "unify and uplift" people of African descent.The ideology asserts that the fate of all African peoples and countries are intertwined. At its core Pan-Africanism is "a belief that African peoples, both on the continent and in the diaspora, share not merely a common history, but a common destiny.

However, of recent African dictators who have claimed tight to power have tilted this definition to their favour to continue holding grip to power. To most of them, being against the West and turning to Russia or China is Pan-Africanism. To some saying anything against France is Pan-Africanism. These dictators have brainwashed most African youth and people to believe that they upheld Pan Africanist principles whereas they do not. Their people are under subjugation daily. They cannot even come to common grounds to link up their country with others economically and otherwise.

Everything has been dumped in the doors of the west. Make no mistake, the West have done their worst in Africa, they still do, however, a United and strong Africa can challenge them. Politics is all about interest of various nations. Can our leaders rise up to this challenge? Should we continue to blame the west and not engage to hold our leaders responsible? Have we really lost touch of the true meaning of Pan-Africanism?

A good friend of mine Kuchah Christian Kum, a government base High School Teacher had this to say "How this old breed of deranged Czars managed to drug their youth into retrogressive pan-Africanism, only the devil can tell. The West has become the common victim of our inertia and backwardness. Biya and his click syphon billions of our nation's wealth, yet African-media and the likes would prefer to waste airwaves gossiping about how France wants Biya out. How Biya and his dancing wizards like Mugabe suddenly became heroes beats my imagination"

I think before the trumpets blowers of President Mugabe and his likes start blowing their views, I think we must recognise that these persons have given their best to Africa and their Country and it is time to step at side.

God is still saying something.