For Catherine
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Nature will decide
While God concludes
Unable to count
We shall all be reduced to
Unlookers, silent observers, poorly painted demigods
And the microcosm
He in his infinite wisdom shall be the macrcosm
Omniscient, Omnipotent and omnipresent.
You commend my eloquence and say that is your pride
But then rhetoric should not serve as that which eludes
If anything, it should be like the mouth of the fount
That`s why when I`m likened to Catherine the Great or her credo
I think of pods and cods
But I wouldn`t dream of bringing in communism
In case people start talking of female chauvinism.
That`s why here where I am, I have for God reserved a present.
Copyright 2010
mercredi 31 mars 2010
THE SHADDOW IN THE STREAM
For Arrey
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Oh my goodness, how beautiful you are!
Your looks envelope me in perfumed blankets from afar
Your eyes make me feel dazed
And I drown and sink in them
When I rise, I`m greeted by your tantalizing smile.
Oh, but if only beauty was all there was to a star
Then the world would spin on its wheels like a car
Everyone untoward and unsightly would be phased
And we would all vote for Bethlehem
But then wouldn`t we doubt if we would ever go that extra mile!
Copyright 2010
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Oh my goodness, how beautiful you are!
Your looks envelope me in perfumed blankets from afar
Your eyes make me feel dazed
And I drown and sink in them
When I rise, I`m greeted by your tantalizing smile.
Oh, but if only beauty was all there was to a star
Then the world would spin on its wheels like a car
Everyone untoward and unsightly would be phased
And we would all vote for Bethlehem
But then wouldn`t we doubt if we would ever go that extra mile!
Copyright 2010
JUDGMENT DAY FOR US
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
The time has come
Why shouldn`t it?
When each and everyone of us
Must rise and give an account of themselves.
No one shall suddenly lack gum
Not even the pope or the president,or the pastor
We shall all rise one at a time: humans, beasts, birds, fish
And tell our own stories and hear our own verdicts.
Copyright 2010
The time has come
Why shouldn`t it?
When each and everyone of us
Must rise and give an account of themselves.
No one shall suddenly lack gum
Not even the pope or the president,or the pastor
We shall all rise one at a time: humans, beasts, birds, fish
And tell our own stories and hear our own verdicts.
Copyright 2010
mardi 30 mars 2010
DEATH WITHOUT A WITNESS
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
No, he wasn`t there
I have told you he wasn`t
If he was, we would have seen his parked car
The up storey office window would have been drawn
For sunlight and the cool breeze.
If he was there
The sentinel would have been planted at the door step
All smiles and all radiant.
But he wasn`t there.
Yes, he was there
And I`m telling you he was
It`s not everyday he works with a parked car
Yesterday, his office window was honed
The landlord accused him of sleaze
So he decided to call his lawyer, Cher
He sacked his footman for moving out of step
In the evening he shot himself, calling himself a valiant
So when you went over, he lay in his office dead, right there.
Copyright 2010
No, he wasn`t there
I have told you he wasn`t
If he was, we would have seen his parked car
The up storey office window would have been drawn
For sunlight and the cool breeze.
If he was there
The sentinel would have been planted at the door step
All smiles and all radiant.
But he wasn`t there.
Yes, he was there
And I`m telling you he was
It`s not everyday he works with a parked car
Yesterday, his office window was honed
The landlord accused him of sleaze
So he decided to call his lawyer, Cher
He sacked his footman for moving out of step
In the evening he shot himself, calling himself a valiant
So when you went over, he lay in his office dead, right there.
Copyright 2010
DANISH ROFESSOR CAUTIONS CAMEROONIAN MEDIA
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
A Danish university don has urged Cameroonian journalists to shun « gombo » and make it a thing of the past. The speaker, Poul Erik Nielsen who is Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at the Danish University of Aarhus, made the call recently while speaking at the University of Buea, on the topic: “Different Perspectives on Media and Communication in Processes of Political, Social and Cultural Change” The event which brought together academic staff and students was held in the conference hall of the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences (FSMS), under the coordination of Dr. Eno Tanjong, Associate Professor and Pioneer Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, and chaired by the Department’s current Head of Department, Henry Muluh.
Drawing on his many years of experience in Mongolia where he studied the media and Communication systems, Prof. Nielson pointed out parallels and noted differences between the Mongolian system on the one hand, and on the other hand, the generalized African system as well as the specific system of Cameroon. Themes he touched on included the process of democratization, the media in development and the broader processes of socio-cultural change, the fragility of democracies, governance and institutionalized corruption, as well as communication as a commodity determined by various market factors. The expression the speaker used was “corruption and clientelism”.
Prof. Nielsen noted divides in the processes, some of which he pinpointed as gender, digitalization, urban problems and rural problems, as well as wealth and poverty. He said the relationship between the media and the market is more or less touch and go (our expression) in which the invisible hand takes over and governs the market. He noted that as the media puts out products for its consumers, other forces can intervene and take control. Yet against this background the owner producer who enters the market with his commodity finds himself or herself in competition with others. The external forces, the researcher noted, can come from a number of groups, including that of politicians whom he said are capable of supporting specific media for personal interests. Quoting the Mongolian example, Prof. Nielsen said: “The media in the capital of Mongolia doesn’t cater for the needs of the people on the Steppes.” As a result, he said, such divides grow bigger and bigger.
The professor warned that corruption is ruthless and can easily carve out a niche for itself in society. Once that happens, the social ill can impact negatively on democratization and development. Other sectors very likely to suffer are Customs and Excise, Taxation, the Legal Department as well as Land Tenure.
Prof. Nielsen noted with regret that low salaries are used by journalists to justify unorthodox methods of making money. But as he put it, such a malpractice comes with a price tag. He said that in Mongolia, “the media is part of an unholy alliance because they don’t expose wrongdoing”. Consequently, the media are far from being the “snarling rottweilers” they are supposed to be. “They are lapdogs, not watchdogs”. Even so, he observed that some journalists are prepared to risk their lives in order to change the way things are done. To drive home a point, the professor warned that although many people may not realize that corruption is bad, “corruption is actually like an iceberg”. The implication is obviously that an iceberg is usually a huge block which usually exposes only its tip, thus giving the false impression that that is all there is to it, whereas the bulk of the structure is hidden in the ocean.
One of the most resonant calls the audience is likely to remember is that Prof. Nielsen made on the issue of “gombo”, tips that Cameroonian journalists accept and sometimes demand before publishing a story or after publishing it. The professor vehemently urged media men and women to break out of it and ended up by asking the rather philosophical question: “If you don’t break out of it, then who will?”
Prof. Poul Erik Nielsen holds an MA in Danish Literature and Language, an MA in Communication and a PhD in Media Studies. He has some 20 years of teaching experience in the field. He was accompanied to the University of Buea for the lecture by a former student here at the Department of Journalism (JMC), Teke Ngomba, who is doing a PhD in Political Communication at the professor’s university in Denmark, under his supervision.
Copyright 2010
A Danish university don has urged Cameroonian journalists to shun « gombo » and make it a thing of the past. The speaker, Poul Erik Nielsen who is Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at the Danish University of Aarhus, made the call recently while speaking at the University of Buea, on the topic: “Different Perspectives on Media and Communication in Processes of Political, Social and Cultural Change” The event which brought together academic staff and students was held in the conference hall of the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences (FSMS), under the coordination of Dr. Eno Tanjong, Associate Professor and Pioneer Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, and chaired by the Department’s current Head of Department, Henry Muluh.
Drawing on his many years of experience in Mongolia where he studied the media and Communication systems, Prof. Nielson pointed out parallels and noted differences between the Mongolian system on the one hand, and on the other hand, the generalized African system as well as the specific system of Cameroon. Themes he touched on included the process of democratization, the media in development and the broader processes of socio-cultural change, the fragility of democracies, governance and institutionalized corruption, as well as communication as a commodity determined by various market factors. The expression the speaker used was “corruption and clientelism”.
Prof. Nielsen noted divides in the processes, some of which he pinpointed as gender, digitalization, urban problems and rural problems, as well as wealth and poverty. He said the relationship between the media and the market is more or less touch and go (our expression) in which the invisible hand takes over and governs the market. He noted that as the media puts out products for its consumers, other forces can intervene and take control. Yet against this background the owner producer who enters the market with his commodity finds himself or herself in competition with others. The external forces, the researcher noted, can come from a number of groups, including that of politicians whom he said are capable of supporting specific media for personal interests. Quoting the Mongolian example, Prof. Nielsen said: “The media in the capital of Mongolia doesn’t cater for the needs of the people on the Steppes.” As a result, he said, such divides grow bigger and bigger.
The professor warned that corruption is ruthless and can easily carve out a niche for itself in society. Once that happens, the social ill can impact negatively on democratization and development. Other sectors very likely to suffer are Customs and Excise, Taxation, the Legal Department as well as Land Tenure.
Prof. Nielsen noted with regret that low salaries are used by journalists to justify unorthodox methods of making money. But as he put it, such a malpractice comes with a price tag. He said that in Mongolia, “the media is part of an unholy alliance because they don’t expose wrongdoing”. Consequently, the media are far from being the “snarling rottweilers” they are supposed to be. “They are lapdogs, not watchdogs”. Even so, he observed that some journalists are prepared to risk their lives in order to change the way things are done. To drive home a point, the professor warned that although many people may not realize that corruption is bad, “corruption is actually like an iceberg”. The implication is obviously that an iceberg is usually a huge block which usually exposes only its tip, thus giving the false impression that that is all there is to it, whereas the bulk of the structure is hidden in the ocean.
One of the most resonant calls the audience is likely to remember is that Prof. Nielsen made on the issue of “gombo”, tips that Cameroonian journalists accept and sometimes demand before publishing a story or after publishing it. The professor vehemently urged media men and women to break out of it and ended up by asking the rather philosophical question: “If you don’t break out of it, then who will?”
Prof. Poul Erik Nielsen holds an MA in Danish Literature and Language, an MA in Communication and a PhD in Media Studies. He has some 20 years of teaching experience in the field. He was accompanied to the University of Buea for the lecture by a former student here at the Department of Journalism (JMC), Teke Ngomba, who is doing a PhD in Political Communication at the professor’s university in Denmark, under his supervision.
Copyright 2010
lundi 29 mars 2010
RESURRECT HER
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Bring us some more water
That`s what she needs, especially now
She has lost too much blood and is weak
Her walking stick won`t do
Neither will her pipe
So don`t put the cart before the horse.
Although you may take her for a joker
I see her as a new woman with a new vow
Although to you she may look sleak
For me, I love her hair do
I think she`s just ripe
That`s if her voice is not hoarse.
Copyright 2010
Bring us some more water
That`s what she needs, especially now
She has lost too much blood and is weak
Her walking stick won`t do
Neither will her pipe
So don`t put the cart before the horse.
Although you may take her for a joker
I see her as a new woman with a new vow
Although to you she may look sleak
For me, I love her hair do
I think she`s just ripe
That`s if her voice is not hoarse.
Copyright 2010
THE TRIP TO OKU
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
One of the pistons has given way
That`s why
That`s where the problem lies
It`s not you
It`s not me
And it`s not the driver.
That`s why we always advise people
Not to go to Oku
Unless they`re carrying something to the people
This nation has taken so much from Oku
But given it very little
It`s not about prime ministers or governors
Those are not positions reserved for Oku
In fact anybody can be appointed a prime minister or governor.
Oku has treated lots of people in the country and even out of the country
For many years Oku was the only reliable place in Cameroon
For treating complicated medical cases
It has treated men, women, children, twins
Senior Divisional Officers, Governors, Minister, Parliamentarians
And even Heads of State. Yes, why not?
But the Oku people will not say this because they are modest
For many years Oku schools systematically scored 100 per cent in exams
Oku has the best tradition juju dance group that has represented us all over
Oku people do not use witch craft on their guests
Instead, they protect them
They are a God fearing people
Come on
Let`s render to Caesar what is Caesar`s and to God what is God`s.
Copyright 2010
Let
One of the pistons has given way
That`s why
That`s where the problem lies
It`s not you
It`s not me
And it`s not the driver.
That`s why we always advise people
Not to go to Oku
Unless they`re carrying something to the people
This nation has taken so much from Oku
But given it very little
It`s not about prime ministers or governors
Those are not positions reserved for Oku
In fact anybody can be appointed a prime minister or governor.
Oku has treated lots of people in the country and even out of the country
For many years Oku was the only reliable place in Cameroon
For treating complicated medical cases
It has treated men, women, children, twins
Senior Divisional Officers, Governors, Minister, Parliamentarians
And even Heads of State. Yes, why not?
But the Oku people will not say this because they are modest
For many years Oku schools systematically scored 100 per cent in exams
Oku has the best tradition juju dance group that has represented us all over
Oku people do not use witch craft on their guests
Instead, they protect them
They are a God fearing people
Come on
Let`s render to Caesar what is Caesar`s and to God what is God`s.
Copyright 2010
Let
TRUE SON OF NSO
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Me dze wan nso
Mboh dze wan ntoh
Ki dze ji me dze wan fer Nto
Me dze wan Shufai Ndzendzef wo Ku`un wo Mandze
Me yong a dze Mandze wo Kimbo.
Yiy yem dze Luong Mbilam
Ki yo dze `Lukong` bi ji `lukong` dze Lam barah
Kidze `Luong` bi ji `Luong` dze lamnso.
Me ki Nso feryi
Me limni Kumbo, fo To`oi mo chia
Me ki din nwa i woni
Me shahni Wainamam wuna Jah, wuna Nkar
Me du ni Meluf du yen fada wo fo
Me du ni Shisong du yen wuni orphanage
Me duni mass i Tatum
Min bunri ver catechiste Pa Fonyuy wo u ki dze Tobin
Catechist won shon ki kong su ji "Yi.i.i Tah wun wan!"
Min su ji "Ven ashah du ser communion for mbiy for soe!"
U min yong ji "Ah Jesur, kong kun ta` wo!"
Me ndze wir wo lav ngwah
Me du for ngamsi dzem
Me ki nwerong
Me ki ngiri
Me ki shigwalah
Me ki Wan Mabu mo ayong ji `Minister of Sports`
Bi ji u ki mo a leh feyi.
Me du ni ntoh akang a ninin
Me ki du for ghanse Fon Mbinglo ki sa`a Nso
Mi ki du for ghanse Fon Ngah Bifon ki sa`a Nso
Mboni du fo ghanse Fon wo fiiy ki wini
Me ki dze kimbong wong
Len mo Fon Sehm Mbinglo dze fo ntoh
Mbo ni du
Miyi du
Fon kiy mo feyi
Wu shiy mo ntoh
Wu sui ni mo
Me yi koy ghansi du shahti Fon
Wu dzo Fon Wun
Me dze wan re
Luong Mbilam.
Copyright 2010
Me dze wan nso
Mboh dze wan ntoh
Ki dze ji me dze wan fer Nto
Me dze wan Shufai Ndzendzef wo Ku`un wo Mandze
Me yong a dze Mandze wo Kimbo.
Yiy yem dze Luong Mbilam
Ki yo dze `Lukong` bi ji `lukong` dze Lam barah
Kidze `Luong` bi ji `Luong` dze lamnso.
Me ki Nso feryi
Me limni Kumbo, fo To`oi mo chia
Me ki din nwa i woni
Me shahni Wainamam wuna Jah, wuna Nkar
Me du ni Meluf du yen fada wo fo
Me du ni Shisong du yen wuni orphanage
Me duni mass i Tatum
Min bunri ver catechiste Pa Fonyuy wo u ki dze Tobin
Catechist won shon ki kong su ji "Yi.i.i Tah wun wan!"
Min su ji "Ven ashah du ser communion for mbiy for soe!"
U min yong ji "Ah Jesur, kong kun ta` wo!"
Me ndze wir wo lav ngwah
Me du for ngamsi dzem
Me ki nwerong
Me ki ngiri
Me ki shigwalah
Me ki Wan Mabu mo ayong ji `Minister of Sports`
Bi ji u ki mo a leh feyi.
Me du ni ntoh akang a ninin
Me ki du for ghanse Fon Mbinglo ki sa`a Nso
Mi ki du for ghanse Fon Ngah Bifon ki sa`a Nso
Mboni du fo ghanse Fon wo fiiy ki wini
Me ki dze kimbong wong
Len mo Fon Sehm Mbinglo dze fo ntoh
Mbo ni du
Miyi du
Fon kiy mo feyi
Wu shiy mo ntoh
Wu sui ni mo
Me yi koy ghansi du shahti Fon
Wu dzo Fon Wun
Me dze wan re
Luong Mbilam.
Copyright 2010
MY HOME TRUTH
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I hit the ball alright
It then hit the crossbar
And bounced back
I was suprised that the referee gave us a goal
Despite the justified protests of our opponents.
As a man of God, I could`t sit tight
I `m not made of rubber
And besides, I`m Black
I may not have carried coal
But the Almighty knows I`m one of his respondents.
Copyright 2010
I hit the ball alright
It then hit the crossbar
And bounced back
I was suprised that the referee gave us a goal
Despite the justified protests of our opponents.
As a man of God, I could`t sit tight
I `m not made of rubber
And besides, I`m Black
I may not have carried coal
But the Almighty knows I`m one of his respondents.
Copyright 2010
mercredi 24 mars 2010
BUILDER BY ANOTHER NAME
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I can very well pinpoint engineering
But not the engineer
Why, isn`t it all about metals, chemicals and formulars?
Engineering is scientific and empirical
It works according to laws and principles.
Building construction, stevedoring
Site plans, site offices, factory, overseer
It`s not nature, so neither the pulmonary artery nor the premolars
It`s statistical, concrete, weightable, measurable and inimical
When it passes, in its wake, it leaves architectural ripples.
Copyright 2010
I can very well pinpoint engineering
But not the engineer
Why, isn`t it all about metals, chemicals and formulars?
Engineering is scientific and empirical
It works according to laws and principles.
Building construction, stevedoring
Site plans, site offices, factory, overseer
It`s not nature, so neither the pulmonary artery nor the premolars
It`s statistical, concrete, weightable, measurable and inimical
When it passes, in its wake, it leaves architectural ripples.
Copyright 2010
ENVIRONMENT UNDER THREAT
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
The environment, our environment has come into prominence
And it was time too
The world is moving, it`s changing
But it`s also losing out
Rivers have dried up, the desert is claiming more land
Huge expanses of water have shrunk.
The world is becoming warmer and warmer
Yaounde twenty five years ago was cold
Today the heat casts off your blanket
The ozone layer is punctured
As more industries come up and more pollution is culled
With income shrinking, more and moreof us
Live nelow the poverty line and further degrade the environment.
Copyright 2010
The environment, our environment has come into prominence
And it was time too
The world is moving, it`s changing
But it`s also losing out
Rivers have dried up, the desert is claiming more land
Huge expanses of water have shrunk.
The world is becoming warmer and warmer
Yaounde twenty five years ago was cold
Today the heat casts off your blanket
The ozone layer is punctured
As more industries come up and more pollution is culled
With income shrinking, more and moreof us
Live nelow the poverty line and further degrade the environment.
Copyright 2010
MY TEACHER
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Mr Ben is a great teacher
He knows us by name
He doesn`t teach, he explains
He doesn`t punish, he corrects
He doesn`t mark, he moderates
He doesn`t beat, he adminishes.
Mr Ben isn`t our teacher
He is our school father
hat`s why I like him
I`m sure when you meet Mr Ben
You`ll like him too.
Copyright 2010
Mr Ben is a great teacher
He knows us by name
He doesn`t teach, he explains
He doesn`t punish, he corrects
He doesn`t mark, he moderates
He doesn`t beat, he adminishes.
Mr Ben isn`t our teacher
He is our school father
hat`s why I like him
I`m sure when you meet Mr Ben
You`ll like him too.
Copyright 2010
THE DAIRY FARMER
(Foe Mr Maximuangu, the first Dairying Officer I ever knew. At the time, he was attached to the Agicultural Farm in Bambui, Cameroon, after completeing his studies
in the USA.)
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I love dairy farming
I enjoy washing and counting the cows
I relish milking the full ones
I just love listening to the slushing of the immaculate liquid
As it invades the expectant basin
And the acquiescing animal leans over backward.
With these bare hands, we have made cheese, humming
We have made butter
With Pa Anton Achuo,we have produced butter and fed the geese
At Christmas we have killed a cow or two
We even grew feed:setaria nandi, chloris guyana and brachiaria ruziziensis
So what more can we ask for?
Copyright 2010
in the USA.)
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I love dairy farming
I enjoy washing and counting the cows
I relish milking the full ones
I just love listening to the slushing of the immaculate liquid
As it invades the expectant basin
And the acquiescing animal leans over backward.
With these bare hands, we have made cheese, humming
We have made butter
With Pa Anton Achuo,we have produced butter and fed the geese
At Christmas we have killed a cow or two
We even grew feed:setaria nandi, chloris guyana and brachiaria ruziziensis
So what more can we ask for?
Copyright 2010
THE NATURE OF CLOUDS
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I don`t like the way the sky looks
It`s overcast with cumulus clouds
I prefer nimbus because they make me think
Stratus clouds make me exist.
Such beautiful clouds don`t come in brooks
They`re more common in the thick mangroves the Fon lauds
But by all means, stay clear of the brink
Because if you`re pulled down, you cease to exist.
Copyright 2010
I don`t like the way the sky looks
It`s overcast with cumulus clouds
I prefer nimbus because they make me think
Stratus clouds make me exist.
Such beautiful clouds don`t come in brooks
They`re more common in the thick mangroves the Fon lauds
But by all means, stay clear of the brink
Because if you`re pulled down, you cease to exist.
Copyright 2010
THE SOIL FIXER
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
This soil isn`t good enough
It contains too much alluvium
Too much sodium chloride
We need more silicon,more sand and more nitrates.
As you can see,this sample is rough
It lacks balance, fair play and equilibrium
So don`t give it a rough ride
To double yields, we must triple chemical concentrates.
Copyright 2010
This soil isn`t good enough
It contains too much alluvium
Too much sodium chloride
We need more silicon,more sand and more nitrates.
As you can see,this sample is rough
It lacks balance, fair play and equilibrium
So don`t give it a rough ride
To double yields, we must triple chemical concentrates.
Copyright 2010
mardi 23 mars 2010
CROP INFECTION
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
The crops have suffered
They have wilted and withered
It was a crop pest, an infection
Plant pathology
Inadequate chemical spraying.
The aid the government offered
Far from being fairly distributed, was frittered
It wasn`t potato blight infection
Bo,we`re not on tubers, agronomy
If all else fails,then let`s try sun drying.
Copyright 2010
The crops have suffered
They have wilted and withered
It was a crop pest, an infection
Plant pathology
Inadequate chemical spraying.
The aid the government offered
Far from being fairly distributed, was frittered
It wasn`t potato blight infection
Bo,we`re not on tubers, agronomy
If all else fails,then let`s try sun drying.
Copyright 2010
THE KNEE JERK REACTION
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
We also looked in that direction
And kept everyone in suspense
We tried to be relevant to the audience
While taking the parceled packages for granted.
When the conflagration broke out
It was too late.
Copyright 2010
We also looked in that direction
And kept everyone in suspense
We tried to be relevant to the audience
While taking the parceled packages for granted.
When the conflagration broke out
It was too late.
Copyright 2010
TEST PAPER
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
It’s the same language
Not a dialect
Therefore bring your gauge
So that we can test your intellect.
Copyright 2010
It’s the same language
Not a dialect
Therefore bring your gauge
So that we can test your intellect.
Copyright 2010
THE LONG RACE
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
The long awaited marathon is on
And in earnest
So, don’t bother
Pull out all the stops.
Senate is no fun
It’s a move taken at everyone’s behest
That’s when news becomes a wafer
To be traded for props.
Copyright 2010
The long awaited marathon is on
And in earnest
So, don’t bother
Pull out all the stops.
Senate is no fun
It’s a move taken at everyone’s behest
That’s when news becomes a wafer
To be traded for props.
Copyright 2010
TELLING IT LIKE IT IS
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I tell the truth, all of it
Like Franklin Lemana Tina
Like me or lump me, I won’t fidget
If you like, send me to Maroua.
Copyright 2010
I tell the truth, all of it
Like Franklin Lemana Tina
Like me or lump me, I won’t fidget
If you like, send me to Maroua.
Copyright 2010
WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE
By Tikum, Mbah Azonga
I told him all about the purse
But I didn’t tell him about the nurse
Nurses are always busy
And I didn’t want him to think her easy.
Copyright 2010-03-24
I told him all about the purse
But I didn’t tell him about the nurse
Nurses are always busy
And I didn’t want him to think her easy.
Copyright 2010-03-24
LOYAL FRIEND
(For Martin Luma, Cameroonian former cabinet minister and statesman who was divinely singled out and entrusted the mission of being the only African who grew up in Nazi Germany and came in close contact with the then German Leader Adolf Hitler and his henchmen)
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I’m not a conman
No, I’m a best man
I stood by Hitler in Berlin
And was foreman at Michelin.
Footnote: My tribute to the UPSTATION MOUNTAIN CLUB Blog thanks to which I discovered this formidable life story researched by Mr. N.N. Susungi
Copyright 2010-03-24
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I’m not a conman
No, I’m a best man
I stood by Hitler in Berlin
And was foreman at Michelin.
Footnote: My tribute to the UPSTATION MOUNTAIN CLUB Blog thanks to which I discovered this formidable life story researched by Mr. N.N. Susungi
Copyright 2010-03-24
MY ONE AND ONLY ROCK
(For Afanwi)
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
You are my source of inspiration
Perhaps unknowingly, you fire me up
Like the Christmas day balloon
With you I’m simply on top of the world
I can do anything
I go anywhere, any time
Because I know you’ll back me
You are my support, my backup, my fortress
My bulwark, my prop, my foothold, my sustenance
My stronghold, my fort, my fortification,
My citadel, my bastion, my castle, my refuge.
Copyright 2010-03-24
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
You are my source of inspiration
Perhaps unknowingly, you fire me up
Like the Christmas day balloon
With you I’m simply on top of the world
I can do anything
I go anywhere, any time
Because I know you’ll back me
You are my support, my backup, my fortress
My bulwark, my prop, my foothold, my sustenance
My stronghold, my fort, my fortification,
My citadel, my bastion, my castle, my refuge.
Copyright 2010-03-24
THE SENSELESS VACUUM
(For Lum)
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
You mean the whole world to me
Nothing more, nothing less
You are the centre, no the nucleus of my life
You are the apple of my eye.
Without you life is meaningless.
Just for you I’d pay any fee
To annihilate for ever this nothingness
With you around I don’t need All Life
You are my insurance policy manifold sky high
The only thing I need is a kiss and a caress.
Copyright 2010-03-24
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
You mean the whole world to me
Nothing more, nothing less
You are the centre, no the nucleus of my life
You are the apple of my eye.
Without you life is meaningless.
Just for you I’d pay any fee
To annihilate for ever this nothingness
With you around I don’t need All Life
You are my insurance policy manifold sky high
The only thing I need is a kiss and a caress.
Copyright 2010-03-24
DEUX POIDS, UNE MESURE
(A Menerva)
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Je vais reprendre mon poids
Je vais le faire en bonne et due forme
Et comme il se doit
Je te le jure formellement
Et je te le promets solennellement.
Je ne suis pas un oiseau de mauvaise augure, sans oie
Je suis debo en devenir, sur le fond comme sur la forme.
Aux urnes on ne peut jouir que d`une seule voix
Mais ma voix est celle qui porte lourdement
Etant de la Bénoué, je suis engagée et incontournable , sincèrement.
Copyright 2010
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Je vais reprendre mon poids
Je vais le faire en bonne et due forme
Et comme il se doit
Je te le jure formellement
Et je te le promets solennellement.
Je ne suis pas un oiseau de mauvaise augure, sans oie
Je suis debo en devenir, sur le fond comme sur la forme.
Aux urnes on ne peut jouir que d`une seule voix
Mais ma voix est celle qui porte lourdement
Etant de la Bénoué, je suis engagée et incontournable , sincèrement.
Copyright 2010
ME AS MY OWN MIRROR
(For Menerva)
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Life is style
But that, of course, depends on which side you’re on
Are you sailing up the Nile?
Or perhaps you’re just an object on the run
But if all you care about is your bile
Then, obviously, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
A philosopher once said: “Know thyself”
And I believe I know myself well
I don’t have to read every book on the shelf
To know that once I’ve met my soul mate, I’m well.
That’s why I believe so much in God and myself.
Copyright 2010
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Life is style
But that, of course, depends on which side you’re on
Are you sailing up the Nile?
Or perhaps you’re just an object on the run
But if all you care about is your bile
Then, obviously, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
A philosopher once said: “Know thyself”
And I believe I know myself well
I don’t have to read every book on the shelf
To know that once I’ve met my soul mate, I’m well.
That’s why I believe so much in God and myself.
Copyright 2010
lundi 22 mars 2010
THE CUTTING EDGE
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
That`s why he gained the upper hand
What did you expect?
That he would shoot down a bird
And then eat his meal with no meat?
In which country?
Now that commodity prices, all of them
Are for ever rising
Do you expect any farmer to take chances?
What about the State subsidies?
What about the promised cut interest rates?
What about the unfair demand and supply?
What about the low GDP?
What about the equally low GNP?
And the shocking infant mortality rate?
And the soaring inflation rate?
What do you say?
What do you say about all that?
Copyright 2010
That`s why he gained the upper hand
What did you expect?
That he would shoot down a bird
And then eat his meal with no meat?
In which country?
Now that commodity prices, all of them
Are for ever rising
Do you expect any farmer to take chances?
What about the State subsidies?
What about the promised cut interest rates?
What about the unfair demand and supply?
What about the low GDP?
What about the equally low GNP?
And the shocking infant mortality rate?
And the soaring inflation rate?
What do you say?
What do you say about all that?
Copyright 2010
BASIC FACTS OF LIFE
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
There is no easier way
Unless you want to be spoonfed
Fight your own battles
Stake your own life
That`s what life`s all about
Expect no freee bees
No free lifts
No free drinks
No free rides
No paid holidays
No chauffeur-driven cars
No godfathers
In life, in this life
Nothing goes for nothing
And that`s the price to pay.
There is no easier way
Unless you want to be spoonfed
Fight your own battles
Stake your own life
That`s what life`s all about
Expect no freee bees
No free lifts
No free drinks
No free rides
No paid holidays
No chauffeur-driven cars
No godfathers
In life, in this life
Nothing goes for nothing
And that`s the price to pay.
THE HARD WAY
(For His Royal Highness Fon SINTIEH III, Fon of Oku, a close friend and former colleague)
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I learned it the hard way
So don`t copy me
If I was a scape goat
You should be the master calling the shots.
As Leo, I can`t wait for the month of May
Otherwise, we`ll pay the heaviest fee
And in the end simply bloat
We don`t want any more blot clots.
Copyright 2010
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I learned it the hard way
So don`t copy me
If I was a scape goat
You should be the master calling the shots.
As Leo, I can`t wait for the month of May
Otherwise, we`ll pay the heaviest fee
And in the end simply bloat
We don`t want any more blot clots.
Copyright 2010
QUARREL AT THE HOSPITAL
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Today is Sunday
And we know why
It’s because Saturday exited prematurely
After suffering a slipped disk
Professionals call it the herniated, ruptured or prolapsed disk
Hospital emergency couldn’t help
Saturday would have had to be rushed to the theatre
For an emergency operation
But then there would have been a hitch
Because the anesthetist is on vacation
He left for Europe, taking his keys
So neither the surgeon
Nor the gynecologist
Nor the pediatrician
Nor the urologist
Could gain access to his office.
So this morning at the hospital
Everyone was only too happy to fly the flag at half mast
And rejoice that the baobab had at last fallen
Even so
How can we be so sure?
The decree has not been issued yet
At least the National Radio Station has not broadcast it
The way things happen in this country
I wouldn’t be surprised if in the end
There is even no decree
And Dr Sacks enjoys himself in Bavaria
And returns unchallenged, unquestioned, unscathed.
Today is Sunday
And the priests, our priests have spoken
So have the pastors
At least there are no more slipped disks
So now, what will happen at the hospital
While we all wait for the return of the key?
Shall Sunday tarry and stay the course?
Shall Monday rush and gun for the position
Or shall it wait patiently for its natural turn?
Shall Tuesday be looking on and laughing?
And shall Saturday be looking back and regretting?
Copyright 2010
Today is Sunday
And we know why
It’s because Saturday exited prematurely
After suffering a slipped disk
Professionals call it the herniated, ruptured or prolapsed disk
Hospital emergency couldn’t help
Saturday would have had to be rushed to the theatre
For an emergency operation
But then there would have been a hitch
Because the anesthetist is on vacation
He left for Europe, taking his keys
So neither the surgeon
Nor the gynecologist
Nor the pediatrician
Nor the urologist
Could gain access to his office.
So this morning at the hospital
Everyone was only too happy to fly the flag at half mast
And rejoice that the baobab had at last fallen
Even so
How can we be so sure?
The decree has not been issued yet
At least the National Radio Station has not broadcast it
The way things happen in this country
I wouldn’t be surprised if in the end
There is even no decree
And Dr Sacks enjoys himself in Bavaria
And returns unchallenged, unquestioned, unscathed.
Today is Sunday
And the priests, our priests have spoken
So have the pastors
At least there are no more slipped disks
So now, what will happen at the hospital
While we all wait for the return of the key?
Shall Sunday tarry and stay the course?
Shall Monday rush and gun for the position
Or shall it wait patiently for its natural turn?
Shall Tuesday be looking on and laughing?
And shall Saturday be looking back and regretting?
Copyright 2010
dimanche 21 mars 2010
DISCIPLES OF CHEMISTRY
(For Dr. Henry Joko my classmate at Sacred Heart College, Bamenda, Republic of Cameroon, who was born a chemist)
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I like chemistry
Not so much the chemistry of carbons
But the chemistry of the halogens
The periodic table
With all its characteristics and properties
Formations, reactions, emissions
Bromine, chlorine and fluorine
The Group 7 family.
Mendeleev did a great job
Providing a springboard not just for chemistry
But also physics and engineering
Mendeleev is the Einstein of chemistry.
Thanks to the table, we can
Classify, compare, contrast, synthesize and observe
We can note atomic numbers with protons
Quantum mechanics
Electron configuration.
But I also remember the alkaline earth metals
The metalloids
The transition elements
Let’s just lump all of them together
Lanthanides
Actinides
The noble gases.
But think of the singles
Magnesium
Manganese
Lead
Sodium
Chlorine
Bromine
Aluminium
Silicon
Tin
Cupper
Zinc.
Bonding
I mean, chemical bonding
Covalent bonding
Ionic bonding
Metallic bonding
You name them.
Think about the compounds
Those chemical substances of two or more chemical elements
Capable of further breakdown
Sodium Chloride (NaCl)
Hydrogen Chloride (HCl)
Manganese Dioxide (MnO2)
Magnesium Chloride (MgCl2)
Sodium Nitrite (NaNO2)
Potassium Permanganate (KMnO4).
Of course, acids are in a class of their own
Acidus
In water they give a hydrogen ion activity
Hydrochloric Acid (HCl)
Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4)
Acetic Acid (CH3COOH),
Chloric Acid (HCl03)
Nitric Acid (HN03)
Perchloric Acid (HCL04)
Hydrobromic Acid (HBr)
Hypochloric Acid (HCl0).
This is all no news for Dr. Henry Joko
We called him “Doctor” back at school
Long before he became one.
That was when as school infirmarian
He prescribed and supplied us
Acetylsalicylic Acid
As the need arose
He told us about diethyl ether
And the chemistry of esters
And esterization
All in a day’s work.
But today
Does he still remember those good old days
And the times when Brother Norbert
Vice Principal and Chemistry teacher
Taught us in Forms Four and Five
“One mole, one gram, one atom!”
Or perhaps now that the times have changed
We have all moved on
And a lot of water has flown under the bridge
Dr. Joko is too busy
Consulting
Diagnosing
Feeling with his stethoscope
Opening up, stitching up and closing up
Like our other Classmate, Dr. Charles Awasom
Director of the Regional Hospital in Bamenda
Dr. Sanjoh John Aloh, medical officer in charge of the
National Social Insurance Fund Hospital in Yaounde
Where he succeeded our other classmate, Dr. Kuma Nkuo
Today a doctor in his own right too
Somewhere in Europe?
Those were the classmates of ours who went on to become physicians
They were the ones who went out to spread the word about chemistry
They were the ones who went out to implement what Brother Norbert taught us
And before him, Mr John Fombe in Form Three
And before him, Mr Forbi (Molecular Man) in Form Two
And before him, Mr Obassey in Form One.
They have helped in propping the new world order
And so Chemistry has lived on
And developed
And evolved
It has taken its place in the new dispensation
In the life on the fast lane
In the re-ordered universe
Characterized by the new communication superhighway
And the global village.
Copyright 2010
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I like chemistry
Not so much the chemistry of carbons
But the chemistry of the halogens
The periodic table
With all its characteristics and properties
Formations, reactions, emissions
Bromine, chlorine and fluorine
The Group 7 family.
Mendeleev did a great job
Providing a springboard not just for chemistry
But also physics and engineering
Mendeleev is the Einstein of chemistry.
Thanks to the table, we can
Classify, compare, contrast, synthesize and observe
We can note atomic numbers with protons
Quantum mechanics
Electron configuration.
But I also remember the alkaline earth metals
The metalloids
The transition elements
Let’s just lump all of them together
Lanthanides
Actinides
The noble gases.
But think of the singles
Magnesium
Manganese
Lead
Sodium
Chlorine
Bromine
Aluminium
Silicon
Tin
Cupper
Zinc.
Bonding
I mean, chemical bonding
Covalent bonding
Ionic bonding
Metallic bonding
You name them.
Think about the compounds
Those chemical substances of two or more chemical elements
Capable of further breakdown
Sodium Chloride (NaCl)
Hydrogen Chloride (HCl)
Manganese Dioxide (MnO2)
Magnesium Chloride (MgCl2)
Sodium Nitrite (NaNO2)
Potassium Permanganate (KMnO4).
Of course, acids are in a class of their own
Acidus
In water they give a hydrogen ion activity
Hydrochloric Acid (HCl)
Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4)
Acetic Acid (CH3COOH),
Chloric Acid (HCl03)
Nitric Acid (HN03)
Perchloric Acid (HCL04)
Hydrobromic Acid (HBr)
Hypochloric Acid (HCl0).
This is all no news for Dr. Henry Joko
We called him “Doctor” back at school
Long before he became one.
That was when as school infirmarian
He prescribed and supplied us
Acetylsalicylic Acid
As the need arose
He told us about diethyl ether
And the chemistry of esters
And esterization
All in a day’s work.
But today
Does he still remember those good old days
And the times when Brother Norbert
Vice Principal and Chemistry teacher
Taught us in Forms Four and Five
“One mole, one gram, one atom!”
Or perhaps now that the times have changed
We have all moved on
And a lot of water has flown under the bridge
Dr. Joko is too busy
Consulting
Diagnosing
Feeling with his stethoscope
Opening up, stitching up and closing up
Like our other Classmate, Dr. Charles Awasom
Director of the Regional Hospital in Bamenda
Dr. Sanjoh John Aloh, medical officer in charge of the
National Social Insurance Fund Hospital in Yaounde
Where he succeeded our other classmate, Dr. Kuma Nkuo
Today a doctor in his own right too
Somewhere in Europe?
Those were the classmates of ours who went on to become physicians
They were the ones who went out to spread the word about chemistry
They were the ones who went out to implement what Brother Norbert taught us
And before him, Mr John Fombe in Form Three
And before him, Mr Forbi (Molecular Man) in Form Two
And before him, Mr Obassey in Form One.
They have helped in propping the new world order
And so Chemistry has lived on
And developed
And evolved
It has taken its place in the new dispensation
In the life on the fast lane
In the re-ordered universe
Characterized by the new communication superhighway
And the global village.
Copyright 2010
MWASI KITOKO NA NGAI
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Mwana mwasi
Na lingi yo
Awa, sikoyo
Oli mwasi kitoko mingi.
Wapi Papa nayo
Azali te
Mama nayo azali te
Bazali mboka
Yo, ozali Brazza.
Mwasi nangai
Ozali mingi nga
Na lingi yo
Ngai na leli
Mpo na lingi you
Ozali mwasi kitoko mingi
Ozali mwasi nangai
Ozali mwasi na biso
Melesi Tata Nzambe
Melesi Tata Mokonzi
Melesi mingi, mingi.
Copyright 2010
Mwana mwasi
Na lingi yo
Awa, sikoyo
Oli mwasi kitoko mingi.
Wapi Papa nayo
Azali te
Mama nayo azali te
Bazali mboka
Yo, ozali Brazza.
Mwasi nangai
Ozali mingi nga
Na lingi yo
Ngai na leli
Mpo na lingi you
Ozali mwasi kitoko mingi
Ozali mwasi nangai
Ozali mwasi na biso
Melesi Tata Nzambe
Melesi Tata Mokonzi
Melesi mingi, mingi.
Copyright 2010
THE MEETING POINT
(By Tikum Mbah Azonga)
We’re just from church
We always go there on Sundays
To congregate, to socialize
With like-minded persons.
Do we just lurch?
Or do we sit and contemplate God’s rays?
Anyway, we’re told if we want a prize
We must pass through the parsons.
Copyright 2010
We’re just from church
We always go there on Sundays
To congregate, to socialize
With like-minded persons.
Do we just lurch?
Or do we sit and contemplate God’s rays?
Anyway, we’re told if we want a prize
We must pass through the parsons.
Copyright 2010
samedi 20 mars 2010
THE JUGGLER
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I did it alone
All alone, I swear
So don’t involve them
I stand by my deed and word
I won’t deny it
Neither will I quiver.
It was who hid the weaver bird’s bone
Because I had nothing to wear
Not being able to go to Bethlehem
I prayed about Mary and the Word
Thanks to them I avoided the deep pit
Today, I’m not the weaver bird, but just the weaver.
Copyright 2010
I did it alone
All alone, I swear
So don’t involve them
I stand by my deed and word
I won’t deny it
Neither will I quiver.
It was who hid the weaver bird’s bone
Because I had nothing to wear
Not being able to go to Bethlehem
I prayed about Mary and the Word
Thanks to them I avoided the deep pit
Today, I’m not the weaver bird, but just the weaver.
Copyright 2010
HIDDEN AGENDA
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I’ve been to the cockpit
I was there all alone
To see for myself
I went with the golden pen
The archbishop’s cloak of silk
The Moderator’s velvet missal
And the Legion Commander’s pistol.
If you have nothing to do, just sit
Put up your feet and read about the clown
If there’s no virgin book on your shelf
Get some corn and feed the lone hen
To the poppies, give some fresh milk
If all else fails, return to Bristol.
Copyright 2010
I’ve been to the cockpit
I was there all alone
To see for myself
I went with the golden pen
The archbishop’s cloak of silk
The Moderator’s velvet missal
And the Legion Commander’s pistol.
If you have nothing to do, just sit
Put up your feet and read about the clown
If there’s no virgin book on your shelf
Get some corn and feed the lone hen
To the poppies, give some fresh milk
If all else fails, return to Bristol.
Copyright 2010
LIES, ALL LIES, DAMNED LIES
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
It’s all a hollow sham
Stage acting
Playing to the gallery
He’s just another Honorable Member
So don’t listen to him.
His cupboard is full of bangles coated with ham
And lumps of fat sagging
And boldly written in scarlet, the name, `Valerie`
But when he shall be asked for the ram
He’ll complain everyone is gunning for him.
Copyright 2010
It’s all a hollow sham
Stage acting
Playing to the gallery
He’s just another Honorable Member
So don’t listen to him.
His cupboard is full of bangles coated with ham
And lumps of fat sagging
And boldly written in scarlet, the name, `Valerie`
But when he shall be asked for the ram
He’ll complain everyone is gunning for him.
Copyright 2010
L`ART DE PARLER
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
J`aime parler
Mais seul, tout seul
Sans sel, ni autre épice
Tu sais, je vis dans une maison
Sans toit ni hangar.
Quoi, tu attends sa Majesté ?
Et il est filleul ?
Celui qui travaille à la Cour d`Assises ?
J`espère que tu n`as pas perdu la raison
Tu risques d`être exilé à Maga.
Copyright 2010
J`aime parler
Mais seul, tout seul
Sans sel, ni autre épice
Tu sais, je vis dans une maison
Sans toit ni hangar.
Quoi, tu attends sa Majesté ?
Et il est filleul ?
Celui qui travaille à la Cour d`Assises ?
J`espère que tu n`as pas perdu la raison
Tu risques d`être exilé à Maga.
Copyright 2010
(A M. Amadou Vamoulke actuellement Directeur Général de la CRTV)
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Quel est ce signe
Est-ce celui de Jonas
Et où est donc le sceptre du gouverneur ?
Dans les poubelles ?
Tu veux dire, toutes les poubelles ?
Est-ce une métaphore ?
Une anallepse ou une litote ?
Cherchez alors du sable fin
Et pour finir, le linceul du Christ.
Copyright 2010
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Quel est ce signe
Est-ce celui de Jonas
Et où est donc le sceptre du gouverneur ?
Dans les poubelles ?
Tu veux dire, toutes les poubelles ?
Est-ce une métaphore ?
Une anallepse ou une litote ?
Cherchez alors du sable fin
Et pour finir, le linceul du Christ.
Copyright 2010
MON SOBRIQUET
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
J`aime quand tu m`appelles ainsi
Ca me fait oublier les malheurs
Et tout ce que j`ai comme heurts
Que ce soit ici ou en Asie.
Copyright 2010
J`aime quand tu m`appelles ainsi
Ca me fait oublier les malheurs
Et tout ce que j`ai comme heurts
Que ce soit ici ou en Asie.
Copyright 2010
LA NATURE DE MONSIEUR L`ABBE
(A Jimmy Biyong Artiste et Humoriste de qualités exceptionnelles, aujourd`hui de regrettée mémoire)
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Je veux du lait
Non par ce que je suis laid
Mais par ce que le curé a peté
Et que moi j`ai horreur de l`obscurité
Vous savez, comme on dit
La nature a horreur du vide.
Copyright 2010
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Je veux du lait
Non par ce que je suis laid
Mais par ce que le curé a peté
Et que moi j`ai horreur de l`obscurité
Vous savez, comme on dit
La nature a horreur du vide.
Copyright 2010
PAYS EN MIETTES
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Notre pays à mal son peuple
Vaste empire qu`il est
Regorgeant de ressources de toutes sortes
Il est incapable de nourrir ses enfants
La corruption a pris des proportions alarmantes
Et nos ancêtres de l`au delà pleurent
Ils sont en larmes à longueur de journée
Ils pleurent leur nom aujourd`hui blanchi, terni
Souille, adultéré et refoulé
Que vont donc devenir toutes ces étoiles ?
Nos gisements de pétrole et d`or ?
Où vont passer nos mots de passe ?
Oh pays de notre avenir
Terre de nos aïeux
Nous te pleurons tous
Nous attendons l`arc-en-ciel
Que le bon Dieu nous enverra
Pour annoncer la trêve
C`est notre seul espoir.
Copyright 2010
LES RAFALES DU CHEF DE L`ETAT
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Ce fut très subite
Tout d`un coup
Elle se leva
Ramassa son sac en cuir
Se retourna brusquement
Et reprit son chemin
Silence lourd et troublant
Aucun mot
Aucune parole
Puis papa se racla et d`une voix solennelle,
« Laissez-la partir
Elle paiera le prix ! »
Sur ce, il pénétra dans sa chambre noire
Anne et Pierre se mirent à pleurer
Maman sauta en scandant le nom de Jésus
Papa resurgit
Torse nu et déclara haut et fort :
« En tout cas
C`est Paul Biya qui va gagner
Vous perdez votre temps ! »
Il s`éclipsa encore une fois
Ensuite on vit arriver
Une Prado neuve et brillante
Qui se gara devant la maison
On vit en sortir un gendarme en tenue
Lettre à la main
Il descendit et remit la lettre à ma mère qui recula :
« Ce n`est pas moi le chef de famille
Mon mari est là. »
Le gendarme patienta
Lorsque sortit papa
Celui-la lui tendit la lettre
Papa l`ouvrit et me la tendit à son tour
« Lis, mon fils ! »
Et je lus
« De la part du Président de la République
Palais de l`Unité
Etoudi
Mon cher Monsieur Anuafor
Vous m`avez déçu
Vous m`avez trahi
Alors, ne prononcez plus mon nom
Je ne suis pas là
Je ne vous connais plus
Bande d`apprentis sorciers ! »
Copyright 2010-03-20
Ce fut très subite
Tout d`un coup
Elle se leva
Ramassa son sac en cuir
Se retourna brusquement
Et reprit son chemin
Silence lourd et troublant
Aucun mot
Aucune parole
Puis papa se racla et d`une voix solennelle,
« Laissez-la partir
Elle paiera le prix ! »
Sur ce, il pénétra dans sa chambre noire
Anne et Pierre se mirent à pleurer
Maman sauta en scandant le nom de Jésus
Papa resurgit
Torse nu et déclara haut et fort :
« En tout cas
C`est Paul Biya qui va gagner
Vous perdez votre temps ! »
Il s`éclipsa encore une fois
Ensuite on vit arriver
Une Prado neuve et brillante
Qui se gara devant la maison
On vit en sortir un gendarme en tenue
Lettre à la main
Il descendit et remit la lettre à ma mère qui recula :
« Ce n`est pas moi le chef de famille
Mon mari est là. »
Le gendarme patienta
Lorsque sortit papa
Celui-la lui tendit la lettre
Papa l`ouvrit et me la tendit à son tour
« Lis, mon fils ! »
Et je lus
« De la part du Président de la République
Palais de l`Unité
Etoudi
Mon cher Monsieur Anuafor
Vous m`avez déçu
Vous m`avez trahi
Alors, ne prononcez plus mon nom
Je ne suis pas là
Je ne vous connais plus
Bande d`apprentis sorciers ! »
Copyright 2010-03-20
PEINE PERDUE
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Ramasse ton petit cadeau
Il ne signifie rien
Ne de par sa forme
Ni de par son fond
Alors, quel gâchis !
Et quel temps perdu !
Copyright 2010
Ramasse ton petit cadeau
Il ne signifie rien
Ne de par sa forme
Ni de par son fond
Alors, quel gâchis !
Et quel temps perdu !
Copyright 2010
L`ARBRE DU JOUR
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
La tendresse du soleil est trompeuse
Elle est aléatoire
Alors si tu tenais encore cette fleur rose
N`aurait-on pas déjà maudit cette terre meurtrière ?
Nous ne voyons plus la tronçonneuse
C`est à dire le don du député de notre terroir
Voilà pourquoi ce matin la vie est morose
Ce qui va nous sauver, c`est bonne poudrière.
Copyright 2010
La tendresse du soleil est trompeuse
Elle est aléatoire
Alors si tu tenais encore cette fleur rose
N`aurait-on pas déjà maudit cette terre meurtrière ?
Nous ne voyons plus la tronçonneuse
C`est à dire le don du député de notre terroir
Voilà pourquoi ce matin la vie est morose
Ce qui va nous sauver, c`est bonne poudrière.
Copyright 2010
AMBIANCE DE KERMESSE
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Ce n`est pas une réplique
C`est une rétorque
Alors, quel beau temps
Surtout pour nos enfants !
Ce soir, la fraîcheur est éclectique
Et l`atmosphère, électrique
Pour toi qui attends
C`est l`ambiance bon enfant.
Copyright 2010
Ce n`est pas une réplique
C`est une rétorque
Alors, quel beau temps
Surtout pour nos enfants !
Ce soir, la fraîcheur est éclectique
Et l`atmosphère, électrique
Pour toi qui attends
C`est l`ambiance bon enfant.
Copyright 2010
MON PETIT AMI
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Je descends à Bonadibong
Alors, ne m`amène pas ailleurs
C`est la ou est emprisonne mon cœur
Ce cœur fébrile, sensible et traumatisé
Mais jamais je ne baisserai les bras
Jamais je ne déclarerais forfait
Car je sais que toi, James
Tu es à moi
Monique perd son temps
Il faut qu`elle le sache.
Copyright 2010
Je descends à Bonadibong
Alors, ne m`amène pas ailleurs
C`est la ou est emprisonne mon cœur
Ce cœur fébrile, sensible et traumatisé
Mais jamais je ne baisserai les bras
Jamais je ne déclarerais forfait
Car je sais que toi, James
Tu es à moi
Monique perd son temps
Il faut qu`elle le sache.
Copyright 2010
AIMER OU MOURIR
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Je t`aime, ma chérie
Et tu le sais bien
Peu importe la distance
Car entre Paris et Ambam
Il n`y a ni temps ni espace
C`est le néant
Mais le néant plein de signification
Et lourd de conséquences
Alors, attends-moi
Même dans un an
Je viendrai
Même s`il s`agit de cent ans
Je viendrai.
Copyright 2010
Je t`aime, ma chérie
Et tu le sais bien
Peu importe la distance
Car entre Paris et Ambam
Il n`y a ni temps ni espace
C`est le néant
Mais le néant plein de signification
Et lourd de conséquences
Alors, attends-moi
Même dans un an
Je viendrai
Même s`il s`agit de cent ans
Je viendrai.
Copyright 2010
TRAVAIL FORCE
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Il était quatre heures
L`heure de la prière nocturne
Et seul chez moi
Je comptais les pierres angulaires
Que les moines cassaient
A grand bruit
Mais je suis rentre bras ballants
Bredouille
Sauf pour cette petite brindelle de balai.
Copyright 2010
Il était quatre heures
L`heure de la prière nocturne
Et seul chez moi
Je comptais les pierres angulaires
Que les moines cassaient
A grand bruit
Mais je suis rentre bras ballants
Bredouille
Sauf pour cette petite brindelle de balai.
Copyright 2010
TEMPERAMENTS CONFONDUS
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Papa n`est pas égoïste
Il est altruiste
Maman est gourmande
Mais elle est généreuse et droite comme la fronde.
Copyright 2010
Papa n`est pas égoïste
Il est altruiste
Maman est gourmande
Mais elle est généreuse et droite comme la fronde.
Copyright 2010
QUI JE SUIS
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Je ne pense pas au câlin
Je ne suis pas Petit Pays
Je suis le vent qui souffle
Comme le Saint Esprit
Voilà qui je suis.
Copyright 2010
Je ne pense pas au câlin
Je ne suis pas Petit Pays
Je suis le vent qui souffle
Comme le Saint Esprit
Voilà qui je suis.
Copyright 2010
MESSAGE A MON PERE
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Dieu est mon soleil
Voilà pour moi, ma vérité, toute ma vérité
Je ne porte plus de blessure, ni de cicatrice
Si tu vois donc papa
Dis-lui que tu m`as vu
Dis-lui que je portais sa chemise favorite
Dis-lui que je ne suis pas rentré
Par ce que je me suis égaré
Mais rassure-lui que je ferai un effort.
Copyright 2010
Dieu est mon soleil
Voilà pour moi, ma vérité, toute ma vérité
Je ne porte plus de blessure, ni de cicatrice
Si tu vois donc papa
Dis-lui que tu m`as vu
Dis-lui que je portais sa chemise favorite
Dis-lui que je ne suis pas rentré
Par ce que je me suis égaré
Mais rassure-lui que je ferai un effort.
Copyright 2010
PROCESSUS DE RECTIFICATION
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Je vois déjà ta réponse
Elle est opulente et blanchie
Voila pourquoi les lapins se rebellent
Toi qui as insulte la Belle Afrique
Pense-tu aussi avoir ta place ici ?
Je ne dis pas mais je dicte comme Alphonse
Je fais tout pour déjouer l`anarchie
Une fin troublante et tragique
Pour sauver la situation, envoie-moi le poulet farci.
Copyright 2010
Je vois déjà ta réponse
Elle est opulente et blanchie
Voila pourquoi les lapins se rebellent
Toi qui as insulte la Belle Afrique
Pense-tu aussi avoir ta place ici ?
Je ne dis pas mais je dicte comme Alphonse
Je fais tout pour déjouer l`anarchie
Une fin troublante et tragique
Pour sauver la situation, envoie-moi le poulet farci.
Copyright 2010
MON PRIX
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Quelque part dans mon cœur
J`ai encore de la place pour toi
A condition que tu restes coit
Et que tu sois sans rancœur.
Copyright 2010
Quelque part dans mon cœur
J`ai encore de la place pour toi
A condition que tu restes coit
Et que tu sois sans rancœur.
Copyright 2010
LIEN ALEATOIRE
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Tes draps sont mouillés
Non, ils sont souillés
Et quelle démarche régalienne !
Et ce furtif regard sahélien !
A défaut de me dédier des manguiers
Achetez-moi des cimetières arrosés
Oh mon Dieu ! Je délire à la Francienne
A quoi sert donc ce lien ?
Copyright 2010
Tes draps sont mouillés
Non, ils sont souillés
Et quelle démarche régalienne !
Et ce furtif regard sahélien !
A défaut de me dédier des manguiers
Achetez-moi des cimetières arrosés
Oh mon Dieu ! Je délire à la Francienne
A quoi sert donc ce lien ?
Copyright 2010
LE BRAS DROIT DU PRESIDENT
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Arrête cette étrange cadence
Pour qui te prends-tu?
L`archevêque de Yaoundé?
N`as-tu pas vu le procureur
L`homme du Président de la République?
On ne vous demande pas la danse
On vous demande ce que vous avez vu
Oublie les nouvelles demoiselles esseulées
Elles n`ont pas pu retrouver leur proviseur
Et à penser qu`elles ont craché une telle réplique!
Copyright 2010
Arrête cette étrange cadence
Pour qui te prends-tu?
L`archevêque de Yaoundé?
N`as-tu pas vu le procureur
L`homme du Président de la République?
On ne vous demande pas la danse
On vous demande ce que vous avez vu
Oublie les nouvelles demoiselles esseulées
Elles n`ont pas pu retrouver leur proviseur
Et à penser qu`elles ont craché une telle réplique!
Copyright 2010
EN AMONT COMME EN AVAL
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Nous sommes des amandiers
A la recherche de la vieille chanson
Mais lorsque nous serons des salariés
Nous marcherons à reculons.
Copyright 2010
Nous sommes des amandiers
A la recherche de la vieille chanson
Mais lorsque nous serons des salariés
Nous marcherons à reculons.
Copyright 2010
DES PLANTONS SANS LAITON
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Je vois trois arbres de béton
Ils portent des noms sans prénoms
Mais comme ils marchent à tâtons
Je n`ai pas de choix que d`appeler Matignon.
Copyright 2010
Je vois trois arbres de béton
Ils portent des noms sans prénoms
Mais comme ils marchent à tâtons
Je n`ai pas de choix que d`appeler Matignon.
Copyright 2010
D`UN MAL A L`AUTRE
Par Tikum Mbah Azonga
Je ne crains pas l`autodafé
Ce qui me fait peur c`est le dicton
Loin du Pont d`Avignon
Et proche du vindicatif d`Austerlitz.
Je ne suis ni berger, ni ermite
Mais le jour ou Josiane rentrera
Pleine de grâce comme la Sainte Vierge
Je verserai des larmes de joie.
Copyright 2010
Je ne crains pas l`autodafé
Ce qui me fait peur c`est le dicton
Loin du Pont d`Avignon
Et proche du vindicatif d`Austerlitz.
Je ne suis ni berger, ni ermite
Mais le jour ou Josiane rentrera
Pleine de grâce comme la Sainte Vierge
Je verserai des larmes de joie.
Copyright 2010
vendredi 19 mars 2010
QUESTION DE CHANGE
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Je ne suis pas mauvais payeur
Je n`ai même pas encore consommé
Si le nord ne change pas
Comment veux-tu que moi, je change?
Copyright 2010
Je ne suis pas mauvais payeur
Je n`ai même pas encore consommé
Si le nord ne change pas
Comment veux-tu que moi, je change?
Copyright 2010
MY OWN SCHOOL OF THOUGHT
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
There may be lapses
But they won`t go as far as Fess
That`s why if I had my way here
I`d rule and govern without fear.
Copyright 2010
There may be lapses
But they won`t go as far as Fess
That`s why if I had my way here
I`d rule and govern without fear.
Copyright 2010
BLIND DATE
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I know the way
But I don`t know the day
So, when the time comes
How shall we rush to their homes?
Copyright 2010
I know the way
But I don`t know the day
So, when the time comes
How shall we rush to their homes?
Copyright 2010
ROOM FOR EVERYONE
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I don`t think so
Problems are not the same everywhere
Whether it`s a one-way flow or not
Who cares?
You call me a `come no go`
But don`t we all live in the same sphere?
So if your foot stool is too hot
Strike off the one who auctioned the mayor`s wares.
Copyright 2010
I don`t think so
Problems are not the same everywhere
Whether it`s a one-way flow or not
Who cares?
You call me a `come no go`
But don`t we all live in the same sphere?
So if your foot stool is too hot
Strike off the one who auctioned the mayor`s wares.
Copyright 2010
NAMELESS ENVELOPE
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Whether you stand or sit now
It`s none of my business
I just don`t want any excess
In case you break your vow.
Copyright 2010
Whether you stand or sit now
It`s none of my business
I just don`t want any excess
In case you break your vow.
Copyright 2010
THE COST
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
The rain is coming
So let`s hurry
Fold up the wind breakers
And roll up grandpa`s prayer mat.
When you`re through
Let`s know the cost.
Copyright 2010
The rain is coming
So let`s hurry
Fold up the wind breakers
And roll up grandpa`s prayer mat.
When you`re through
Let`s know the cost.
Copyright 2010
THE BLACK SPOT
(For Richard Njinkia Mofor, my secondary school classmate at Sacred Heart College in Bamenda, Cameroon. He was nicknamed `Tom Morgan`)
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I have my blind spots
Who doesn`t?
Even Jesus lashed out with a whip
We saw him weep
Again, he fell
Not just once or twice
But thrice
So, who am I
Not to succumb?
Copyright 2010
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I have my blind spots
Who doesn`t?
Even Jesus lashed out with a whip
We saw him weep
Again, he fell
Not just once or twice
But thrice
So, who am I
Not to succumb?
Copyright 2010
ODD QUESTION
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
That was an aside
And just that
Today, corruption is endemic
Bridges have fallen in
Taxes remain unpaid
And the Fon walks free
So, why ask me?
Why me?
Copyright 2010
That was an aside
And just that
Today, corruption is endemic
Bridges have fallen in
Taxes remain unpaid
And the Fon walks free
So, why ask me?
Why me?
Copyright 2010
THE VICE DEAN`S AXLE
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
There are not two paradigms
Just as there are no two processes
How then can the Vice Dean
So coquettishly dressed today
Claim that eclectic paradigms
Are simply a floundering nation?
Copyright 2010
There are not two paradigms
Just as there are no two processes
How then can the Vice Dean
So coquettishly dressed today
Claim that eclectic paradigms
Are simply a floundering nation?
Copyright 2010
THE BISHOP`S LECTERN
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I`ll ask the bishop
And ask him quickly
I won`t tell him my name
I`ll let him guess it
That`s if he can.
I won`t go to his drink shop
For fear of tripping on his whisky
That`s why I don`t care about fame
But if the candle is lit
I`ll run and fetch the Jerry can.
Copyright 2010
I`ll ask the bishop
And ask him quickly
I won`t tell him my name
I`ll let him guess it
That`s if he can.
I won`t go to his drink shop
For fear of tripping on his whisky
That`s why I don`t care about fame
But if the candle is lit
I`ll run and fetch the Jerry can.
Copyright 2010
MARKS FREQUENTLY DISTRIBUTED
(For Dr. Banlilon, Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Buea in Cameroon)
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
We need the raw scores
Not for the enemies at work
But for all the mobile women with head-borne wood
So unless frequency distribution is reset
Gender and Women Studies won’t advance.
The year 1910 lost scores of scores
Simply because our meeting went berserk
The following day, the Commissioner left for good
Today his son wants back his math set
Failing that, the wallet of Cyrus Vance.
Copyright 2010
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
We need the raw scores
Not for the enemies at work
But for all the mobile women with head-borne wood
So unless frequency distribution is reset
Gender and Women Studies won’t advance.
The year 1910 lost scores of scores
Simply because our meeting went berserk
The following day, the Commissioner left for good
Today his son wants back his math set
Failing that, the wallet of Cyrus Vance.
Copyright 2010
mercredi 17 mars 2010
SCIENCE IN SYMBIOSIS WITH OTHER DISCIPLINES
Tikum Mbah Azonga reports on a science symposium held at the University of Buea recently.
---------------------------------------------
Organized by the Faculty of Science of the University and under the patronage of its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Vincent P.K. Titanji, the mini-symposium, "Inter-science 2010", was the maiden edition in a series dubbed "Inter-science". It was held under the theme: “Science at the Interface between disciplines” and ran the whole of Friday the 12th of March 2010. The Vice Chancellor was accompanied by the DVC/TIC, Dr. Nalova Lyonga and the Registrar, Chief Prof. Samson Abangma.
The common denominator
According to the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Prof. Theresa Nkuo-Akenji, the event was one in a series named “Interscience 2010” and was aimed at highlighting “the emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration that characterizes much of the research activity within the Faculty.” As such, it was aimed at providing researchers both young and old with a golden opportunity of presenting their work in an interdisciplinary medium. This was because as the Dean put it, the idea of interdisciplinary studies and research is no longer an option but and obligation. Through it the Faculty equally intended to point out to both students and staff the artificial boundaries that exist between disciplines, and even go further to promote collaboration among colleagues and the various disciplines.
Language as a variable in science: homogeneity or heterogeneity?
Participating in this symposium of science people was a very sobering experience for me, personally. Never before in the last twenty years had I found myself in the same room and at the same time with so many scientists. During the dinner, I sat at a table of ten where eight of those present held doctorate degrees in the sciences. These were quite a blend of science subjects because the Faculty of Science of the university comprises the following subject areas: physics, chemistry, geology and environmental studies, bio-chemistry and microbiology, plant and animal sciences, computer sciences and mathematics. So I watched them to see in what language they would communicate. Would it be quantum mechanics? Would it be differential calculus? Would it be Einstein’s theory of relativity? Or would it be the law of flotation? Or stalactites and stalagmites? Or the law of gravitational forces? Or the path followed by geometric progression? Or even the language of photosynthesis? Perhaps it would be quadratic equations, or motion in electro-magneto-hydrodynamics or the chemistry of esters, or the chemistry of carbons or the measurement of the index of refraction.
Covalent bonding or ionic bonding?
I wondered how these scientists must have felt at the thought of finding so many of them in the same place at the same time. It was a question of like poles attracting each other, even if science can prove otherwise. Yet that was not all there was to it because among them, I could find some of the most respected researchers in the whole of Africa, if not the world. Let us take two examples. Prof Vincent P.K Titanji has made his mark internationally in the area of biotechnology research. Although he is today Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea, he is still actively involved in research and when he has the least opportunity, he casts away his coat and tie, dons his white science overcoat and assumes his place in the laboratory.
His research work in the Biotechnology Unit of the University is well known. Some of his achievements so far include the development of a MAB based test for bovine onchocerciasis, a piece of job which he did with Cho-Ngwa and Gronvik. He has also developed a hybrid recombinant antigen for sero-diagnosis of onchocerciasis. His current research includes drug target identification and validation using reverse genetics. Among his competencies are immuno-chemistry, bioinformatics, protein and nucleic acid separation as well as monoclonal antibody technology.
Prof. Theresa Akenji-Nkuo is another gem of international repute. As Dean of the Faculty of Science, she has the duty of directing, supervising and motivating a college of very brilliant scientific minds, many of them not just males but senior males. Although she may really not be referred to as `The Iron Lady`, she nevertheless bears some resemblances to Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who was often referred to in those words. Like her, Prof. Akenji-Nkuo is a woman who has risen within the ranks and against all odds, in a male-dominated world to place herself in the position of leadership where she is today.
Prof. Akenji-Nkuo commands respect, she is listened to and is admired by her superiors, her colleagues, her collaborators and her students. Perhaps where Mrs Thatcher beats her is on the point that she is a mother of twins – one boy and one girl. But then again, time is on Prof. Akenji-Nkuo`s side, which means she can still have her own set (or sets) of twins if and when she likes. After all, she is in a domain of science in which twins can not only be predicted but actually “made to happen”. But then, she also beats Mrs Thatcher because whereas the Former British Prime Minister earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Prof. Akenji-Nkuo does not only match Thatcher with her own BSc in Medical Technology, but she has actually gone on and obtained an MSc in Microbiology and to boot, a PhD in parasitology. Even so, she is still actively involved in research. She has numerous publications to her credit. Among her publications are `Prevalence of Falciparum Malaria Together with Acute Diarrhoea`, `Environmental factors affecting Malaria parasite prevalence in Rural Bolifamba in Cameroon`, and `High Prevalence of HIV and Malaria co-infection in Urban Douala`.
Speed and velocity
The symposium was well attended, with practically every member of the Science Faculty and postgraduate students present with each person performing the duty assigned to them with mathematical precision. They could be easily spotted in the green T-shirts that have become the hallmark of the Faculty, junior and senior, dashing here and there to do one thing or another. It could be said that the organizers and participants hit the ground running because from the very beginning it was work non-stop. And that momentum was sustained to the very end. This is hardly surprising since the Dean of the Faculty had earlier set the tone and tempo in her welcome which she reinforced in her keynote speech. But between the Dean’s word of welcome and the keynote speech, the Vice Chancellor who is himself an accomplished scientist had extolled the virtues of science and its indispensable place in society, especially the aspect of interrelatedness. He talked about the “citizen intellectual” who is a new breed of professional capable of relating across boundaries and therefore making full use of the facilities made possible by scientific evolution and revolution.
Prof. Joyce Endeley who is a Professor of Agricultural Extension and Gender Studies as well as Head of the Department of Women and Gender Studies, Director of Academic Affairs at the University of Buea, spoke on the topic of “Gender – A Must Social Unit of Analysis in Research for Development”. Another contribution to the speeches was that of Dr. G. Ngwa who handled the topic: “Some Models of the Physical World and Unifying Principles for Science at the Interface”.
The Scientific language of posters
The viewing of posters depicting significant scientific achievements or challenges to science or even simply just addressing the problem of interrelationship between disciplines was an activity that attracted considerable attention. This is hardly surprising because the posters were all very captivating. They showed rare flashes of excellence and erudition on the part of the authors. They were displayed in front of Amphi 750 where the event took place. Poster titles and authors were as follows: ‘Assessing vulnerability and Adaptation of mangroves and associated ecosystems to climate change impact’ designed by Chuyong G., Fonge B., Tening A., and Egbe A. ‘Biochemical Validation and Cameroonian Medicinal Plant, Pittosporum manni (Pittosporacae)’ was designed by Nyongbela K, Fakoredeb F, Bickle Q, and Efange SMN. ‘The Interdisciplinary Nature of Climate Change’ was the topic handled by Munji C and Ayonghe S.
By the same token, Cho-Ngwa F, Samje M, Ngemenya M, Abongwa M, Didier NA, Ekwain EF, Nyongbela K, Njimoh D, Efange SMN and VPK Titanji produced the poster entitled ‘Potential Macro and Microfilaricidal compounds/extracts for treatment of onchocerciasis’. A poster on the environment entitled, ‘Spatial display of data for natural resources management and disaster prevention: case of Mount Cameroon Region’ was also featured. It was designed by the group comprising Che VB, Wantim MN, Kervyn M, Tening AS, Fonge BA, Trefois P, Mih AM, Nkwatoh A, Ernst GGJ, Ayonghe S, Egbe AE, Del Marmol MA, Ntasin E, Njome MS, Chuyong GB, Van Ranst E, Jacobs P. and Suh CE. Moral support came from two sister faculties of the university. These included the Faculty of Arts, with a poster on ‘Linguistics and other disciplines’ designed by Neba AN. According to Neba, linguistics is a multidisciplinary domain which provides fertile ground for collaboration in research. Some of the areas he mentioned are acoustic linguistics which has a link to physics, articulatory linguistics which is related to biology, as well as auditory linguistics which is related to physics and biology. Yenshu VE who represented the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences exhibited a poster entitled ‘Sociology and the Sciences’. According to his diagram, sociology is centre-stage to the pure sciences, the technical and applied sciences, social development or the politics of civilization, the other social sciences as well as the arts.
Boost for research methodology
Prof Simon Efange who is coordinator of Postgraduate Courses in the Faculty of Science gave a rousing demonstrative talk on the topic “Design and supervision of Research projects for Postgraduate students”. It was a distinctively lively presentation which he spiced with pinches of humour from time to time, thus drawing not just the attention of the audience but also its enjoyment. Basically, Prof. Efange guided his audience through the pitfalls associated with research, especially at the postgraduate level. Aspects he touched on included statement of the problem, stating the research question and laying down the hypothesis, collecting data, doing the literature review, analyzing data and discussing results and making recommendations.
Departmental showcases
Next came a number of presentations by the various departments of the Faculty. These were delivered in three sessions, the first of which was moderated by Prof. Francis Mbuntum, the second by Prof. Gabriel Folefoc and the third by Prof. Kenneth Ndamukong.
Of Algebraic equations, vectors and axis wind turbines
Session I was packaged under the theme: “Mathematics, its applications and information technology” and featured a delivery on the use of computers in research by Nkwenteyim DL, followed by another on analysis and design of a wind charger-type brake for horizontal axis wind turbines by Afungchui D and Ntoko MN. A mathematical model of the population dynamics of disease transmitting vectors with spatial considerations was presented by Nourridine S, based on a piece of work done with the collaboration of Teboh-Ewungkem MI and Ngwa GA. Neba AN from the Faculty of Arts, talked about the relationship between linguistics and other disciplines.
Of carbonate resources, molecular systematics and Irvingia
Session II comprised two themes: ‘Phyto-Medicinal and Natural Resources’ on the one hand and ‘Crop Protection’ on the other hand. Under the first theme, Nyongbela KD made a presentation on the topic “Comparative Phytochemical and biological study of the genus Sceleria (Cyperacease)”. This was group work with the other members being Ndjoko KI, Hoye TR, Nelson D, Brun R, Wittlin S, McAkam T, Mbah JA, Makolo FL, Wirmum C, Efange SMN and Hostettmann. Agyingi CM presented a paper on the topic of ‘Carbon resources of Cameroon: Their potentials as raw materials for the cement industry and other applications’. This presentation was on behalf of a group whose other members included Foba-Tendo J, Epanty AF, Suh CE, Zisuh FA, Ongbwa AZ and Kwankam FN.
Presentations on the sub-theme of crop protection kicked off with Dekoum AVM whose topic was ‘Molecular systematics of the genus Aframomun in Cameroon. The presentation was on behalf of colleagues among whom were Mbandi S, Chuyong GB and Cho-Ngwa F. The second presentation under that sub-theme was entitled: ‘evaluation of the collection, processing and marketing of Irvingia (bush mango)’ which is a major non timber forest product in the Ejagham Forest Reserve of the South West Region of Cameroon. The presentation was done by Nkwatoh AF on behalf of Labode P, Iyassa SM and Nkwatoh FW.
Of Clinical trials, genotype testing and antiretroviral mutations
Session three which was devoted to tropical and transmissible diseases began with a paper entitled ‘A comparative analysis of the quality of prescribing in relation to diagnosis between clinicians in Fako health facilities’, presented by Ndeso A of the Faculty of Health Sciences. The work was done collectively with the collaboration of colleagues such as Ofor D and Wupapa F. After that presentation Samje M. took to the rostrum to talk on ‘Potential macro and micro filaricidal compounds for the treatment of onchocerciasis.’ His team mates were Cho-Ngwa F, Ngemenya M, Abongwa M, Nde D, Ekwain E, Nyonbela K, Njimoh, D, Efange SMN and Titanji VPK. The topic of ‘genotype testing and antiretroviral mutational patterns of Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infections from two regions of Cameroon was handled by Meriki HD on behalf of Ongey JY, Nyindem BA, Achu Paul Ngu and Nkuo-Akenji T.
The Faculty on a pedestal
The next part of the programme was the launching of the Special Postgraduate Scholarships handled by Dr. Nalova Lyonga, Deputy Vice Dean in charge of Teaching, Professionalization and Development of Information and Communication Technologies (DVC/TIC). She hailed the developments that have taken place in the area of modern technology as well as the putting in place of the Bachelors/Masters/PhD programme, factors which she pointed out greatly favour interdisciplinary collaboration. The DVC/TIC explained that given the the new dispensation, there is now the necessity to be able to move and work across disciplines, rather than stay confined to just one domain.
She lauded the efforts of the Science Faculty in the conception and execution of the mini-symposium which she said bore the hallmarks of excellence and ought to be emulated by other faculties. Science, she said, has become very interdisciplinary and as a result, it has become “a humanistic discipline”, which was why the theme of the symposium, “Science at the interface between the disciplines”, could not have been better chosen. “Let’s look for the cutting edge areas of interdisciplinary collaboration. Let’s create knowledge and not just use it”, she urged. Amidst applause from the audience, she affirmed that she saw the teaching corps of the university as falling in two groups among which is that of are those who are more interested in teaching and the others who are more interested in research. According to Dr Nalova Lyonga, members of the teaching corps should be allowed to choose one or the other option. In that way they would work naturally freely and spontaneously.
Putting a premium on excellence
The DVC/TIC commended the Faculty of Science for being one that does not only spend money, but it also makes money. She was referring to the support given to the Faculty for outstanding students by two mining companies working here in Cameroon. The companies, Cam Iron and Camina were represented at the symposium by one of their Executive Officers, Alain Takougang. Donations included the sum of one million francs made available by Donatien Bonien who is CEO of Cam Iron, for a PhD student. He made the gesture in honour of his mother. The CEO of CAMINA, Mabu Francis donated the sum of 200 000 Frs. for MSc studies in honour of his mother. The packages were handed to the Vice Chancellor, Prof Vincent P.K. Titanji by the envoy of the two companies.
A cut above the rest
The Faculty rewarded participants for a job well done, which was another way of saying, ‘help us to help you”. Those who received awards included Meliki Henry Bilonga who received the best prize for oral presentation, Samje Moses who bagged the second prize and, Nyongbela Kennedy who picked up the third prize. Recognition for poster exhibition went to Dr. Chongwa, Dr. Ayongwa and Dr Fidelis Cho-Ngwa. Those recognized for oral presentations included Dr. Nkweteyin, Dr. Afungchwi, Dr. Nkwatoh and Dr. Chuyong. Participants from other faculties such as Dr. Yenshu (Social and Management Sciences), Dr. Ndeso Atanga (Health Sciences) and Dr. Neba (Arts) were also recognized and commended for being there and taking an active part.
Weights and measures
The Dean of the Faculty of Science, Prof.Theresa Nkuo-Akenji handed envelopes for Heads of Departments to use in holding seminars with the members of their departments. However, she warned that Heads of Department must make sure they hold the seminars because as she pointed out, the last times such support was given, some departments did not use the money for the intended purpose. The Heads of Department who received envelopes were as follows:
Physics – Dr. Daniel Nkemzi
Chemistry – Prof. Efange
Geology and Environmental Studies – Dr. Cheo Emmanuel Suh
Bio-Chemistry and Microbiology – Dr. Fidelis Cho-Ngwa
Plant and Animal Sciences – Dr. Kaleb Nebane
Computer Science – Dr. William Suh
Mathematics – Dr. Boniface Nkemzi
The parting of company
This was also the opportunity to bid farewell to some senior members of the department going on retirement. They were Dr. Fanso-Free (Chemistry), Dr. Kwalar (Mathematics) and His Royal Highness Dr. Akan who is the Fon of Kai Village in Momo Division. They were all present apart from Dr Kwalar who was unavoidably absent but was ably represented by his wife. Even so, Prof Mbuntum who is capable of keeping an audience listening for hours on end leaped at the opportunity to say a word (that turned out to be a very long one) about Dr. Kwalar whose relationship with him goes a long way back. It was therefore thanks to Prof, Mbuntum that we learned of Dr. Kwalar as a highly talented mathematician and a rigorous mathematics teacher. In his usual witty style, Prof Mbuntum recounted how when Dr Kwalar returned to Cameroon after his studies abroad, he was first of all recruited as a lecturer, after which he was again recruited as an Assistant lecturer, because as he put it, “impossible n`est pas camerounais.” When Prof Mbuntum sat, everyone wished he had continued for much longer.
Item 11 and the drawing of the curtains
Frankly, this part of the show was rich and inexhaustible, in terms of drinks and food. And as might be expected, hosts and guests readily availed themselves of the opportunity. After Item 11 was over, the decks were cleared for dancing. The floor was formally opened by the dignitaries present, after which three things followed: dance, dance and dance. At the end of the day, everyone went home exhausted, but also accomplished. After all, the scientific equation had been balanced.
The poetry of science
On reading this sub heading, you the scientist may wonder if there is any such thing as “the poetry of science”. Well, there is. Poetry is not a domain that belongs to only the arts or students of literature. All of us use poetry daily, perhaps without realizing it. And if we come to think of it, a scientist writing poetry does so from a very rich and fertile background for poetry. Scientists have been known to write novels, plays and poetry. Below are links to some scientific poems I have written.
1. A Geologist`s prayer < http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2010/03/geologists-prayer.html>
2. My mathematical set < http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-mathematical-set.html>
3. The biology of regeneration
< http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2010/01/biology-of-regeneration.html>
4. Accelerated ions < http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2010/01/accelerated-ions.html>
5. Ignited reaction < http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2010/01/ignited-reaction.html>
Apart from science
Below are some other related events I have covered which you can access on this blog:
1. New book on labour law, By Dr. Yanou of the Department of Law
< http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2009/12/new-book-on-labour-law-for-cameroon.html>
2. HIV AIDS conference at University of Buea
< http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2009/12/hiv-aids-conference-at-buea-university.html>
3. French anthropologist honours University of Buea
< http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2009/12/french-anthropologist-honours-buea.html>
I welcome comments on either the poems or the present account of the Faculty of Science symposium.
Tikum Mbah Azonga
Assistant Lecturer
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
University of Buea
P.O. Box 63 Buea
Republic of Cameroon
TEL (237) 7949 1064
EMAIL: tikumazonga@rocketmail.com
BLOG ADDRESS: http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com
Copyright 2010
---------------------------------------------
Organized by the Faculty of Science of the University and under the patronage of its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Vincent P.K. Titanji, the mini-symposium, "Inter-science 2010", was the maiden edition in a series dubbed "Inter-science". It was held under the theme: “Science at the Interface between disciplines” and ran the whole of Friday the 12th of March 2010. The Vice Chancellor was accompanied by the DVC/TIC, Dr. Nalova Lyonga and the Registrar, Chief Prof. Samson Abangma.
The common denominator
According to the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Prof. Theresa Nkuo-Akenji, the event was one in a series named “Interscience 2010” and was aimed at highlighting “the emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration that characterizes much of the research activity within the Faculty.” As such, it was aimed at providing researchers both young and old with a golden opportunity of presenting their work in an interdisciplinary medium. This was because as the Dean put it, the idea of interdisciplinary studies and research is no longer an option but and obligation. Through it the Faculty equally intended to point out to both students and staff the artificial boundaries that exist between disciplines, and even go further to promote collaboration among colleagues and the various disciplines.
Language as a variable in science: homogeneity or heterogeneity?
Participating in this symposium of science people was a very sobering experience for me, personally. Never before in the last twenty years had I found myself in the same room and at the same time with so many scientists. During the dinner, I sat at a table of ten where eight of those present held doctorate degrees in the sciences. These were quite a blend of science subjects because the Faculty of Science of the university comprises the following subject areas: physics, chemistry, geology and environmental studies, bio-chemistry and microbiology, plant and animal sciences, computer sciences and mathematics. So I watched them to see in what language they would communicate. Would it be quantum mechanics? Would it be differential calculus? Would it be Einstein’s theory of relativity? Or would it be the law of flotation? Or stalactites and stalagmites? Or the law of gravitational forces? Or the path followed by geometric progression? Or even the language of photosynthesis? Perhaps it would be quadratic equations, or motion in electro-magneto-hydrodynamics or the chemistry of esters, or the chemistry of carbons or the measurement of the index of refraction.
Covalent bonding or ionic bonding?
I wondered how these scientists must have felt at the thought of finding so many of them in the same place at the same time. It was a question of like poles attracting each other, even if science can prove otherwise. Yet that was not all there was to it because among them, I could find some of the most respected researchers in the whole of Africa, if not the world. Let us take two examples. Prof Vincent P.K Titanji has made his mark internationally in the area of biotechnology research. Although he is today Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea, he is still actively involved in research and when he has the least opportunity, he casts away his coat and tie, dons his white science overcoat and assumes his place in the laboratory.
His research work in the Biotechnology Unit of the University is well known. Some of his achievements so far include the development of a MAB based test for bovine onchocerciasis, a piece of job which he did with Cho-Ngwa and Gronvik. He has also developed a hybrid recombinant antigen for sero-diagnosis of onchocerciasis. His current research includes drug target identification and validation using reverse genetics. Among his competencies are immuno-chemistry, bioinformatics, protein and nucleic acid separation as well as monoclonal antibody technology.
Prof. Theresa Akenji-Nkuo is another gem of international repute. As Dean of the Faculty of Science, she has the duty of directing, supervising and motivating a college of very brilliant scientific minds, many of them not just males but senior males. Although she may really not be referred to as `The Iron Lady`, she nevertheless bears some resemblances to Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who was often referred to in those words. Like her, Prof. Akenji-Nkuo is a woman who has risen within the ranks and against all odds, in a male-dominated world to place herself in the position of leadership where she is today.
Prof. Akenji-Nkuo commands respect, she is listened to and is admired by her superiors, her colleagues, her collaborators and her students. Perhaps where Mrs Thatcher beats her is on the point that she is a mother of twins – one boy and one girl. But then again, time is on Prof. Akenji-Nkuo`s side, which means she can still have her own set (or sets) of twins if and when she likes. After all, she is in a domain of science in which twins can not only be predicted but actually “made to happen”. But then, she also beats Mrs Thatcher because whereas the Former British Prime Minister earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Prof. Akenji-Nkuo does not only match Thatcher with her own BSc in Medical Technology, but she has actually gone on and obtained an MSc in Microbiology and to boot, a PhD in parasitology. Even so, she is still actively involved in research. She has numerous publications to her credit. Among her publications are `Prevalence of Falciparum Malaria Together with Acute Diarrhoea`, `Environmental factors affecting Malaria parasite prevalence in Rural Bolifamba in Cameroon`, and `High Prevalence of HIV and Malaria co-infection in Urban Douala`.
Speed and velocity
The symposium was well attended, with practically every member of the Science Faculty and postgraduate students present with each person performing the duty assigned to them with mathematical precision. They could be easily spotted in the green T-shirts that have become the hallmark of the Faculty, junior and senior, dashing here and there to do one thing or another. It could be said that the organizers and participants hit the ground running because from the very beginning it was work non-stop. And that momentum was sustained to the very end. This is hardly surprising since the Dean of the Faculty had earlier set the tone and tempo in her welcome which she reinforced in her keynote speech. But between the Dean’s word of welcome and the keynote speech, the Vice Chancellor who is himself an accomplished scientist had extolled the virtues of science and its indispensable place in society, especially the aspect of interrelatedness. He talked about the “citizen intellectual” who is a new breed of professional capable of relating across boundaries and therefore making full use of the facilities made possible by scientific evolution and revolution.
Prof. Joyce Endeley who is a Professor of Agricultural Extension and Gender Studies as well as Head of the Department of Women and Gender Studies, Director of Academic Affairs at the University of Buea, spoke on the topic of “Gender – A Must Social Unit of Analysis in Research for Development”. Another contribution to the speeches was that of Dr. G. Ngwa who handled the topic: “Some Models of the Physical World and Unifying Principles for Science at the Interface”.
The Scientific language of posters
The viewing of posters depicting significant scientific achievements or challenges to science or even simply just addressing the problem of interrelationship between disciplines was an activity that attracted considerable attention. This is hardly surprising because the posters were all very captivating. They showed rare flashes of excellence and erudition on the part of the authors. They were displayed in front of Amphi 750 where the event took place. Poster titles and authors were as follows: ‘Assessing vulnerability and Adaptation of mangroves and associated ecosystems to climate change impact’ designed by Chuyong G., Fonge B., Tening A., and Egbe A. ‘Biochemical Validation and Cameroonian Medicinal Plant, Pittosporum manni (Pittosporacae)’ was designed by Nyongbela K, Fakoredeb F, Bickle Q, and Efange SMN. ‘The Interdisciplinary Nature of Climate Change’ was the topic handled by Munji C and Ayonghe S.
By the same token, Cho-Ngwa F, Samje M, Ngemenya M, Abongwa M, Didier NA, Ekwain EF, Nyongbela K, Njimoh D, Efange SMN and VPK Titanji produced the poster entitled ‘Potential Macro and Microfilaricidal compounds/extracts for treatment of onchocerciasis’. A poster on the environment entitled, ‘Spatial display of data for natural resources management and disaster prevention: case of Mount Cameroon Region’ was also featured. It was designed by the group comprising Che VB, Wantim MN, Kervyn M, Tening AS, Fonge BA, Trefois P, Mih AM, Nkwatoh A, Ernst GGJ, Ayonghe S, Egbe AE, Del Marmol MA, Ntasin E, Njome MS, Chuyong GB, Van Ranst E, Jacobs P. and Suh CE. Moral support came from two sister faculties of the university. These included the Faculty of Arts, with a poster on ‘Linguistics and other disciplines’ designed by Neba AN. According to Neba, linguistics is a multidisciplinary domain which provides fertile ground for collaboration in research. Some of the areas he mentioned are acoustic linguistics which has a link to physics, articulatory linguistics which is related to biology, as well as auditory linguistics which is related to physics and biology. Yenshu VE who represented the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences exhibited a poster entitled ‘Sociology and the Sciences’. According to his diagram, sociology is centre-stage to the pure sciences, the technical and applied sciences, social development or the politics of civilization, the other social sciences as well as the arts.
Boost for research methodology
Prof Simon Efange who is coordinator of Postgraduate Courses in the Faculty of Science gave a rousing demonstrative talk on the topic “Design and supervision of Research projects for Postgraduate students”. It was a distinctively lively presentation which he spiced with pinches of humour from time to time, thus drawing not just the attention of the audience but also its enjoyment. Basically, Prof. Efange guided his audience through the pitfalls associated with research, especially at the postgraduate level. Aspects he touched on included statement of the problem, stating the research question and laying down the hypothesis, collecting data, doing the literature review, analyzing data and discussing results and making recommendations.
Departmental showcases
Next came a number of presentations by the various departments of the Faculty. These were delivered in three sessions, the first of which was moderated by Prof. Francis Mbuntum, the second by Prof. Gabriel Folefoc and the third by Prof. Kenneth Ndamukong.
Of Algebraic equations, vectors and axis wind turbines
Session I was packaged under the theme: “Mathematics, its applications and information technology” and featured a delivery on the use of computers in research by Nkwenteyim DL, followed by another on analysis and design of a wind charger-type brake for horizontal axis wind turbines by Afungchui D and Ntoko MN. A mathematical model of the population dynamics of disease transmitting vectors with spatial considerations was presented by Nourridine S, based on a piece of work done with the collaboration of Teboh-Ewungkem MI and Ngwa GA. Neba AN from the Faculty of Arts, talked about the relationship between linguistics and other disciplines.
Of carbonate resources, molecular systematics and Irvingia
Session II comprised two themes: ‘Phyto-Medicinal and Natural Resources’ on the one hand and ‘Crop Protection’ on the other hand. Under the first theme, Nyongbela KD made a presentation on the topic “Comparative Phytochemical and biological study of the genus Sceleria (Cyperacease)”. This was group work with the other members being Ndjoko KI, Hoye TR, Nelson D, Brun R, Wittlin S, McAkam T, Mbah JA, Makolo FL, Wirmum C, Efange SMN and Hostettmann. Agyingi CM presented a paper on the topic of ‘Carbon resources of Cameroon: Their potentials as raw materials for the cement industry and other applications’. This presentation was on behalf of a group whose other members included Foba-Tendo J, Epanty AF, Suh CE, Zisuh FA, Ongbwa AZ and Kwankam FN.
Presentations on the sub-theme of crop protection kicked off with Dekoum AVM whose topic was ‘Molecular systematics of the genus Aframomun in Cameroon. The presentation was on behalf of colleagues among whom were Mbandi S, Chuyong GB and Cho-Ngwa F. The second presentation under that sub-theme was entitled: ‘evaluation of the collection, processing and marketing of Irvingia (bush mango)’ which is a major non timber forest product in the Ejagham Forest Reserve of the South West Region of Cameroon. The presentation was done by Nkwatoh AF on behalf of Labode P, Iyassa SM and Nkwatoh FW.
Of Clinical trials, genotype testing and antiretroviral mutations
Session three which was devoted to tropical and transmissible diseases began with a paper entitled ‘A comparative analysis of the quality of prescribing in relation to diagnosis between clinicians in Fako health facilities’, presented by Ndeso A of the Faculty of Health Sciences. The work was done collectively with the collaboration of colleagues such as Ofor D and Wupapa F. After that presentation Samje M. took to the rostrum to talk on ‘Potential macro and micro filaricidal compounds for the treatment of onchocerciasis.’ His team mates were Cho-Ngwa F, Ngemenya M, Abongwa M, Nde D, Ekwain E, Nyonbela K, Njimoh, D, Efange SMN and Titanji VPK. The topic of ‘genotype testing and antiretroviral mutational patterns of Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infections from two regions of Cameroon was handled by Meriki HD on behalf of Ongey JY, Nyindem BA, Achu Paul Ngu and Nkuo-Akenji T.
The Faculty on a pedestal
The next part of the programme was the launching of the Special Postgraduate Scholarships handled by Dr. Nalova Lyonga, Deputy Vice Dean in charge of Teaching, Professionalization and Development of Information and Communication Technologies (DVC/TIC). She hailed the developments that have taken place in the area of modern technology as well as the putting in place of the Bachelors/Masters/PhD programme, factors which she pointed out greatly favour interdisciplinary collaboration. The DVC/TIC explained that given the the new dispensation, there is now the necessity to be able to move and work across disciplines, rather than stay confined to just one domain.
She lauded the efforts of the Science Faculty in the conception and execution of the mini-symposium which she said bore the hallmarks of excellence and ought to be emulated by other faculties. Science, she said, has become very interdisciplinary and as a result, it has become “a humanistic discipline”, which was why the theme of the symposium, “Science at the interface between the disciplines”, could not have been better chosen. “Let’s look for the cutting edge areas of interdisciplinary collaboration. Let’s create knowledge and not just use it”, she urged. Amidst applause from the audience, she affirmed that she saw the teaching corps of the university as falling in two groups among which is that of are those who are more interested in teaching and the others who are more interested in research. According to Dr Nalova Lyonga, members of the teaching corps should be allowed to choose one or the other option. In that way they would work naturally freely and spontaneously.
Putting a premium on excellence
The DVC/TIC commended the Faculty of Science for being one that does not only spend money, but it also makes money. She was referring to the support given to the Faculty for outstanding students by two mining companies working here in Cameroon. The companies, Cam Iron and Camina were represented at the symposium by one of their Executive Officers, Alain Takougang. Donations included the sum of one million francs made available by Donatien Bonien who is CEO of Cam Iron, for a PhD student. He made the gesture in honour of his mother. The CEO of CAMINA, Mabu Francis donated the sum of 200 000 Frs. for MSc studies in honour of his mother. The packages were handed to the Vice Chancellor, Prof Vincent P.K. Titanji by the envoy of the two companies.
A cut above the rest
The Faculty rewarded participants for a job well done, which was another way of saying, ‘help us to help you”. Those who received awards included Meliki Henry Bilonga who received the best prize for oral presentation, Samje Moses who bagged the second prize and, Nyongbela Kennedy who picked up the third prize. Recognition for poster exhibition went to Dr. Chongwa, Dr. Ayongwa and Dr Fidelis Cho-Ngwa. Those recognized for oral presentations included Dr. Nkweteyin, Dr. Afungchwi, Dr. Nkwatoh and Dr. Chuyong. Participants from other faculties such as Dr. Yenshu (Social and Management Sciences), Dr. Ndeso Atanga (Health Sciences) and Dr. Neba (Arts) were also recognized and commended for being there and taking an active part.
Weights and measures
The Dean of the Faculty of Science, Prof.Theresa Nkuo-Akenji handed envelopes for Heads of Departments to use in holding seminars with the members of their departments. However, she warned that Heads of Department must make sure they hold the seminars because as she pointed out, the last times such support was given, some departments did not use the money for the intended purpose. The Heads of Department who received envelopes were as follows:
Physics – Dr. Daniel Nkemzi
Chemistry – Prof. Efange
Geology and Environmental Studies – Dr. Cheo Emmanuel Suh
Bio-Chemistry and Microbiology – Dr. Fidelis Cho-Ngwa
Plant and Animal Sciences – Dr. Kaleb Nebane
Computer Science – Dr. William Suh
Mathematics – Dr. Boniface Nkemzi
The parting of company
This was also the opportunity to bid farewell to some senior members of the department going on retirement. They were Dr. Fanso-Free (Chemistry), Dr. Kwalar (Mathematics) and His Royal Highness Dr. Akan who is the Fon of Kai Village in Momo Division. They were all present apart from Dr Kwalar who was unavoidably absent but was ably represented by his wife. Even so, Prof Mbuntum who is capable of keeping an audience listening for hours on end leaped at the opportunity to say a word (that turned out to be a very long one) about Dr. Kwalar whose relationship with him goes a long way back. It was therefore thanks to Prof, Mbuntum that we learned of Dr. Kwalar as a highly talented mathematician and a rigorous mathematics teacher. In his usual witty style, Prof Mbuntum recounted how when Dr Kwalar returned to Cameroon after his studies abroad, he was first of all recruited as a lecturer, after which he was again recruited as an Assistant lecturer, because as he put it, “impossible n`est pas camerounais.” When Prof Mbuntum sat, everyone wished he had continued for much longer.
Item 11 and the drawing of the curtains
Frankly, this part of the show was rich and inexhaustible, in terms of drinks and food. And as might be expected, hosts and guests readily availed themselves of the opportunity. After Item 11 was over, the decks were cleared for dancing. The floor was formally opened by the dignitaries present, after which three things followed: dance, dance and dance. At the end of the day, everyone went home exhausted, but also accomplished. After all, the scientific equation had been balanced.
The poetry of science
On reading this sub heading, you the scientist may wonder if there is any such thing as “the poetry of science”. Well, there is. Poetry is not a domain that belongs to only the arts or students of literature. All of us use poetry daily, perhaps without realizing it. And if we come to think of it, a scientist writing poetry does so from a very rich and fertile background for poetry. Scientists have been known to write novels, plays and poetry. Below are links to some scientific poems I have written.
1. A Geologist`s prayer < http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2010/03/geologists-prayer.html>
2. My mathematical set < http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-mathematical-set.html>
3. The biology of regeneration
< http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2010/01/biology-of-regeneration.html>
4. Accelerated ions < http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2010/01/accelerated-ions.html>
5. Ignited reaction < http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2010/01/ignited-reaction.html>
Apart from science
Below are some other related events I have covered which you can access on this blog:
1. New book on labour law, By Dr. Yanou of the Department of Law
< http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2009/12/new-book-on-labour-law-for-cameroon.html>
2. HIV AIDS conference at University of Buea
< http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2009/12/hiv-aids-conference-at-buea-university.html>
3. French anthropologist honours University of Buea
< http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com/2009/12/french-anthropologist-honours-buea.html>
I welcome comments on either the poems or the present account of the Faculty of Science symposium.
Tikum Mbah Azonga
Assistant Lecturer
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
University of Buea
P.O. Box 63 Buea
Republic of Cameroon
TEL (237) 7949 1064
EMAIL: tikumazonga@rocketmail.com
BLOG ADDRESS: http://tikumazonga.blogspot.com
Copyright 2010
mardi 16 mars 2010
OUT OF BOUNDS
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
If we’re here today, boys
It’s for the sake of the Parish priest
And not the Best Man’s toys
So if you have your cell phone with you
Please, switch it off.
Copyright 2010
If we’re here today, boys
It’s for the sake of the Parish priest
And not the Best Man’s toys
So if you have your cell phone with you
Please, switch it off.
Copyright 2010
THE CHILDREN’S SHOW
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
This is only a slide show
And if you want it, borrow mum’s hoe
Stools are not meant for the faint-hearted
So don’t start rubbing it in.
Copyright 2010
This is only a slide show
And if you want it, borrow mum’s hoe
Stools are not meant for the faint-hearted
So don’t start rubbing it in.
Copyright 2010
LATER DAY SAINTS
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I have the back up
So you really must buckle up
Lightweight fighters?
Yes, as long as they’re not fireworks.
Copyright 2010
I have the back up
So you really must buckle up
Lightweight fighters?
Yes, as long as they’re not fireworks.
Copyright 2010
HIS EXCELLENCY THE MINISTER
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
The computer is fixed
It was fixed yesterday
Not by Jim but by Gobina
Don’t ask me why or how
In this world of ours
There are always more questions
Than answers.
Did you even hear His Excellency was jinxed?
Simply because he quoted Faraday
He sent for his computer
But what ensued was a row
For I know not how many hours.
That’s why modern day confessions
Are never short of offers.
Copyright 2010
The computer is fixed
It was fixed yesterday
Not by Jim but by Gobina
Don’t ask me why or how
In this world of ours
There are always more questions
Than answers.
Did you even hear His Excellency was jinxed?
Simply because he quoted Faraday
He sent for his computer
But what ensued was a row
For I know not how many hours.
That’s why modern day confessions
Are never short of offers.
Copyright 2010
RESPECT FOR THE RAND
(For Diffang Funge)
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
That’s the last one
But certainly not the last wand
So if there’s anything you suspect
Just lean over backwards
And let the sandwich woman pass.
Also, talk to the Holy One
And show him the new rand
But don’t talk to Diffang about respect
He will tell you about Meva’a Meboutou’s past pass.
Copyright 2010
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
That’s the last one
But certainly not the last wand
So if there’s anything you suspect
Just lean over backwards
And let the sandwich woman pass.
Also, talk to the Holy One
And show him the new rand
But don’t talk to Diffang about respect
He will tell you about Meva’a Meboutou’s past pass.
Copyright 2010
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
(For Francis Mensah Joseph, the Provincial Delegate of National Education)
What about the back door?
Did you lock it?
I mean, like the Provincial Delegate
Or did you just shut it as always?
I know you didn’t mop the floor
But couldn’t you have at least swept it?
Now that I stand at the gate
How can you say my place is in the oven?
Copyright 2010
(For Francis Mensah Joseph, the Provincial Delegate of National Education)
What about the back door?
Did you lock it?
I mean, like the Provincial Delegate
Or did you just shut it as always?
I know you didn’t mop the floor
But couldn’t you have at least swept it?
Now that I stand at the gate
How can you say my place is in the oven?
Copyright 2010
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
The failure rate is high
Despite the cushioning measures
Already, there is weeping and gnashing
And parents are asking searching questions.
Copyright 2010
The failure rate is high
Despite the cushioning measures
Already, there is weeping and gnashing
And parents are asking searching questions.
Copyright 2010
THE SKEWED RESULTS
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
That will be rectified
And rectified instantly
So if you named the day
But didn’t claim your prize
Pay the fare as expected
And get off at Trafalgar Square.
It’s not for nothing Abraham was deified
Tell those who always get away hurriedly
Tell them that when they spot the sun’s ray
They must pray for Narcisse Pryze
Let them evoke the woman we all venerated
So that if the Moderator agrees, they can visit Edgware.
Copyright 2010
That will be rectified
And rectified instantly
So if you named the day
But didn’t claim your prize
Pay the fare as expected
And get off at Trafalgar Square.
It’s not for nothing Abraham was deified
Tell those who always get away hurriedly
Tell them that when they spot the sun’s ray
They must pray for Narcisse Pryze
Let them evoke the woman we all venerated
So that if the Moderator agrees, they can visit Edgware.
Copyright 2010
PENNILESS TAKE OFF
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Six is not good enough
That’s because there’s no extra luggage
Since there’s no dough
They’ll have to leave without their baggage.
Copyright 2010
Six is not good enough
That’s because there’s no extra luggage
Since there’s no dough
They’ll have to leave without their baggage.
Copyright 2010
THE COMMON CROSS
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
If it comes to that
We’ll stick out our necks
But if we’re dumped on the decks.
We’ll melt like fat.
Copyright 2010
If it comes to that
We’ll stick out our necks
But if we’re dumped on the decks.
We’ll melt like fat.
Copyright 2010
HOW MANY THEY ARE
(For Adamu Musa)
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
There will be twelve
If we dare and delve
But there will be nine
If we consider the new mine.
Copyright 2010-03-17 Idem
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
There will be twelve
If we dare and delve
But there will be nine
If we consider the new mine.
Copyright 2010-03-17 Idem
OUR COMMON GUILD
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I suggest we quit
But not with the quilt
Lest we be filled with guilt
For betraying the kilt.
Copyright 2010
I suggest we quit
But not with the quilt
Lest we be filled with guilt
For betraying the kilt.
Copyright 2010
WHY WE ENLISTED
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
We didn’t spot the stars
We missed them, those sparkling crossed bars
It wasn’t just because of the sky
It was the mist.
Forget about star wars
Today’s talk is about fast cars
We wanted the stars for Christmas pie
But he decided we should enlist.
Copyright 2010
We didn’t spot the stars
We missed them, those sparkling crossed bars
It wasn’t just because of the sky
It was the mist.
Forget about star wars
Today’s talk is about fast cars
We wanted the stars for Christmas pie
But he decided we should enlist.
Copyright 2010
lundi 15 mars 2010
THE PARADOX OF THE SCNC
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Does the SCNC, the popular appellation given to the `Southern Cameroons National Council`, exist? If it exists, is it feasting or is it grieving? Is it balanced or is it reeling? Is it futuristic or is it moribund and a spent force. In other words, has it become an organ that has outlived its usefulness and is today only a shadow of its old self? In short, has the SCNC become a thing of the past?
If after reading the above questions you feel they are too many, then that is just what this is all about because many questions need to be asked about the organization so that it can step forward and say exactly who it is and what precisely is its mission. On the surface, the SCNC professes to be a force aimed at righting a wrong done to the imaginary territory it calls its own. The organization states that “La République du Cameroun” which is the French-speaking part of today’s Cameroon, came into an unholy union with the English-speaking Southern Cameroons with the result that today, the Southern Cameroons are downtrodden and reduced to second-class citizens.
The bone of contention here is that in the plebiscite that was organized by the UN ostensibly to determine the fate of the Southern Cameroons which had been made a British Trust Territory, there was a serious omission in the sense that the option of the Southern Cameroon’s standing on its and being self-governing was not allowed. .
We call the territory “imaginary” because once the results of the plebiscite were universally recognized, the new dispensation came into effect with the two “Cameroons” officially recognized as being united. Subsequently, the French speaking State of Cameroon was set up alongside the English-speaking State of West Cameroon. The two structures were superimposed by the Federal State of Cameroon. Ever since the new structures were put in place, the international community has recognized Cameroon and treated it as a single country. That is why the country offices of United Nations bodies are located in Yaoundé, the national capital and nowhere else. These include the national bases of bodies such as UNESCO, the UNFPF, WHO, IMF, World Bank, UNIDO, ILO and the FAO. International NGOs are also located in Yaounde. These include the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, Habitat, Sight Savers, Plan International, and the WWF.
In addition, it is in Yaounde that diplomatic missions are based. These include the major ones such as those of the USA, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Spain, Portugal the Republic of South Africa and Israel. Letters of Credence of foreign Ambassadors accredited to Yaounde are duly received by Paul Biya in his capacity as President of the Republic. When foreign dignitaries visit the country from any of the above institutions or countries, they are again, received by Paul Biya in his capacity as President of the Republic and the guests treat him as such. At no time are any of these activities associated with a territory called “The Southern Cameroons”. So the proponents of the Southern Cameroons really must look themselves in the eye and tell themselves the truth.
It is true, as some say, that “fates were sealed” when leaders of the Southern Cameroons met with the then President of French-speaking Cameroon, Ahmadou Ahidjo, in the cultural town of Foumban in 1961, and were “fooled” into compromising the destiny of the Southern Cameroons. But strictly speaking, that was then and this is now. A lot of water has flown under the bridge and so while advocates of the Southern Cameroons remain entrenched in their position, the rest of the world is moving on. Stakes are changed and the scenario is no longer the same. So if they do not wake themselves from slumber they may find that the train has taken off without them and they are left behind with the grass growing under their feet.
Supporters of the Southern Cameroons thesis say they want the Southern Cameroons territory to be restored to its “rightful owners”. Fine and good. But who will restore it to them? There is a saying that power is grabbed, not given. Besides, the United Nations is not in the business of breaking up countries. However, history is replete with cases of the United Nations having to recognize those who have forcefully taken up arms and fought their way to autonomy. But that is not the case with the Southern Cameroons leaders. They have proved to be solid on three points: one, talk; two, talk; and three, talk. So there is much talk and no action. In that case, they are like toothless dogs that bark but move no one.
Even so, if the Southern Cameroons were to start a war, it is very unlikely that they would win it. Their claim, that it is they who are neighbours to the South with Nigeria and not “La République” is flawed because if they think Nigeria would support them in a war against “La République”, then that confidence is questionable for two reasons. The first is that Nigeria has learned first hand what the ravages of a civil war can be, after fighting and surviving the Nigerian-Biafran Civil War of some four decades ago. The country made colossal losses in human and material terms to the extent that today, Nigerians look back at the war as a terrible nightmare they would want to forget. The other reason for Nigeria’s reluctance to enter a war against Yaounde is that just like Yaounde, Abuja has very strong ties with Paris which they are not prepared to sacrifice. Today, French is the de facto second official language in Nigeria, after English. Besides, French investment in Nigeria is very significant. The volume of trade between Nigeria and France is so heavy that it surpasses that with some traditional Francophone African countries.
For those who do not know it, France will not relent on its efforts to “capture” Nigeria and bring it into its fold. For one thing, Nigeria is an indisputable giant in Africa South of the Sahara. As such, the country can be a very strategic partner for France. Furthermore, straddled between Francophone countries to the east, west and north, France would very much want to use Nigeria as a stepping stone and a buffer state when it comes to its former territories with which it already enjoys good relations. It must be understood that as a nation, France is a sensitive country to which friendship is paramount. That is why today, Africa’s lone Spanish-speaking country, Equatorial Guinea, is virtually a Francophone country. It has joined the CFA franc zone and embraced the French language to the extent that the language is gaining more and more ground in that country. As a matter of fact, when this writer while in Malabo some years ago asked the Equato-Guinean Minister of State in Charge of External Relations whether Madrid was not offended by the growing ties with Paris, the minister was categorical. He replied: “To be honest with you, what we have gained from France in ten years, we never gained from Spain since independence. So if we had to choose between France and Spain, we would choose France.”
The SCNC will be making a monumental error if it thinks the British will support its separatist ambitions. British colonial policy was such that once they left a territory, they left with the little they had and never came back. It was as if on leaving they shook the dust off their feet and said: “God riddance”. That is why in Britain, when someone introduces himself as coming from Cameroon, the first reaction of the British person is: “So, you speak French?” That is because many of them are ignorant or simply do not care that their country once had ties with Cameroon. Also, unlike the French, the British are not good at wooing and keeping friends. That is why higher education is very expensive for foreign students in Britain. Yet many foreign students are from the so-called (poor) Third World countries which are known for their high rate of poverty. Britain charges the foreign student at least six times what the same student is charged in France. Some observers have even asserted that Britain is blatantly and callously milking foreign students dry in order to remain fat.
The problem is that the approach and strategy chosen by the SCNC are porous. Firstly, the SCNC has always been imbued with a confidence which although praiseworthy, is unfortunately not backed by any solid courage. The pressure group wants autonomy but is not prepared to stand the heat that comes with it. In fact, its approach reminds one of the legendary mice who agreed it was necessary to bell the cat so that whenever it was nearby, they would be warned by the ringing bell and then escape. The plan was hailed by all the mice present but when the key question was asked as to who exactly would bell the cat, no one was willing to do it. As a result the plan flopped for want of implementation. As such, the SCNC appears to be knowingly or unknowingly practising the counterproductive strategy of the ostrich which when confronted by an adversary, buries its head in the sand and thinks it has hidden itself.
The SCNC seems to be suffering from political inexperience. Some years ago, it despatched some of its members to the United Nations Headquarters in New York. On their way back to Cameroon, they stopped over in London to brief their brethren in the United Kingdom. They triumphantly toasted victory. When asked concretely what they had achieved at the United Nations, they had nothing to show. Their only victory was the fact that they had been received and listened to by someone. But the United National headquarters is a public office where anyone can be received. A couple of years back, the SCNC boasted that it had taken its case to an international Dakar-based arbitration body. But then, apart from the fact that the body in question does not have the powers to enforce a decision on any country, it contented itself with advising the SCNC to create a political party and work from within it. Surely that was not what the SCNC had expected. Today, the pressure group (because that is what it really is) is more divided than ever before. It is in factions, splintered and maimed
Leaders of the SCNC missed a golden opportunity about a decade ago when they failed to support Ni John Fru Ndi in his bid to become President of the Republic of Cameroon. If the grievances of the SCNC really and truly hinge on the fact of Anglophone marginalization, then one wonders why they did not threw in their weight behind the Anglophone Fru Ndi when he came into prominence and nearly beat incumbent Paul Biya to become President of Cameroon. That was some ten years ago, yet since Fru Ndi’s party, the SDF, came into prominence over a decade ago, it has remained the country’s unchallenged leading opposition party. So is it too late for the SCNC to come clean, swallow its pride and support the SDF Chairman, especially now that the SDF is still the only opposition party likely to topple Paul Biya? Well, it’s up to the SCNC.
There is another point on which the SCNC has faltered, or at least not lived up to expectations. It is that of showing that although it is not yet in power, it cares for the people it claims to lead. When the Lake Nyos exploded in 1986 claiming human lives and property to a disturbing extent, the SCNC was mute. At least it did not step forward; it did not come centre-stage to offer relief. When the Mount Cameroon exploded, the SCNC was not seen leaping into action. Apart from loving the sound of its own voice, the SCNC has not spearheaded any help schemes for any segment of society. It has not offered any poverty relief schemes for the people such as housing, health care, education, rural development or poverty reduction. Although it claims that Bakassi is its own, it stepped aside and let Paul Biya do all the hard work that was involved in the territory being declared Cameroon’s by the International Court at The Hague. The SCNC must realize that in order to succeed it needs to match words with action, rhetoric with deeds.
I have personally always been puzzled by the historical cut off point they SCNC has chosen. Why specifically the period of the Southern Cameroons? Why not the period when the French and English territories were one, under the Germans? Why not even the period when Anglophone Cameroon was governed as the semi-autonomous State of West Cameroon? The latter period is the one I personally knew and can remember today because it coincides with the time of my being born and growing up. So, I would not cast my vote for a distant Southern Cameroons which I know little about. I leave that to my parents and grand parents. That was their era, not mine.
Having said that, I believe there is an Anglophone problem in the country. But I also believe it can be solved through inclusion, not exclusion. The present era in Cameroon is ours; that is, that of my generation. Unlike our parents who schooled in Nigeria and to a lesser extent, Britain, we are the generation that aimed at entering the Federal Bilingual College and later on studied at the University of Yaounde. We studied alongside our francophone brothers and sisters. Today we work alongside them in the same offices and sit on the same committees at the National Assembly. We are increasingly speaking or at least understanding the other official language. Our children have taken the struggle even further. To understand the point, we only have to look at the number of French-speaking children who are flooding into the typically Anglo-Saxon schools throughout the national territory. They are quickly improving their English while their French remains in tact.
Honestly, when a team is not performing well, the coach has to reconsider his line-up. He may have to change his strategy. Whether the changes he makes are drastic and far-reaching or they are cosmetic and therefore mere window dressing, it is up to him. But At the end of the day, he will be held responsible for the result. At the end of the day, what we want is the greatest good of the greatest number.
Copyright 2010
Does the SCNC, the popular appellation given to the `Southern Cameroons National Council`, exist? If it exists, is it feasting or is it grieving? Is it balanced or is it reeling? Is it futuristic or is it moribund and a spent force. In other words, has it become an organ that has outlived its usefulness and is today only a shadow of its old self? In short, has the SCNC become a thing of the past?
If after reading the above questions you feel they are too many, then that is just what this is all about because many questions need to be asked about the organization so that it can step forward and say exactly who it is and what precisely is its mission. On the surface, the SCNC professes to be a force aimed at righting a wrong done to the imaginary territory it calls its own. The organization states that “La République du Cameroun” which is the French-speaking part of today’s Cameroon, came into an unholy union with the English-speaking Southern Cameroons with the result that today, the Southern Cameroons are downtrodden and reduced to second-class citizens.
The bone of contention here is that in the plebiscite that was organized by the UN ostensibly to determine the fate of the Southern Cameroons which had been made a British Trust Territory, there was a serious omission in the sense that the option of the Southern Cameroon’s standing on its and being self-governing was not allowed. .
We call the territory “imaginary” because once the results of the plebiscite were universally recognized, the new dispensation came into effect with the two “Cameroons” officially recognized as being united. Subsequently, the French speaking State of Cameroon was set up alongside the English-speaking State of West Cameroon. The two structures were superimposed by the Federal State of Cameroon. Ever since the new structures were put in place, the international community has recognized Cameroon and treated it as a single country. That is why the country offices of United Nations bodies are located in Yaoundé, the national capital and nowhere else. These include the national bases of bodies such as UNESCO, the UNFPF, WHO, IMF, World Bank, UNIDO, ILO and the FAO. International NGOs are also located in Yaounde. These include the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, Habitat, Sight Savers, Plan International, and the WWF.
In addition, it is in Yaounde that diplomatic missions are based. These include the major ones such as those of the USA, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Spain, Portugal the Republic of South Africa and Israel. Letters of Credence of foreign Ambassadors accredited to Yaounde are duly received by Paul Biya in his capacity as President of the Republic. When foreign dignitaries visit the country from any of the above institutions or countries, they are again, received by Paul Biya in his capacity as President of the Republic and the guests treat him as such. At no time are any of these activities associated with a territory called “The Southern Cameroons”. So the proponents of the Southern Cameroons really must look themselves in the eye and tell themselves the truth.
It is true, as some say, that “fates were sealed” when leaders of the Southern Cameroons met with the then President of French-speaking Cameroon, Ahmadou Ahidjo, in the cultural town of Foumban in 1961, and were “fooled” into compromising the destiny of the Southern Cameroons. But strictly speaking, that was then and this is now. A lot of water has flown under the bridge and so while advocates of the Southern Cameroons remain entrenched in their position, the rest of the world is moving on. Stakes are changed and the scenario is no longer the same. So if they do not wake themselves from slumber they may find that the train has taken off without them and they are left behind with the grass growing under their feet.
Supporters of the Southern Cameroons thesis say they want the Southern Cameroons territory to be restored to its “rightful owners”. Fine and good. But who will restore it to them? There is a saying that power is grabbed, not given. Besides, the United Nations is not in the business of breaking up countries. However, history is replete with cases of the United Nations having to recognize those who have forcefully taken up arms and fought their way to autonomy. But that is not the case with the Southern Cameroons leaders. They have proved to be solid on three points: one, talk; two, talk; and three, talk. So there is much talk and no action. In that case, they are like toothless dogs that bark but move no one.
Even so, if the Southern Cameroons were to start a war, it is very unlikely that they would win it. Their claim, that it is they who are neighbours to the South with Nigeria and not “La République” is flawed because if they think Nigeria would support them in a war against “La République”, then that confidence is questionable for two reasons. The first is that Nigeria has learned first hand what the ravages of a civil war can be, after fighting and surviving the Nigerian-Biafran Civil War of some four decades ago. The country made colossal losses in human and material terms to the extent that today, Nigerians look back at the war as a terrible nightmare they would want to forget. The other reason for Nigeria’s reluctance to enter a war against Yaounde is that just like Yaounde, Abuja has very strong ties with Paris which they are not prepared to sacrifice. Today, French is the de facto second official language in Nigeria, after English. Besides, French investment in Nigeria is very significant. The volume of trade between Nigeria and France is so heavy that it surpasses that with some traditional Francophone African countries.
For those who do not know it, France will not relent on its efforts to “capture” Nigeria and bring it into its fold. For one thing, Nigeria is an indisputable giant in Africa South of the Sahara. As such, the country can be a very strategic partner for France. Furthermore, straddled between Francophone countries to the east, west and north, France would very much want to use Nigeria as a stepping stone and a buffer state when it comes to its former territories with which it already enjoys good relations. It must be understood that as a nation, France is a sensitive country to which friendship is paramount. That is why today, Africa’s lone Spanish-speaking country, Equatorial Guinea, is virtually a Francophone country. It has joined the CFA franc zone and embraced the French language to the extent that the language is gaining more and more ground in that country. As a matter of fact, when this writer while in Malabo some years ago asked the Equato-Guinean Minister of State in Charge of External Relations whether Madrid was not offended by the growing ties with Paris, the minister was categorical. He replied: “To be honest with you, what we have gained from France in ten years, we never gained from Spain since independence. So if we had to choose between France and Spain, we would choose France.”
The SCNC will be making a monumental error if it thinks the British will support its separatist ambitions. British colonial policy was such that once they left a territory, they left with the little they had and never came back. It was as if on leaving they shook the dust off their feet and said: “God riddance”. That is why in Britain, when someone introduces himself as coming from Cameroon, the first reaction of the British person is: “So, you speak French?” That is because many of them are ignorant or simply do not care that their country once had ties with Cameroon. Also, unlike the French, the British are not good at wooing and keeping friends. That is why higher education is very expensive for foreign students in Britain. Yet many foreign students are from the so-called (poor) Third World countries which are known for their high rate of poverty. Britain charges the foreign student at least six times what the same student is charged in France. Some observers have even asserted that Britain is blatantly and callously milking foreign students dry in order to remain fat.
The problem is that the approach and strategy chosen by the SCNC are porous. Firstly, the SCNC has always been imbued with a confidence which although praiseworthy, is unfortunately not backed by any solid courage. The pressure group wants autonomy but is not prepared to stand the heat that comes with it. In fact, its approach reminds one of the legendary mice who agreed it was necessary to bell the cat so that whenever it was nearby, they would be warned by the ringing bell and then escape. The plan was hailed by all the mice present but when the key question was asked as to who exactly would bell the cat, no one was willing to do it. As a result the plan flopped for want of implementation. As such, the SCNC appears to be knowingly or unknowingly practising the counterproductive strategy of the ostrich which when confronted by an adversary, buries its head in the sand and thinks it has hidden itself.
The SCNC seems to be suffering from political inexperience. Some years ago, it despatched some of its members to the United Nations Headquarters in New York. On their way back to Cameroon, they stopped over in London to brief their brethren in the United Kingdom. They triumphantly toasted victory. When asked concretely what they had achieved at the United Nations, they had nothing to show. Their only victory was the fact that they had been received and listened to by someone. But the United National headquarters is a public office where anyone can be received. A couple of years back, the SCNC boasted that it had taken its case to an international Dakar-based arbitration body. But then, apart from the fact that the body in question does not have the powers to enforce a decision on any country, it contented itself with advising the SCNC to create a political party and work from within it. Surely that was not what the SCNC had expected. Today, the pressure group (because that is what it really is) is more divided than ever before. It is in factions, splintered and maimed
Leaders of the SCNC missed a golden opportunity about a decade ago when they failed to support Ni John Fru Ndi in his bid to become President of the Republic of Cameroon. If the grievances of the SCNC really and truly hinge on the fact of Anglophone marginalization, then one wonders why they did not threw in their weight behind the Anglophone Fru Ndi when he came into prominence and nearly beat incumbent Paul Biya to become President of Cameroon. That was some ten years ago, yet since Fru Ndi’s party, the SDF, came into prominence over a decade ago, it has remained the country’s unchallenged leading opposition party. So is it too late for the SCNC to come clean, swallow its pride and support the SDF Chairman, especially now that the SDF is still the only opposition party likely to topple Paul Biya? Well, it’s up to the SCNC.
There is another point on which the SCNC has faltered, or at least not lived up to expectations. It is that of showing that although it is not yet in power, it cares for the people it claims to lead. When the Lake Nyos exploded in 1986 claiming human lives and property to a disturbing extent, the SCNC was mute. At least it did not step forward; it did not come centre-stage to offer relief. When the Mount Cameroon exploded, the SCNC was not seen leaping into action. Apart from loving the sound of its own voice, the SCNC has not spearheaded any help schemes for any segment of society. It has not offered any poverty relief schemes for the people such as housing, health care, education, rural development or poverty reduction. Although it claims that Bakassi is its own, it stepped aside and let Paul Biya do all the hard work that was involved in the territory being declared Cameroon’s by the International Court at The Hague. The SCNC must realize that in order to succeed it needs to match words with action, rhetoric with deeds.
I have personally always been puzzled by the historical cut off point they SCNC has chosen. Why specifically the period of the Southern Cameroons? Why not the period when the French and English territories were one, under the Germans? Why not even the period when Anglophone Cameroon was governed as the semi-autonomous State of West Cameroon? The latter period is the one I personally knew and can remember today because it coincides with the time of my being born and growing up. So, I would not cast my vote for a distant Southern Cameroons which I know little about. I leave that to my parents and grand parents. That was their era, not mine.
Having said that, I believe there is an Anglophone problem in the country. But I also believe it can be solved through inclusion, not exclusion. The present era in Cameroon is ours; that is, that of my generation. Unlike our parents who schooled in Nigeria and to a lesser extent, Britain, we are the generation that aimed at entering the Federal Bilingual College and later on studied at the University of Yaounde. We studied alongside our francophone brothers and sisters. Today we work alongside them in the same offices and sit on the same committees at the National Assembly. We are increasingly speaking or at least understanding the other official language. Our children have taken the struggle even further. To understand the point, we only have to look at the number of French-speaking children who are flooding into the typically Anglo-Saxon schools throughout the national territory. They are quickly improving their English while their French remains in tact.
Honestly, when a team is not performing well, the coach has to reconsider his line-up. He may have to change his strategy. Whether the changes he makes are drastic and far-reaching or they are cosmetic and therefore mere window dressing, it is up to him. But At the end of the day, he will be held responsible for the result. At the end of the day, what we want is the greatest good of the greatest number.
Copyright 2010
THE RULES OF THE GAME
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
If you like wine
Tap yours
If you like oranges
Plant yours
If you want a prayer
Say yours
And if you want a mother
Honour yours.
Copyright 2010
If you like wine
Tap yours
If you like oranges
Plant yours
If you want a prayer
Say yours
And if you want a mother
Honour yours.
Copyright 2010
SINGING ON THE SAME SPOT
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Don`t bother
Don`t even think about it
I`m not just imitating Brother Joseph in my class
Although I also called him Njoh
I am making a point
A strong point about Benson burners
Dissected frogs
Peering students
Reprimanded prefects
Sedimentary rock samples
Iron filings
Anopheles mosquitoes
Limps of rotten mushrooms
Sprouting hibiscus flowers
And golden rings
Pulled from pigs` nostrils.
Copyright 2010
Don`t bother
Don`t even think about it
I`m not just imitating Brother Joseph in my class
Although I also called him Njoh
I am making a point
A strong point about Benson burners
Dissected frogs
Peering students
Reprimanded prefects
Sedimentary rock samples
Iron filings
Anopheles mosquitoes
Limps of rotten mushrooms
Sprouting hibiscus flowers
And golden rings
Pulled from pigs` nostrils.
Copyright 2010
HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
The player is tired
Tired of its sparring partners
Tired of its natural habitat
And that`s where the environment comes in
Think of the ozone layer
The shrinking waters
And the encroaching desert.
Does not that bother you?
Then nothing will
Until you droop and wither
Like the flowers in the queen`s orchard.
Copyright 2010
The player is tired
Tired of its sparring partners
Tired of its natural habitat
And that`s where the environment comes in
Think of the ozone layer
The shrinking waters
And the encroaching desert.
Does not that bother you?
Then nothing will
Until you droop and wither
Like the flowers in the queen`s orchard.
Copyright 2010
GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL LIVING
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
If you want a franc
Save a thousand
If you want a woman
Raise a girl.
Copyright 2010
If you want a franc
Save a thousand
If you want a woman
Raise a girl.
Copyright 2010
THE MAD SEARCH
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Is anyone out there?
Is anyone hearing me at all?
Has anyone seen them?
I mean my monocotyledonous seeds
My resounding tuning fork
My boiled hydrochloric acid
My condensed sodium nitrate
And above all, my new edition bible?
Copyright 2010
Is anyone out there?
Is anyone hearing me at all?
Has anyone seen them?
I mean my monocotyledonous seeds
My resounding tuning fork
My boiled hydrochloric acid
My condensed sodium nitrate
And above all, my new edition bible?
Copyright 2010
FROM DUST TO DUST
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
If I were the dust
I would rise up suddenly
Weave myself into a vile snowball
And defying all the forces of gravity
Spin violently backwards and sweep you off your feet.
All in one giant swoop.
That`s what I`d do.
Copyright 2010
If I were the dust
I would rise up suddenly
Weave myself into a vile snowball
And defying all the forces of gravity
Spin violently backwards and sweep you off your feet.
All in one giant swoop.
That`s what I`d do.
Copyright 2010
LIFE AMONG THE QUAKERS
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
We`re not Quakers
We`ve not even been to Euston Road
We don`t know who they are
Or why they came forth
We just know they exist.
Why should we be like our forefathers?
Especially the one who swallowed the toad
If we were that, we couldn't`t be far
And daily we would tank Pelforth
How then do you think we could resist?
Copyright 2010
We`re not Quakers
We`ve not even been to Euston Road
We don`t know who they are
Or why they came forth
We just know they exist.
Why should we be like our forefathers?
Especially the one who swallowed the toad
If we were that, we couldn't`t be far
And daily we would tank Pelforth
How then do you think we could resist?
Copyright 2010
SO MUCH AT ODDS
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I ignore lots of things in life
Milk, greetings, cabbages and teddy bears
I mean no one any harm
It`s just a question of principles.
For everyman who has a wife
It would be three cheers
That is, forgetting the supposed charm
But not the dimples or the nipples.
Copyright 2010
I ignore lots of things in life
Milk, greetings, cabbages and teddy bears
I mean no one any harm
It`s just a question of principles.
For everyman who has a wife
It would be three cheers
That is, forgetting the supposed charm
But not the dimples or the nipples.
Copyright 2010
THE DETERRENT
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I am not a Gentile
I come from the hills of Ngan-ha
Ready-made with belt and sandals
I stand here today not to plead
But to summon.
I may very well be vile
I may even have been to Upper Sanaga
Yes, but don`t conclude like the vandals
That clad in borrowed robes, I can`t lead
I won`t serve God and mammon.
Copyright 2010
I am not a Gentile
I come from the hills of Ngan-ha
Ready-made with belt and sandals
I stand here today not to plead
But to summon.
I may very well be vile
I may even have been to Upper Sanaga
Yes, but don`t conclude like the vandals
That clad in borrowed robes, I can`t lead
I won`t serve God and mammon.
Copyright 2010
dimanche 14 mars 2010
UNDERSTANDING TELEVISION NEWS
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
It is important that before we proceed, we should understand what television news is all about. Perhaps the first distinction is that it is one of the three main wings of news production and provision, the others being radio and newspapers/magazines, or as the latter are commonly referred to, the print media. One difference that sets apart the three lies in the definition : “The print media is all about writing and writing well: radio is all about speaking and speaking well, and television is all about presenting and presenting well.” (Azonga 2007).
Obviously, as news organs, the three media have common denominators, some of which are news gathering, production and dissemination. However, they differ in some aspects. The radio journalist typically needs a notebook and sometimes a recording machine for the recording of sound. Here we are taking the inclusion of a pen as a forgone conclusion. Input of sound could be either that of interviewees or other sources such as that of a breaking event, an ongoing fire disaster for example, or an armed battle like at the war front or the scene of a military coup. The print media journalist also needs a pen and a notebook, and perhaps a recording machine. He may additionally need a photographer, or as it has increasingly become the practice, a camera to shoot images personally, if there is no photographer. In some circumstances, the person in question could be a photojournalist.
However, although the two journalists may carry the same tools, the print journalist is likely to take down more notes than the radio journalist, even if he or she uses the recorder. This is because even when he uses the recorder, he will still have to go and listen to his or her interviews and transcribe them so that they are printed on to the newspaper or magazine, depending on which it is. On the other hand, the radio journalist is spared the trouble of excessive writing by the fact that he can broadcast his or her interviews directly without having to listen to the tape and transcribe manually. Normally, the interview will still be edited before broadcast.
With the television journalist, the situation is different in the sense that although the television journalist, just like the radio and print journalist, needs a pen and a notebook, he also needs a cameraman and a sound engineer. Ideally, though, the team of three must be complete for effective work to be done. However, often here in Cameroon, television news teams sometimes go out with just the cameraman and no sound engineer. When this researcher headed the Television Coverages Service (2006-2008) of the State-run Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) he realized that when teams went out for coverage without the sound man, it was either because organisers of the event being covered complained they did not have enough money to pay mission allowances for the complete team of Four, or because after a coverage was scheduled and it was time to leave for the field, the sound man was unavailable. When it was the sound man who was present and the cameraman absent, it was usually possible to get the sound man to do the job of the cameraman with the camera. With the private television stations, when the team went out without the sound engineer, it appeared to be a systematic way of cutting costs.
It is to be observed that whereas in addition to the pen and notebook, the print journalist and the radio counterpart may or may not take along the recording machine or the photographer/ camera and still be able to do the news story, since not all stories carry interviews or photographs, the television journalist on the other hand is doomed if he or she does not have a cameraman on the job. In fact, there will be no coverage at all if nothing has been filmed for the viewer to see, television news being largely visual. While at the coverages service of CRTV, this researcher found that if for some reason there was no cameraman at hand and an event was missed, images of the event could be borrowed from another television channel that covered it.
Nonetheless, for the sake of efficiency and professional ethics, it is important that each team member be available and present. After all, each individual is trained in his or her own area of specialization. It will, no doubt, be interesting for future researchers to conduct an in-depth study on the importance of completeness in the constitution of teams for coverage.
Looking now in greater detail at the content of television news may shed more light on the points we have made above. For this case in point, we shall limit our case study to the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV). The reason is that in Cameroon, CRTV is the oldest, the best equipped and the most staffed of the television channels in Cameroon. Even so, CRTV still has its weaknesses which its detractors have never stopped exploiting to their advantage. One of these is the charge that as CRTV is State television, all it does is dance to the tune of the government. It only listens to “His Master’s Voice”. As such, CRTV news is said to lack credibility. Another criticism is that the corporation is too set in its ways, refusing to “grow up” and modernize, and is therefore being left behind by more progressive channels such as the privately-owned Canal 2 International and STV, for example. CRTV is accused of spending more time looking after its large number of Chiefs of Service and Directors than ensuring that the tele viewer.
However, despite these criticisms, CRTV still occupies pride of place on the media landscape of Cameroon because even those who criticize it return to it, at least occasionally, to watch the news and other popular programmes such as soap operas, international football matches, and the young people’s musical Star Simulation Programme, Délire, run by Foly Dirane, or the Sunday afternoon entertainment programme, Tam Tam Weekend, usually presented by a couple one of whom is Anglophone and the other Francophone. It is worth pointing out that when private television channels were authorized in Cameroon after the democratic wind of change that originated from Mikhail Gorbachev’s Soviet Union swept into Cameroon, the public and even government departments were reticent when it came to admitting the private channels to events they were organizing. However, with time, and official recognition by government, more doors are opening up to the private channels.
Television news editions take days to plan. At CRTV, the next day’s news begins with the pre-conference on the eve. This is usually hosted and presided over by the Deputy Director of the News Department (La Direction de l’Information TV), with participants including every member of the News Department with rank of at least Chief of Service. These include the Chief of Service in Charge of the Special Brigade of the Presidency of the Republic, the Chief of Service in Charge of the Special Brigade of the President of the National Assembly, and the Chief of Service in charge of the Reserved Domain of the First Lady of the Republic. All of the chiefs named above have the rank of sub director. Although these chiefs are expected to attend the pre-conferences and the daily news conferences presided over by the Editor-in-Chief, they are often absent, claiming that they cover “sovereignty domains” which makes it difficult to be present at all editorial meetings. Furthermore, they have the tendency to send in for the news, papers that are exaggeratedly long.
In addition to the Chiefs named above, Heads of Desk in the News Department attend the meeting. These include the Chief of Service in Charge of Coverages, the Chief of Service in Charge of the Economic Desk, the Chief of Service in Charge of the Foreign Desk, the Chief of Service in Charge of Culture and Society, the Chief of Service in Charge of Political Affairs, and the Chief of Service in Charge of Sports and Leisure Activities.
During the meeting, each chief proposes what he or she has and after debating it, the decision is taken whether to reject the proposal, amend and adopt it, or just adopt it as presented. At this stage, names of the team members to be assigned to that particular event may be taken down. Ideally, each team consists of an Anglophone Journalist, a Francophone Journalist, a Cameraman, a Sound Engineer, and exceptionally, a driver and a vehicle if it was agreed with the organizer of the event that CRTV would provide transportation, or if the event is one initiated by CRTV, such as an investigation (enquête).
A number of factors are used to determine where to send who. For an event that directly relates to a given Desk such as the inauguration of a new school building or the presentation of letters of credence by an ambassador, priority is given to members of that Desk, in this case, the education desk and the foreign desk respectively. However, if because the Desk is short-staffed or because there are more events happening in that same Service, someone else from another Desk that can do the job can then be assigned to do it. Throughout the meeting, the Chief of Service for Coverages is making a note of all the field assignments that have to be done the following day. After the pre-conference he posts his assignments sheet on the notice board. Reporters and technicians then consult it in order to know what they are doing, where they are going and who they are going with. The sheet is posted by the end of the working day so that before stakeholders go home, everyone has had ample time to acquaint himself or herself with it.At the end of the pre-conference, a preliminary ‘menu’ is then drawn up for the next day’s news bulletins. The following morning at 9 am, the daily editorial conference is presided over by the Editor-in-Chief.
After Amadou Vamoulké succeeded Gervais Mendo Ze as General Manager of CRTV in 2004, he brought in some modifications. These include the dual presentation of television news, which consists of an Anglophone and a Francophone sitting side by side in the studio and taking turns in speaking, each in the official language (English or French) he or she grew up with. Another innovation is the replacement of the single news desk that used to have only Francophones as Editor-in-Chief and Anglophones as Deputies, with two separate news desks, one for Francophones and one for Anglophones. In practice, what has happened is that instead of meeting as two separate Desks, both meet at the same time and at the same place. In other words, it is two newsrooms in one. So far, though, the Francophone Editor-in-Chief has dominated his Anglophone counterpart, in terms of posturing as “the editor-in-chief”, in terms of taking the floor first when receiving foreign guests, and simply in terms of running the meeting. So there seems to be an Anglophones problem here. Add to that the fact that usually when teams go out for coverage and seek to interview passers-by, Francophones are always willing to talk whereas Anglophones shy away from the camera. In the end, the Anglophone reporter resorts to interviewing the willing Francophones who will speak poor English. Failing that, the reporter may interview the respondent in French. There is need here to conduct a separate study that will probe the reasons for this withdrawal syndrome noticed in Anglophones.
Usually, the editor-in-chief simply goes through the menu drawn up during the pre-conference. If anyone has anything to say, he or she is given the floor. It is also during this meeting that the editor-in-chief announces what papers he has received from the ten provincial stations, some of which are then included in the day’s menu. Usually, no particular number of papers is imposed on the provincial stations, which means they work at their own pace, sending papers at different times and at different frequencies. As might be expected, there are some stations which send a large number of papers weekly, while others send only a few or even none. However, from time to time, the editors can contact one of the provincial stations and request specific papers, if this is necessary.
The editor-in-chief uses the news conference to programme papers for all the six news editions of CRTV. These are the 6pm bilingual provincial news, the 7.30 news in English, the 8.30 news in French, the Late Night bilingual news (at midnight), the 8am bilingual news and the 12pm bilingual news. At the end of the day there is a consensus and the menu is adopted. By this time, those who were supposed to be on the field have left the premises. There may be some who attend the news conference just because the time for their outing has not arrived yet. So, they stay in the news conference in order to participate in it while waiting to go out for coverage.
While this is going on, the Chief of Service for Coverages ensures that teams which are supposed to go out, do so. This is not a futile exercise because experience has shown that when it is known that certain Coverages are not “juicy”, no one is interested in them. So, people fake excuses. The cameraman may claim his battery is low and needs charging first, an activity which might take an hour; the cameraman and/or reporter may complain of not having a cassette for the event to be filmed. Throughout the day, the editor-in chief is in touch with the Chief of Service for Coverages, just in case there are any changes such as an envisaged and programmed event not being covered because someone did not turn up, or because it was abruptly canceled. This is important because it enables the editor-in-chief to strike off that item from the news menu and replace it with another. Otherwise, everyone will be expecting a story which in the end will not come and therefore cause embarrassment to a lot of people, including those at the helm of the country’s affairs. In some cases, such an event could even provoke a diplomatic incident.
Once teams have finished covering an event, they return to base. For the technicians, that is the cameraman, the sound man and the driver (if there was one), the job is over and they are now ready for the next assignment.
Unfortunately, for the reporters, the toughest part of the assignment is only just beginning. The reporter has to view the images on the tape in order to familiarize himself or herself with them. There is nothing as terrible as going on to write a television news story without having viewed the images first and then finding out at editing time that the images do not correspond to the narrative of the reporter or that the text is longer than the images that have to be used to accompany the text. When this is found to be the case and no other images are found to make up for the shortfall, the news editor is obliges to repeat some shots in the paper. However, this practice is to be condemned because it spoils the news with monotony! Previewing images is not to be taken for granted because CRTV has a short supply of equipment, although to be fair to the corporation, while steps are being taken to to procure updated and state-of-the-art equipment and not simply replace with the same type.
After previewing the images, the reporter goes to the newsroom or to his or her office if they have one, and writes the story and the lead. Some start by writing the lead before writing the story, while others write the story before the lead. From personal experience, I have found that starting with the lead makes the task easier because the reporter is then guided by the contents of the lead when writing the story. The lead is to the story more or less what the abstract is to the scientific paper.
Ideally, reporters are advised to let someone else read or hear their paper read because this is the easiest and cheapest way of assuring quality control. While some reporters willing allow their texts to be read, others unfortunately refuse on the grounds that it is a humiliating experience. After writing the text, the reporter now looks for a tape, usually a Betacam and then records the paper on it. He or she leaves the lead at the editing booth for the attention of the script girl who will copy from it, the ‘out’ and details of the team that did that coverage. Eventually, the leads are handed to the presenter who reads them and rewrites them in a way best suited to him or her. After all, it is the presenter who is going to ‘launch’ the paper on the news.
When the reporter finishes putting the sound on the tape, he or she takes the tape to the editing booth and waits in the queue until the editor has finished editing those who were there first. Editing (montage) is the combined effort of the editor who knows how to put what where and the reporter who knows the images and can therefore guide the editor on what to use where. Once the reporter’s paper is edited, he or she may heave a sigh of relief and call it a day. But mind you, it takes hours and a lot of patience to get to that point.
After all the papers are edited, the news supervisor (Chef d’Edition) together with the editor (monteur) rearrange (aligner) the edited papers in the order in which they will be broadcast. This makes it easier for a paper to be launched when it is announced by the newscaster (présentateur du journal). The script girl (la scripte) takes down the references of each paper and produces her own run down (conducteur) a copy of which she gives the news presenters. By this time the newscasters also have a copy of the run down produced earlier by the editor-in-chief. However, since the editor-in-chief’s run down is always subject to changes because a scheduled story may not be covered and is therefore dropped, or because there is an unforeseen breaking news event, the news supervisor usually does a final run down based on the news stories he or she is sure are available. Before the presenters enter the studio to present the news, they go to the make-up room for make-up by the make-up girls who were specifically trained and recruited for that purpose. After the make-up, news presenters take their place in the studio, test their microphones and put them on.
In the meantime the teleprompter manipulator is testing his or her own equipment. Sometimes the teleprompter breaks down, thus obliging the newscaster to read directly from the leads rather than the screen. That is why it is always a good idea for the presenter to enter the studio with the leads, just in case. Also, just before the news begins, the studio cameraman checks the equipment and switches on those that may be off. It happens! When the count down for the news ends and the news begins, it is a delight for everyone. The following day in the newsroom the news conference will begin with a critique of the previous day’s news.
In lining up news items, the editor-in-chief respects the pillar institutions of the Republic and usually has as his or her hierarchical choice, news about the President of the Republic topping the run down, followed by news of the President of the National Assembly, and then the Prime Minister Head of Government.Sometimes the First Lady`s events are reported after those of the Presidency of the Republic. At other times this is done after those of the President of the National Assembly. News about the Prime Minister Head of Government can be broadcast before that of the First Lady, when for instance the Prime Minister has represented the Head of State at some event. Nonetheless, sometimes, an event considered as major or a breaking news item may upset that order.
Any aspiring journalist who is thinking of taking up a career in television journalism must think about it very carefully before getting involved. This is because television journalism is very demanding and not appropriate for the faint-hearted. The experience is vividly captured in the following experience by the Television News Production Assistant, Paev S. (2006), the post of the Television News Production Assistant being essentially an entry-point one whose job is to help out with administrative tasks and give additional support to the assignments desk, reporters, photographers and editors.
This is what Paev says:
“It’s 3am on a Saturday. My friends are either at twenty-four diners or crashing after a long night of barhopping. My alarm clock is going off. I swipe blindly at the clock, my phone, and everything else in that general vicinity, trying to find and severely punish the source of the noise. Then my sleep-deprived brain realizes that it’s not just some awful disruption. it’s time to get up.
Feeling rather like a coma patient waking for the first time, I sit up. My eyes burn. No contacts today, that’s for sure. Even though I’ve been at this early morning stuff for five-plus months, the wake up call doesn’t get any easier.”
Despite what Paev (2006) says about her job as a journalist, it is significant that she has not quit the job. Nevertheless, there are some who have not stomached things for too long and have therefore quit their jobs, some moving into new-found jobs and others simply taking a leap in the dark. The Cameroon Herald newspaper (2008) in its 12-13 May edition reports “massive departures” from the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV), the state-run Radio and Television Corporation, although it is not very clear whether the only reason for quitting was the difficult nature of the job. According to the newspaper, some of those who are still at the corporation are also contemplating the same move. The paper names eight top journalists who have left the corporation in the last few years. These include Antoine Marie Ngono, Nyoh Moses, Alex Mimbang, Jessie Atogho Ekukole, Akara Ticha, George Esunge Fominyen, Barbara Etoa (unconfirmed by the paper), Jean Materne Ndi (equally unconfirmed by the paper), Hawa Garga, and Wamba Sob Ngu Tayou. Others are Anne Nsang, Susan Bamu and Caroline Kilo Bara. Those who left in the very first wave were Eric Chinje, Ntemfac Ofege, Denise Epote, Julius Wamey, Boh Herbert, Charly Ndi Chia, and Eno Chris Oben.
Young Cameroonians, especially those who may be inspired through the present study and its recommendations and want to become television journalists in the future must bear in mind that they will need to exercise patience while on the job. The normal way of climbing up the journalistic ladder is by getting in, starting from the bottom and then progressing upwards. Journalism is one profession in which what matters is not what one has in terms of paper qualifications but what one can do. .
Keirstead P.O. (2004) examines the specific domain of computers and software in the broadcast/cable newsroom. In his book, Using Technology in Television News Production, the author who is a longstanding writer of television news over the years which have been characterized by technological advancement, seeks to enable television news managers to cope with the rapid changes in technology. At the same time, he zooms in on how technology and especially the computer can help today’s journalist to deliver the goods. Keirstead uses a hands-on practical approach which brings his narrative to life and thus makes it appealing to the professional as well as the student journalist at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
If there is one criticism one can level at the author, it is that his book appears to assume that the technology he describes is available everywhere, which in reality is not the case. So his book becomes useful to those who know first hand what he is talking about, and not the numerous media professional in the suffering professionals of the Third World who are still groping in the dark.
New entrants to the field of television journalism will realize that in addition to finding a willing shoulder from the older members of the newsroom, there are also a number of good books available which they can consult and even keep for reference. They will find them indispensable companions. One of these is, A Beginner’s Guide to Television News Reporting and Production, authored by Cappe, Y. (2006). The author who boasts over twenty years as a reporter and broadcaster is a professor of journalism at the University of Kentucky in the USA.
The book is written in a style that is practical and includes tips on how to find story ideas, conduct interviews and write news scripts as well as leads. The chapter on news production includes a section on the expanding media craze that is the video. The book which is ideal for beginning journalists, painstakingly explains how to successfully use videography to frame interviews and edit jump cuts.
The Elements of Journalism (Kovach & Rosenstiel 2007) is one of the most recent books on journalism which the budding journalist will find very useful. In a style that is clear, concise and straight-to-the-point, the authors explain to the reader the rudiments of the trade such as the importance of truth and objectivity in reporting news, loyalty to citizens, the need to check out facts before publishing, and the need to exercise personal conscience in the performance of ones duty as a journalist. Additionally, practitioners are urged to make independent informed judgments, keep the news comprehensive and proportional as well as endeavour to make the story interesting and relevant.
The book has so far received a good press from some of the best critiques in the profession. Neil Rudenstein, President of the renowned Harvard University for, example, says:
“The Elements of Journalism is a remarkable book that does a superb job of describing the problems, articulating the values, outlining the risks, and offering understandable and practical ways to respond to the difficulties of the present state of journalism. The Elements of Journalism ought to become required reading for every institution (and individual) engaged in journalism." Tom Goldstein, Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University, says: “Of the many books that have been written about reporting the news, this one best captures the shortcomings, subtleties, and possibilities of modern journalism. It deserves to become as indispensable to journalists and journalism students as the Elements of Style." According to Rasmi Simhan of Boston Globe, “What this book does better than any single book on media history, ethics, or practice is weave . . . [together] why media audiences have fled and why new technology and mega corporate ownership are putting good journalism at risk.”
David Talbot, Editor-in-Chief of Salon.com puts it this way: “In an age when partisan rancour and ratings-driven showmanship have crowded out the more subtle virtues of solid journalism, Tom Rosenstiel and Bill Kovach provide a timely refresher course in the importance of press fundamentals. They remind us that at its best, journalism is a high public calling, and all those who practice it have a deeper obligation to their readers and viewers than to the demands of the market." Carl Sessions of the American Journalism Review goes beyond the appraisal of the form and gets down to the substance when he opines: “Kovach and Rosenstiel’s essays on each [element] are concise gems, filled with insights worthy of becoming axiomatic. The book should become essential reading for journalism professionals and students and for the citizens they claim to serve.”
References
1.Azonga, T.M. (2007): Rough notes on television news production, unpublished
2.Paev, S. (2006).The Life of a Television News Production
Assistant: A Look at the Media Industry from the Bottom Up,
2006. Available at
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/31756/the_life
of_a_television_news_production.html (Downloaded 20 May
2008).
3.Keirstead P.O. (2004). Computers in Broadcast and Cable
Newsrooms: Using Technology in Television News
Production, Rutledge, London. Also available at
http://books. google.co.ke/books?id=DcwBFE8I9cIC&dq
=producing+television+news&source=gbs_summary
(Downloaded 20 May 2008).
4.Cappe, Y. (2006). A Beginner’s Guide to Television News
Reporting and Production, Marion Street Press, USA.
Available at http://www.amazon.com/Broadcast-Basics-
Beginners-Television-Production/dp/1933338148/ref=cm_
lmf_tit_. (Downloaded on 20 May 2008.)
5. Rosenstiel, T. & Kovach, B. (2007). The Elements of
Journalism (Revised and updated edition), Three Rivers
http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Journalism
-Newspeople-Completely-Updated/dp/0307346706/ref=
cm_lmf_tit_6.
NOTE: This article is taken from my ongoing Media and Communication PhD thesis on the topic; Television News as a Pedagogic Tool in the French as a Foreign Language Class.
Copyright 2010
It is important that before we proceed, we should understand what television news is all about. Perhaps the first distinction is that it is one of the three main wings of news production and provision, the others being radio and newspapers/magazines, or as the latter are commonly referred to, the print media. One difference that sets apart the three lies in the definition : “The print media is all about writing and writing well: radio is all about speaking and speaking well, and television is all about presenting and presenting well.” (Azonga 2007).
Obviously, as news organs, the three media have common denominators, some of which are news gathering, production and dissemination. However, they differ in some aspects. The radio journalist typically needs a notebook and sometimes a recording machine for the recording of sound. Here we are taking the inclusion of a pen as a forgone conclusion. Input of sound could be either that of interviewees or other sources such as that of a breaking event, an ongoing fire disaster for example, or an armed battle like at the war front or the scene of a military coup. The print media journalist also needs a pen and a notebook, and perhaps a recording machine. He may additionally need a photographer, or as it has increasingly become the practice, a camera to shoot images personally, if there is no photographer. In some circumstances, the person in question could be a photojournalist.
However, although the two journalists may carry the same tools, the print journalist is likely to take down more notes than the radio journalist, even if he or she uses the recorder. This is because even when he uses the recorder, he will still have to go and listen to his or her interviews and transcribe them so that they are printed on to the newspaper or magazine, depending on which it is. On the other hand, the radio journalist is spared the trouble of excessive writing by the fact that he can broadcast his or her interviews directly without having to listen to the tape and transcribe manually. Normally, the interview will still be edited before broadcast.
With the television journalist, the situation is different in the sense that although the television journalist, just like the radio and print journalist, needs a pen and a notebook, he also needs a cameraman and a sound engineer. Ideally, though, the team of three must be complete for effective work to be done. However, often here in Cameroon, television news teams sometimes go out with just the cameraman and no sound engineer. When this researcher headed the Television Coverages Service (2006-2008) of the State-run Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) he realized that when teams went out for coverage without the sound man, it was either because organisers of the event being covered complained they did not have enough money to pay mission allowances for the complete team of Four, or because after a coverage was scheduled and it was time to leave for the field, the sound man was unavailable. When it was the sound man who was present and the cameraman absent, it was usually possible to get the sound man to do the job of the cameraman with the camera. With the private television stations, when the team went out without the sound engineer, it appeared to be a systematic way of cutting costs.
It is to be observed that whereas in addition to the pen and notebook, the print journalist and the radio counterpart may or may not take along the recording machine or the photographer/ camera and still be able to do the news story, since not all stories carry interviews or photographs, the television journalist on the other hand is doomed if he or she does not have a cameraman on the job. In fact, there will be no coverage at all if nothing has been filmed for the viewer to see, television news being largely visual. While at the coverages service of CRTV, this researcher found that if for some reason there was no cameraman at hand and an event was missed, images of the event could be borrowed from another television channel that covered it.
Nonetheless, for the sake of efficiency and professional ethics, it is important that each team member be available and present. After all, each individual is trained in his or her own area of specialization. It will, no doubt, be interesting for future researchers to conduct an in-depth study on the importance of completeness in the constitution of teams for coverage.
Looking now in greater detail at the content of television news may shed more light on the points we have made above. For this case in point, we shall limit our case study to the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV). The reason is that in Cameroon, CRTV is the oldest, the best equipped and the most staffed of the television channels in Cameroon. Even so, CRTV still has its weaknesses which its detractors have never stopped exploiting to their advantage. One of these is the charge that as CRTV is State television, all it does is dance to the tune of the government. It only listens to “His Master’s Voice”. As such, CRTV news is said to lack credibility. Another criticism is that the corporation is too set in its ways, refusing to “grow up” and modernize, and is therefore being left behind by more progressive channels such as the privately-owned Canal 2 International and STV, for example. CRTV is accused of spending more time looking after its large number of Chiefs of Service and Directors than ensuring that the tele viewer.
However, despite these criticisms, CRTV still occupies pride of place on the media landscape of Cameroon because even those who criticize it return to it, at least occasionally, to watch the news and other popular programmes such as soap operas, international football matches, and the young people’s musical Star Simulation Programme, Délire, run by Foly Dirane, or the Sunday afternoon entertainment programme, Tam Tam Weekend, usually presented by a couple one of whom is Anglophone and the other Francophone. It is worth pointing out that when private television channels were authorized in Cameroon after the democratic wind of change that originated from Mikhail Gorbachev’s Soviet Union swept into Cameroon, the public and even government departments were reticent when it came to admitting the private channels to events they were organizing. However, with time, and official recognition by government, more doors are opening up to the private channels.
Television news editions take days to plan. At CRTV, the next day’s news begins with the pre-conference on the eve. This is usually hosted and presided over by the Deputy Director of the News Department (La Direction de l’Information TV), with participants including every member of the News Department with rank of at least Chief of Service. These include the Chief of Service in Charge of the Special Brigade of the Presidency of the Republic, the Chief of Service in Charge of the Special Brigade of the President of the National Assembly, and the Chief of Service in charge of the Reserved Domain of the First Lady of the Republic. All of the chiefs named above have the rank of sub director. Although these chiefs are expected to attend the pre-conferences and the daily news conferences presided over by the Editor-in-Chief, they are often absent, claiming that they cover “sovereignty domains” which makes it difficult to be present at all editorial meetings. Furthermore, they have the tendency to send in for the news, papers that are exaggeratedly long.
In addition to the Chiefs named above, Heads of Desk in the News Department attend the meeting. These include the Chief of Service in Charge of Coverages, the Chief of Service in Charge of the Economic Desk, the Chief of Service in Charge of the Foreign Desk, the Chief of Service in Charge of Culture and Society, the Chief of Service in Charge of Political Affairs, and the Chief of Service in Charge of Sports and Leisure Activities.
During the meeting, each chief proposes what he or she has and after debating it, the decision is taken whether to reject the proposal, amend and adopt it, or just adopt it as presented. At this stage, names of the team members to be assigned to that particular event may be taken down. Ideally, each team consists of an Anglophone Journalist, a Francophone Journalist, a Cameraman, a Sound Engineer, and exceptionally, a driver and a vehicle if it was agreed with the organizer of the event that CRTV would provide transportation, or if the event is one initiated by CRTV, such as an investigation (enquête).
A number of factors are used to determine where to send who. For an event that directly relates to a given Desk such as the inauguration of a new school building or the presentation of letters of credence by an ambassador, priority is given to members of that Desk, in this case, the education desk and the foreign desk respectively. However, if because the Desk is short-staffed or because there are more events happening in that same Service, someone else from another Desk that can do the job can then be assigned to do it. Throughout the meeting, the Chief of Service for Coverages is making a note of all the field assignments that have to be done the following day. After the pre-conference he posts his assignments sheet on the notice board. Reporters and technicians then consult it in order to know what they are doing, where they are going and who they are going with. The sheet is posted by the end of the working day so that before stakeholders go home, everyone has had ample time to acquaint himself or herself with it.At the end of the pre-conference, a preliminary ‘menu’ is then drawn up for the next day’s news bulletins. The following morning at 9 am, the daily editorial conference is presided over by the Editor-in-Chief.
After Amadou Vamoulké succeeded Gervais Mendo Ze as General Manager of CRTV in 2004, he brought in some modifications. These include the dual presentation of television news, which consists of an Anglophone and a Francophone sitting side by side in the studio and taking turns in speaking, each in the official language (English or French) he or she grew up with. Another innovation is the replacement of the single news desk that used to have only Francophones as Editor-in-Chief and Anglophones as Deputies, with two separate news desks, one for Francophones and one for Anglophones. In practice, what has happened is that instead of meeting as two separate Desks, both meet at the same time and at the same place. In other words, it is two newsrooms in one. So far, though, the Francophone Editor-in-Chief has dominated his Anglophone counterpart, in terms of posturing as “the editor-in-chief”, in terms of taking the floor first when receiving foreign guests, and simply in terms of running the meeting. So there seems to be an Anglophones problem here. Add to that the fact that usually when teams go out for coverage and seek to interview passers-by, Francophones are always willing to talk whereas Anglophones shy away from the camera. In the end, the Anglophone reporter resorts to interviewing the willing Francophones who will speak poor English. Failing that, the reporter may interview the respondent in French. There is need here to conduct a separate study that will probe the reasons for this withdrawal syndrome noticed in Anglophones.
Usually, the editor-in-chief simply goes through the menu drawn up during the pre-conference. If anyone has anything to say, he or she is given the floor. It is also during this meeting that the editor-in-chief announces what papers he has received from the ten provincial stations, some of which are then included in the day’s menu. Usually, no particular number of papers is imposed on the provincial stations, which means they work at their own pace, sending papers at different times and at different frequencies. As might be expected, there are some stations which send a large number of papers weekly, while others send only a few or even none. However, from time to time, the editors can contact one of the provincial stations and request specific papers, if this is necessary.
The editor-in-chief uses the news conference to programme papers for all the six news editions of CRTV. These are the 6pm bilingual provincial news, the 7.30 news in English, the 8.30 news in French, the Late Night bilingual news (at midnight), the 8am bilingual news and the 12pm bilingual news. At the end of the day there is a consensus and the menu is adopted. By this time, those who were supposed to be on the field have left the premises. There may be some who attend the news conference just because the time for their outing has not arrived yet. So, they stay in the news conference in order to participate in it while waiting to go out for coverage.
While this is going on, the Chief of Service for Coverages ensures that teams which are supposed to go out, do so. This is not a futile exercise because experience has shown that when it is known that certain Coverages are not “juicy”, no one is interested in them. So, people fake excuses. The cameraman may claim his battery is low and needs charging first, an activity which might take an hour; the cameraman and/or reporter may complain of not having a cassette for the event to be filmed. Throughout the day, the editor-in chief is in touch with the Chief of Service for Coverages, just in case there are any changes such as an envisaged and programmed event not being covered because someone did not turn up, or because it was abruptly canceled. This is important because it enables the editor-in-chief to strike off that item from the news menu and replace it with another. Otherwise, everyone will be expecting a story which in the end will not come and therefore cause embarrassment to a lot of people, including those at the helm of the country’s affairs. In some cases, such an event could even provoke a diplomatic incident.
Once teams have finished covering an event, they return to base. For the technicians, that is the cameraman, the sound man and the driver (if there was one), the job is over and they are now ready for the next assignment.
Unfortunately, for the reporters, the toughest part of the assignment is only just beginning. The reporter has to view the images on the tape in order to familiarize himself or herself with them. There is nothing as terrible as going on to write a television news story without having viewed the images first and then finding out at editing time that the images do not correspond to the narrative of the reporter or that the text is longer than the images that have to be used to accompany the text. When this is found to be the case and no other images are found to make up for the shortfall, the news editor is obliges to repeat some shots in the paper. However, this practice is to be condemned because it spoils the news with monotony! Previewing images is not to be taken for granted because CRTV has a short supply of equipment, although to be fair to the corporation, while steps are being taken to to procure updated and state-of-the-art equipment and not simply replace with the same type.
After previewing the images, the reporter goes to the newsroom or to his or her office if they have one, and writes the story and the lead. Some start by writing the lead before writing the story, while others write the story before the lead. From personal experience, I have found that starting with the lead makes the task easier because the reporter is then guided by the contents of the lead when writing the story. The lead is to the story more or less what the abstract is to the scientific paper.
Ideally, reporters are advised to let someone else read or hear their paper read because this is the easiest and cheapest way of assuring quality control. While some reporters willing allow their texts to be read, others unfortunately refuse on the grounds that it is a humiliating experience. After writing the text, the reporter now looks for a tape, usually a Betacam and then records the paper on it. He or she leaves the lead at the editing booth for the attention of the script girl who will copy from it, the ‘out’ and details of the team that did that coverage. Eventually, the leads are handed to the presenter who reads them and rewrites them in a way best suited to him or her. After all, it is the presenter who is going to ‘launch’ the paper on the news.
When the reporter finishes putting the sound on the tape, he or she takes the tape to the editing booth and waits in the queue until the editor has finished editing those who were there first. Editing (montage) is the combined effort of the editor who knows how to put what where and the reporter who knows the images and can therefore guide the editor on what to use where. Once the reporter’s paper is edited, he or she may heave a sigh of relief and call it a day. But mind you, it takes hours and a lot of patience to get to that point.
After all the papers are edited, the news supervisor (Chef d’Edition) together with the editor (monteur) rearrange (aligner) the edited papers in the order in which they will be broadcast. This makes it easier for a paper to be launched when it is announced by the newscaster (présentateur du journal). The script girl (la scripte) takes down the references of each paper and produces her own run down (conducteur) a copy of which she gives the news presenters. By this time the newscasters also have a copy of the run down produced earlier by the editor-in-chief. However, since the editor-in-chief’s run down is always subject to changes because a scheduled story may not be covered and is therefore dropped, or because there is an unforeseen breaking news event, the news supervisor usually does a final run down based on the news stories he or she is sure are available. Before the presenters enter the studio to present the news, they go to the make-up room for make-up by the make-up girls who were specifically trained and recruited for that purpose. After the make-up, news presenters take their place in the studio, test their microphones and put them on.
In the meantime the teleprompter manipulator is testing his or her own equipment. Sometimes the teleprompter breaks down, thus obliging the newscaster to read directly from the leads rather than the screen. That is why it is always a good idea for the presenter to enter the studio with the leads, just in case. Also, just before the news begins, the studio cameraman checks the equipment and switches on those that may be off. It happens! When the count down for the news ends and the news begins, it is a delight for everyone. The following day in the newsroom the news conference will begin with a critique of the previous day’s news.
In lining up news items, the editor-in-chief respects the pillar institutions of the Republic and usually has as his or her hierarchical choice, news about the President of the Republic topping the run down, followed by news of the President of the National Assembly, and then the Prime Minister Head of Government.Sometimes the First Lady`s events are reported after those of the Presidency of the Republic. At other times this is done after those of the President of the National Assembly. News about the Prime Minister Head of Government can be broadcast before that of the First Lady, when for instance the Prime Minister has represented the Head of State at some event. Nonetheless, sometimes, an event considered as major or a breaking news item may upset that order.
Any aspiring journalist who is thinking of taking up a career in television journalism must think about it very carefully before getting involved. This is because television journalism is very demanding and not appropriate for the faint-hearted. The experience is vividly captured in the following experience by the Television News Production Assistant, Paev S. (2006), the post of the Television News Production Assistant being essentially an entry-point one whose job is to help out with administrative tasks and give additional support to the assignments desk, reporters, photographers and editors.
This is what Paev says:
“It’s 3am on a Saturday. My friends are either at twenty-four diners or crashing after a long night of barhopping. My alarm clock is going off. I swipe blindly at the clock, my phone, and everything else in that general vicinity, trying to find and severely punish the source of the noise. Then my sleep-deprived brain realizes that it’s not just some awful disruption. it’s time to get up.
Feeling rather like a coma patient waking for the first time, I sit up. My eyes burn. No contacts today, that’s for sure. Even though I’ve been at this early morning stuff for five-plus months, the wake up call doesn’t get any easier.”
Despite what Paev (2006) says about her job as a journalist, it is significant that she has not quit the job. Nevertheless, there are some who have not stomached things for too long and have therefore quit their jobs, some moving into new-found jobs and others simply taking a leap in the dark. The Cameroon Herald newspaper (2008) in its 12-13 May edition reports “massive departures” from the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV), the state-run Radio and Television Corporation, although it is not very clear whether the only reason for quitting was the difficult nature of the job. According to the newspaper, some of those who are still at the corporation are also contemplating the same move. The paper names eight top journalists who have left the corporation in the last few years. These include Antoine Marie Ngono, Nyoh Moses, Alex Mimbang, Jessie Atogho Ekukole, Akara Ticha, George Esunge Fominyen, Barbara Etoa (unconfirmed by the paper), Jean Materne Ndi (equally unconfirmed by the paper), Hawa Garga, and Wamba Sob Ngu Tayou. Others are Anne Nsang, Susan Bamu and Caroline Kilo Bara. Those who left in the very first wave were Eric Chinje, Ntemfac Ofege, Denise Epote, Julius Wamey, Boh Herbert, Charly Ndi Chia, and Eno Chris Oben.
Young Cameroonians, especially those who may be inspired through the present study and its recommendations and want to become television journalists in the future must bear in mind that they will need to exercise patience while on the job. The normal way of climbing up the journalistic ladder is by getting in, starting from the bottom and then progressing upwards. Journalism is one profession in which what matters is not what one has in terms of paper qualifications but what one can do. .
Keirstead P.O. (2004) examines the specific domain of computers and software in the broadcast/cable newsroom. In his book, Using Technology in Television News Production, the author who is a longstanding writer of television news over the years which have been characterized by technological advancement, seeks to enable television news managers to cope with the rapid changes in technology. At the same time, he zooms in on how technology and especially the computer can help today’s journalist to deliver the goods. Keirstead uses a hands-on practical approach which brings his narrative to life and thus makes it appealing to the professional as well as the student journalist at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
If there is one criticism one can level at the author, it is that his book appears to assume that the technology he describes is available everywhere, which in reality is not the case. So his book becomes useful to those who know first hand what he is talking about, and not the numerous media professional in the suffering professionals of the Third World who are still groping in the dark.
New entrants to the field of television journalism will realize that in addition to finding a willing shoulder from the older members of the newsroom, there are also a number of good books available which they can consult and even keep for reference. They will find them indispensable companions. One of these is, A Beginner’s Guide to Television News Reporting and Production, authored by Cappe, Y. (2006). The author who boasts over twenty years as a reporter and broadcaster is a professor of journalism at the University of Kentucky in the USA.
The book is written in a style that is practical and includes tips on how to find story ideas, conduct interviews and write news scripts as well as leads. The chapter on news production includes a section on the expanding media craze that is the video. The book which is ideal for beginning journalists, painstakingly explains how to successfully use videography to frame interviews and edit jump cuts.
The Elements of Journalism (Kovach & Rosenstiel 2007) is one of the most recent books on journalism which the budding journalist will find very useful. In a style that is clear, concise and straight-to-the-point, the authors explain to the reader the rudiments of the trade such as the importance of truth and objectivity in reporting news, loyalty to citizens, the need to check out facts before publishing, and the need to exercise personal conscience in the performance of ones duty as a journalist. Additionally, practitioners are urged to make independent informed judgments, keep the news comprehensive and proportional as well as endeavour to make the story interesting and relevant.
The book has so far received a good press from some of the best critiques in the profession. Neil Rudenstein, President of the renowned Harvard University for, example, says:
“The Elements of Journalism is a remarkable book that does a superb job of describing the problems, articulating the values, outlining the risks, and offering understandable and practical ways to respond to the difficulties of the present state of journalism. The Elements of Journalism ought to become required reading for every institution (and individual) engaged in journalism." Tom Goldstein, Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University, says: “Of the many books that have been written about reporting the news, this one best captures the shortcomings, subtleties, and possibilities of modern journalism. It deserves to become as indispensable to journalists and journalism students as the Elements of Style." According to Rasmi Simhan of Boston Globe, “What this book does better than any single book on media history, ethics, or practice is weave . . . [together] why media audiences have fled and why new technology and mega corporate ownership are putting good journalism at risk.”
David Talbot, Editor-in-Chief of Salon.com puts it this way: “In an age when partisan rancour and ratings-driven showmanship have crowded out the more subtle virtues of solid journalism, Tom Rosenstiel and Bill Kovach provide a timely refresher course in the importance of press fundamentals. They remind us that at its best, journalism is a high public calling, and all those who practice it have a deeper obligation to their readers and viewers than to the demands of the market." Carl Sessions of the American Journalism Review goes beyond the appraisal of the form and gets down to the substance when he opines: “Kovach and Rosenstiel’s essays on each [element] are concise gems, filled with insights worthy of becoming axiomatic. The book should become essential reading for journalism professionals and students and for the citizens they claim to serve.”
References
1.Azonga, T.M. (2007): Rough notes on television news production, unpublished
2.Paev, S. (2006).The Life of a Television News Production
Assistant: A Look at the Media Industry from the Bottom Up,
2006. Available at
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/31756/the_life
of_a_television_news_production.html (Downloaded 20 May
2008).
3.Keirstead P.O. (2004). Computers in Broadcast and Cable
Newsrooms: Using Technology in Television News
Production, Rutledge, London. Also available at
http://books. google.co.ke/books?id=DcwBFE8I9cIC&dq
=producing+television+news&source=gbs_summary
(Downloaded 20 May 2008).
4.Cappe, Y. (2006). A Beginner’s Guide to Television News
Reporting and Production, Marion Street Press, USA.
Available at http://www.amazon.com/Broadcast-Basics-
Beginners-Television-Production/dp/1933338148/ref=cm_
lmf_tit_. (Downloaded on 20 May 2008.)
5. Rosenstiel, T. & Kovach, B. (2007). The Elements of
Journalism (Revised and updated edition), Three Rivers
http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Journalism
-Newspeople-Completely-Updated/dp/0307346706/ref=
cm_lmf_tit_6.
NOTE: This article is taken from my ongoing Media and Communication PhD thesis on the topic; Television News as a Pedagogic Tool in the French as a Foreign Language Class.
Copyright 2010
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