vendredi 23 avril 2010

RESPONSE TO CELES ACHU ON PAUL BIYA AS WINNER OF 2011 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Hi Celes, I don't agree with you that Biya has already won the 2011 presidential. Here are my reasons

1. Political elections are a high level competition, like any other competition. At the time the match begins it is usually clear in the mind of the public who is the favorite.But sometimes the favorite is beaten. That happened between David and Goliath, between Cameroon and Argentina, even with the powerful presence of Diego Maradona. Yet we did it with only ten players.

2. Ask yourself this question: if opposition parties were to team up seriously, could`t they do do it? I say they could, but they won`t because each of the wants to be the next president. And that is not Biya`s fault..Remember that in the course of history, small nations have willingly gone to war with bigger ones. Even if they did`t win, they made their point.Besides in ngamamabo we say that if you are going to war, don`t start counting the number of corpses on the field. Yet you have stared counting yours before the war has started.

You mentioned Ben Muna`s change of language between 1999 and now. That is normal in politics. That is why it is said politics is not religion. In religion, the ten commandments guide us.In politics there are no such commandments. Politicians can steal, lie, kill and make false promises just to be in power. It may not be right but politics is not about rightness, it is about ways and means and results. So, politics is also not the law.

When George Bush Senior was campaigning for president, he said to Americans " Watch my lips: No new taxes!" When he got to power he raised taxes. When the then Prime Minister of Britain, Neville Chamberlaine met with Adolf Hitler and got the German Furher to sign a non-agression pact, he did. When the PM arrived at the airport in Britain and descended from the plane, he triumphantly waved the document crying with joy: "Don`t you see? He has signed it! Here it is!" Shortly afterward, Britain, especially London received the worst bombing and shelling in its lifetime. That is the way things are.

By the way, if you have already prematurely declared Paul Biya the winner, there are two things you are forgetting. Just as in Ngammabo we say you can`t count money that is in someone else`s pocket, you cannot also tell what is in somebody else` mind. Biya has not declared his intention, so there is that slight chance that he may not run. Even if he runs, you have also forgotten that God in his infinite wisdom my intervene on the side of the people. So were you speaking for God and yourself?

Regards

TMA

---------------------------------------------------------------

BELOW IS THE BACKGROUND INFORMAMATION YOU MAY LIKE TO CONSULT

Re: [mbudca_global] Re: [cameroon_politics] Muna Calls for Equal Development for Unity to Prevail in Cameroon
Vendredi 23 avril 2010 13h05
De:
"sunny malex"
Ajouter l'expéditeur dans les contacts
À:
mbudca_global@yahoogroups.com


A nice one....That was a good political workout Celestine!

You'll Not See This Day Again, Make Every Occasion Happy & Memorable!
When You Hold An Enemy At Heart, You Are The Prisoner Not The Enemy!
Learn To Forgive Even When I Do Not Deserve It! The Almighty Knows Us All & Has The Final Word!


--- On Wed, 4/21/10, Celestin Atanga wrote:


From: Celestin Atanga
Subject: [mbudca_global] Re: [cameroon_politics] Muna Calls for Equal Development for Unity to Prevail in Cameroon
To: cameroon_politics@ yahoogroups. com
Cc: "Cameroon Network" , "Yes_We_Can" , "Moderator"
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 2:10 PM



Dr. Susungi:
I feel very sad when we keep wasting out time talking about presidential candidates when we know very well as things stand today, Mr. Paul Biya has already won the 2011 presidential elections. ELECAM before the recent amendment was a "doubtful" wing of the CPDM. Since Biya wasn't very sure of ELECAM's loyalty, he brought in MINAT/D who's track record in rigging is known by all and sundry. So, by talking about les présidentiables all the time in a context which we all know is more or less a joke.

The real problem we have in Cameroon is the electoral system that is of Biya for Biya and by Biya. I don't see anyone beating Mr. Biya under the present ELECAM/MINATD contraption. I've on several postings (on the internet and debates on radios and TVs) said that President Obama and Pope Benedict XVI under the banner of un candidat unique de l'opposition cannot beat Biya as things are now. I remember saying here a few weeks ago that elections are rigged even in areas where the CPDM is competing alone. Before any election, say parliamentary or municipal, the CPDM disqualifies her opponents in most parts of her "fiefs" before competing with other parties in the rest of the national territory. It is like the 4 by 4 (track and field) relay race where your opponent has his baton (already running) over midway the distance while you're still waiting for your partner who is very faraway, almost at the starting point. More so, your opponent (the CPDM) can decide and stop you wherever while he's on the run. Who'll win that race? That's why the CPDM has 156 out of 180 and is governing with a coalition of Bello Bouba and Issa Tchiroma Bakary. With this "popularity" and over 75% of ELECAM members belonging to CPDM, they're still afraid - they had to bring back their rigging wing - the SDOs and DOs into the electoral process.

That said, I agreed with Mr. Usumanu's comments about the Munas. I think the best Munas (Pa and Ni Dan) have long gone to the world beyond. Pa Muna during his dying days defended their actions (him and Dr. JN Foncha) at the United Nations. Paradoxically, those that the Biya oligarchy put in place to oppose Pa Muna were Messrs Ben Muna, Akere Muna and Pa Mbile. Messrs Ben and Akere Muna were all over CRTV saying that their father was suffering from dementia,etc. , so, he shouldn't be taken seriously. Pa Mbile, on his part, was saying that nothing can changed as per the Foumban Conference. He (Pa Mbile) kept denouncing Pa Muna and Pa Foncha for trying to put back grown up kids into their mothers' wombs. He didn't end there, he wrote a book (I have forgotten the title) in defense of the Ahidjo and Biya oligarchies.

As for Pa Muna's children, Cameroonians will have to know how Barrister Akere Muna became the Vice President of Transparency International (TI) just when the Biya oligarchy was fighting them for tarnishing their image. The oligarchy had to invite the then Peter Eigen, President of TI to Cameroon. The man was questioned on what they were doing to arrived at the conclusion that Cameroon was the most corrupt country. It should be recall that TI had indicted Cameroon twice as the most corrupt country in the world in 1998 and 1999.

Barrister Akere Muna is both the oligarchy's lobbyist and lawyer. In court proceedings leading to the sentencing of Ondo Ndong Emmanuel Gerald (former GM of FEICOM), Barrister Akere Muna him (Ondo Ndong) "helped" via Newsweek Magazine to "cleanse" Cameroon's image on the international media.

As for Ni Ben Muna, he has more questions to answers than his kid brother. Ni Ben said recently (in the Post Newspaper) that he's building a coaltion of oppoosition parties to oust Mr. Biya in 2011. This same Ni Ben has said in The Quail now called The Standard Tribune in April 2009 that he is no longer and "opposition" but a "proposition. " In that interview he said people no longer like the word opposition; that's why his was now a proposition. He went on to say that he would like Mr. Biya to give him some Ministries for him he run them according to the manifesto of his party. Not to long ago (between May 2006 and March 2007), Ni Ben Muna was running from one FM radio station to the other telling those who care to listen that he has been "given" the SDF by the Mfoundi courts. He paraded himself wherever he were as the National Chairman of what he called "SDF Authentique. " Ni Ben claimed to have held a convention in Yaounde that "elected" him Naional Chairman of "SDF Authentique. " That so-called convention that was banned according to the SDO of Mfoundi in Cameroon Tribune on May 28, 2006 .It also led to the dead of a Cameroon. Up till this moment, Ni Ben has never been charged for holding an illegal meeting that led to the death of a Cameroonian. If it were to be Dr. Susungi or Mr. Usumanu that convened an illegal gathering and someone passed away, they would have long been thrown into jail for masterminding the killing of a Cameroonian.

I think I have sufficiently spoken about these Munas - Messrs Ben and Akere. A large majority of Cameroonians know them. I've also heard people talking about dynasties. I have read much about some of these so-called dynasties: the Kennedys and the Bushes. The Kennedys were and are still Democrats while the Bushes are Republicans. These dynaties have had their time and have gone for good? Sen. McCain even suffered during the 2008 U.S. presidential election because he was seen a third term for President George W. Bush. All in all, have the American finally said bye bye to these dynasties?

Now the Muna: Pa Muna was KNDP, CNPC and later CNU/CPDM. Were his children in the CNU/CPDM or apolitical before 1990? I don't know. But after 1990, we saw Ni Ben in the SDF; sooner he resigned (1996) and later he came back in the SDF (2004). Ni Akere said he was non-partisan. It was however alledged that he romanced for sometimes with Garga Haman Adji's ADD party. I will have to cross-check this allegation. Ma Ama Tutu Muna is the present Minister of Culture. She is of course CPDM. Can we call this a dynasty? Do dynasty exist with members prostituting from right to left. I am asking if some of us should believe in people who are wrestling to use every means to be at the top? In other words, can we stick out our necks to Ms Ama Tutu Muna, CPDM (rightist), Ni Akere (neutral or centrist?) and Ni Ben of the leftist political philosophy?

As far as I am concern, we can move on without the Munas. Ms Ama Tutu Muna and Mr. Akere Muna have repeatedly said that there is no Southern Cameroonians problem. They like other opportunities must say that in order to be accepted by the oligarchy.

Have I drifted away from the conversation in question? Well, it's good to be ambitious politically. However, it's not only that; you need to build a political movement to actualise your dream. A movement cannot just be build on the eve of an election. Taking into consideration our realities, political movements should be build on the field, that is, the nooks and cannies of our triangle and not on the internet. The few youths who use the internet in Cameroon do so as a means of finding their way out of Cameroon. If you doubt this, enter 10 cybercafés in Yaounde, Douala or Bamenda and find out for yourself.

Using the internet to market one's political ambition should not be completely rule out in our context. Above all you need to be seen and known by the people. Being out there doesn't help matters and only coming here on the eve of a presidential election is even worse. You will be regarded as a opportunist.

A successful political movement of recent times is that of President Obama. He began building his moment even before he was elected Senator of Illinois. It continued till he entered the White House. He's still keeping it intact.

How Cameroonians outside Cameroon have a following, talk less of a political movement? I am still to see or hear of one.

To be honest with you, outside the CPDM that has confiscated the state apparatus to its favour, the ONLY political party that has genuine national representation is the SDF. If you go to Yagoua in the Far North, Yokadouma in the East Provinces, etc., you will see SDF functional structures there. Outside these two, the others are on paper. Furthermore, some political commentors have often said and I agree with them that the only credible and possible replacement of the CPDM is the SDF. That apart, I am in no way saying that change in Cameroon should only be effected by the SDF. What I am trying to say is that the SDF is there and no one can wish it away. The CPDM and its allies have tried it albeit unsuccessfully. As things are now, the future of political change in our country depends on all of us. It shouldn't just be change but the change we want.

At this defining moment, talking about a presidential candidate when the elections have been won in advance is a distraction.

And thus my take: we should focus on evicting the Biya oligarchy. When that is achieved, anything can then follow.

Thanks:

Celes



"My friend's friend can be my friend, but my friend's enemy should not necessarily be my enemy." ~Celestin Atanga~

"The smallest deed is better than the biggest intention." ~Achu Raymond~

"God draws a straight line in a crooked way." ~Professor Victor Anomah Ngu~


"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul."
~Ella Wheeler Wilcox~




--- On Tue, 4/20/10, Nfor N Susungi wrote:


From: Nfor N Susungi
Subject: Re: [cameroon_politics] Muna Calls for Equal Development for Unity to Prevail in Cameroon
To: cameroon_politics@ yahoogroups. com
Date: Tuesday, April 20, 2010, 11:10 AM



Mr. Usumanu,
I can see why you have your reservations about Barrister Akere Muna. That is your right. But you do not make your case any stronger by questioning other peoples' motives for mentioning the names of people who can challenge Paul Biya. If you have people whom you think can do the job, please do mention their names and let us all take a clse look at them. Afterall someone must take over from Paul Biya in the near future.
Dr. Susungi



From: albert usumanu
To: cameroon_politics@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Tue, April 20, 2010 12:47:57 PM
Subject: Re: [cameroon_politics] Muna Calls for Equal Development for Unity to Prevail in Cameroon



Dr. Susungi;

Akere does not have what it takes to be president of Cameroon. I hate to engage in personal attacks but I have noticed that you and Celestin Bedzigui are good at "name dropping", telling all who you have interacted with at any point in time. This is very common in Cameroon where we have replaced God with our idol of choice: Man. Man is now expected to provide to us all that only God can provide. Idolatry pure and simple. Name dropping may help convey what happened in the past but it also wimpishly conveys a sense of importance as it says, "look at who I know". In our Cameroon, man is Big and God is small.
So much for digression. A leader Jesus instructs is a servant and in our case someone who deeply cares about the yoke of oppression and poverty of the masses. In the bible, God consistently sides with the poor and oppressed. In Akere's case, I perceive at a distance a somewhat cognitive dissonance in fighting corruption and defending a Mounchipou, accused of massive corruption. When and where did Akere or Ni Ben, well to do people, using their self-made resources engage in projects in their native Ngyenbu for starters that benefitted the masses? Lest you think I am against the Munas, I think late Dr. Dan Muna had the heart, humility to have made a great politician. I know because he lived next to my uncle in Douala. If you look down on people, it is virtually impossible to look up to God. Though he was raised in a palace, Moses had a compassionate heart for his people and even before God called him to lead, he chose to forfeit his lavish lifestyle by killing an Egyptian soldier who oppressed an Isrealite in bondage.
I believe there are thousands of servant-leaders in Cameroon capable of governing Cameroon. Give me a man or woman who having known adversity and pain, walks humbly and circumspectly with the God who created and owns the beloved triangle we call Cameroon.
May God be Big and everyone be small.

Albert Usumanu
From: Nfor N Susungi
To: cameroon_politics@ yahoogroups. com; Eden Media
Cc: southerncameroon@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Tue, April 20, 2010 5:34:44 AM
Subject: Re: [cameroon_politics] Muna Calls for Equal Development for Unity to Prevail in Cameroon



I must admit that I am surprised to hear my big brother Ni Ben Muna speaking about an Anglophone Problem at the age of 70. That reminds me of June 1995 when his late father (of blessed memory) and the Late Dr. John Ngu Foncha, finally admitted the same thing when they sat down with us to sign the London Communique after retuning from the United Nations where they had filed a petition against the annexation of the Southern Camroons by La Republique du Cameroun.

Witnesses to this event which took place at 3 am in the morning were: Sam Ekontang Elad, Henry Fossung, Simon Munzu, Mola Njoh Litumbe, Dr. Arnold Yongbang, Nfor N Susungi, Dr. Mercy Tembon and last but not least, Barrister Akere Muna. When Pan Foncha and Pa Muna signed the London Communique, they were treated as old men who had bitten the hand that fed them. If we had all rallied to their lead, Cameroon may yet be a different country from what it is today.

How I wish Ben was still young enough to challenge Paul Biya in the Presidential elections of 2011. Perhaps it is time for Akere Muna to speak up, as he is still a young man who has not yet reached the age of 60. Doesn't Akere Muna have what it takes to be President of Cameroon?

Dr. Susungi





From: Fon Christoper Achobang
To: Eden Media
Sent: Tue, April 20, 2010 8:56:22 AM
Subject: [cameroon_politics] Muna Calls for Equal Development for Unity to Prevail in Cameroon



Muna Calls for Equal Development for Unity to Prevail in Cameroon

By Christopher Fon Achobang

Alliance for Progressive Forces (APF) Chairman, Barrister Bernard Achu Muna has called on the Biya government to proceed with an equitable development of Cameroon for unity to prevail in the country.

He was speaking at the first stop of an information tour of the APF, which started in Muyuka, South-west Region on 17 April 2010.

Hundreds of militants who came in from Mpondo, Yoke, Oweh, Ekata and other villages and CDC camps filled the Muyuka court house for the first meeting with the APF Chairman since the 2007 elections.

Barrister Bernard Achu Muna said he expected government to use the resources of the land in a equitably so that all parts of the country should have a taste of the national cake. He said people in the North-west and South-west regions feel left behind in the development of Cameroon.

He picked holes in a government scheme to pay forestry taxes (redevance forestière) to the local councils with forests. He said the same attention be paid to the other councils with products like petroleum. In this light, he called on the Cameroon government to pay petroleum taxes (redevance pétrolière) to the local council areas with these products.

After a presentation by APF 1st Vice-chairman Souleymanou, which posited that Cameroon should be at the same level of development with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, if the country’s money was not embezzled, Barrister Bernard Achu Muna regretted that Ndian Division which supplies all the petrol in Cameroon has no roads.

On the bad state of roads in the South-west Region, Ni Ben Muna, as the APF chairman is fondly called, lamented that it is incredible that bridges which cost the State of Cameroon billions to build are standing without roads linking them for 20 years. He regretted that the road he took to Mamfe on Monday 19 April 2010 is worse than it was 50 years ago.

Ni Ben Muna says as Anglophone, he believed there was an Anglophone problem in Cameroon. He said other Anglophones should take the cue from him an articulate this problem clearly. He said at 70 the noises he was making was a rallying call for Cameroonians to stand up and take their destiny into their hands, using peaceful means.

He explained that he has always refused to preach violence because he witnessed, first hand, what violence did in Rwanda in 1994. He said while it is easy to begin violence, it was very difficult to bring it under control. Welcoming him to Muyuka, the APF political bureau member, Mr. Azzi Azzi Thomas thanked Muna for answering the call of the people from his constituency and coming to listen to them. He said the people have come out massively because the APF was putting people first.

The information tour took Ni Ben Muna from Limbe to Mamfe. The Chairman and his entourage will visit other parts of the country to preach the APF message of putting people first.


Fon Christopher Achobang
Department of Linguistics
Faculty of Arts
University of Buea
P.O. Box 63 Buea

(Senior Translator),
English-French- English
Expertise; International Business Translation; Literary Translation, Medical Translation; Editing; Proofreading.

(Senior Reporter)
P.O. Box 1095 Limbe
The Cameroons

Tel, 237 99365954

mercredi 14 avril 2010

THE MOUTH THAT SPEAKS

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

About what?
Or should I say, “What about?”
Does it really matter?
Or do you think you are playing hide and seek?
Only remember I’m a Lion
I can cuddle just as I can devour.

Do I smell a rotten rat?
Or is it just sparring partners at locked in another bout?
I know fully well the importance of a father
That’s why when I walk along, my vessels don’t leak
I thank the Master Teacher on bended knee like in Zion
Henceforth, I’ll always speak my mind with candour.

Copyright 2010

MA CHANSON DE ROLAND

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga

J’aime l’amour, moi
Et j’aime le faire sans détours
L’amour, signe le plus noble des rapports humains
Représente pour moi l’alpha et l’oméga
C’est-à-dire la quintessence même de la vie.

Voilà pourquoi je suis prise d’émoi
Ce jour-ci ici à Alizane sans velours
Lorsque nos yeux se croisent, c’est le déclic romain
Ce fort sentiment restera le même à Bangangté ou à Tubah
Comment donc dénoncer celui qui nous a donné la vie ?

Copyright 2010

VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCES

(For Alice in Wonderland)

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

What will I really say?
That I saw it or that I didn’t see it?
And who would believe me?
I was so close to the scene of action
Although unaware of it
Three things filled my mind
The pharmacy, the chemist and the pharmacy
So I couldn’t even have seen the chairman pass
So what more of the fracas?
A brawl in which I couldn’t have been a party
I was in the pharmacy and God is my witness.
I’m no villain.

I don’t have feet made of clay
Often too busy to sit
I’m not on bended knee
If I was, I would be full of compunction
But being a Spartan, I categorically refuse grit
I can draw a Persian hind
But that doesn’t mean I’m without class.
If I were called Lucas
I’d also be called Epanty
But to me what matters most is fitness
That’s why I work at Villen.

Copyright 2010

OF VICTORS AND VANQUISHED

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Now I know
Which way the clock swings
Hung as it is on the edge of time and snow
It pushes man to sing in search of God’s glory.

Here in the hemicycle where we are just actors
Like Shakespeare in the Sacred Heart College auditorium
Too often we take ourselves for little gods
And turn our juniors into slave fly factors
Oblivious that he only in all wisdom, wields the rods.

When the day of reckoning comes
And we are found wanting for treason
Our mighty guilt shall be measured in tonnes
And never again shall the good Lord give us reason.
Then we shall all perish in hell fever with no recourse.
But do we know that?

Copyright 2010

A DAY OF RECKONING

For Ben Okri

For Ben Okri

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

It was hunch backed
And spread out too thinly to catch on
The famished twin decks berthed gently
As I spied from my humble turret
Full of myself and too deep to weep
The awkward wet birds drank the pastor’s wine
The church elders stood at akimbo and mocked
They chided me for being too flat-chested.

In this funny world where twelve year olds are prematurely groomed
And where unwillingly catechists fight on
And new born babies are caught out dying quietly
While their distraught mothers for ever fret
The mad king knows he’s a creep
Soon when the prodigal son returns from his concubine
Everyone, even veteran polygamists with minds all blocked
Will suddenly remember the old wounds today badly infested.

Copyright 2010

ONE MOMENT OF GLORY

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

What a privilege it is
To behold the floating wreckage of the Ancient Mariner
Looking askance as I go in quest of the Golden Fleece
Tears welling up in my tainted eyes like American terror
I see the distant gates of heaven’s uniformism
The loving mum who meant so much to my filament
Now I know I have held sway
I also know I may not be your type of star
But at one point or another, I’ll break the bars
Like the famous bird from Corinth
I’ll in God’s name and mum’s book on the shelf
Cry out: “Lord, in deed you’re God!”

Copyright 2010

A SINGLE WORD

(For Sisako)

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

How honoured I am
And I choose my words advisedly
To stand here and now in this concentric circle
In the thick of the night
And behold the Almighty’s unassailable macrocosm
Garnished with the starry sky and the exotic firmament
And the boot, the hanging Milky Way
Ever so near, yet so far.
Each time I count the stars
I get lost in the maze, the labyrinth
The say I to myself
My Lord and my God!

Copyright 2010

FAUTE DE TEMPS

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga

Il est parfois bon d’être patient
Car la patience, j’en sais quelque chose, moi
Est une vertu à n’en point douter
Apres tout, qui ignore qu’ici bas
Et surtout dans notre train train quotidien
La chasse qu temps est devenue monnaie courante
Allez donc savoir !

Vous pouvez avoir vos doutes, même avec coefficient
Mais une chose est sure, nul ne peut rester coi
Alors que la redoutable caravane passe devant le tas
Mais à la fin, pour qui sonnera le glas diluvien ?
Deux fois deux font quatre sans femmes tonitruantes
Voilà pourquoi un jour le bon Dieu nous enverra nos avoirs.

Copyright 2010

GRATITUDE

(For the scholarly Scholar)

By Tikum Mbah Azonga


Thanks for the meal
It’s nothing short of a solemn seal
It may have nothing to do with fortune’s wheel
But for God’s sake, it’s not unreal.

That moment will remain indelible
I sat next to you at last! How incredible!
I got drawn into your angelic eyes like in some fable
My little heart pounded and made me feel feeble.

Ever since I left your darling
I’ve got in trouble with my whole being
How can I thus revel while sinking?
Dear, living without you is simply another way of dying.

Copyright 2010

BIRDS OF A RELIGION

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Because I’m not a protestant
Everyone thinks I’m a Muslim
But I’m a Catholic and a staunch one too
What matters on this God’s earth, I tell you
Is not the wine skins but the skin wines
Besides, do we look a gift horse in the mouth?

Some day, somewhere, some how the Master will rant
He will weep and strike his breast for those who persecute him
In his omniscient macrocosm of two
He must, I’m sure totally exclude the flu
He will order those keeping shrines
To completely decamp and move south?

Copyright 2010

UNHOLY NQMES

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

I didn’t even know who was talking
It could be the devil
It could be God
Although I preferred the latter.

But I knew this man wasn’t lisping
He didn’t sound familiar with the Thirty Nine Steps anvil
Although he sent a diary to Loretta Todd
So how can you call me a wanton nutter?

Copyright 2010

MARKS FREQUENTLY DISTRIBUTED

(For Dr. Banlilon)

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

We need the raw scores
Not for the enemies at work
But for all the mobile women bearing cam wood
So unless frequency distribution is reset
Gender and Women Studies will quarrel.

The year 1910 wasted key scores
Simply because the meeting went berserk
No wonder the commissioner left for good
Today his son wants back his maths set
Failing that, the wallet of Cyrus Vance.

Copyright 2010

lundi 12 avril 2010

ECHOS DE L'ECHO

(Aux employés de l'Echo de Bonanjo)

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga

Nous sommes dimanche aujourd'hui
Nous ne sommes pas jeudi
Vous voyez bien qu'on est détendu
Ici à l'Écho où tout Bonanjo s'est rendu.

Le patron est Outre Manche
Absent car chez Dieu ou à la recherche de la branche
Ce lundi du vote, lorsqu'il repassera
Après s'être exprimé aux urnes, qui sifflera?

Ici à l'Écho où nous sommes en haut
Il faut toujours se décider tôt
Car qui sait, quand dimanche se lassera
Alors, pour qui sonnera le glas?


Poème écrit le 10 octobre 2004 pendant que je prenais un verre avec mon grand frère, Dr. Michael Fosuh Geh, justement à l'Écho de Bonanjo, à Douala.


Copyright 2010

POINT DE MIRE

(Ou mémoires nostalgiques de la cité exotique de Douala)

A Noelle

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga

Le lait n'est plus chaud
Et le débat n'est pas encore clos
Alors, tous ces oiseaux de fortune
Qui survolent l'immense océan sans dunes
Ne font que perdre leur temps
Car le réveil de Douala est en panne.

Que Monsieur le Délégué du Gouvernement le souhaite ou pas
Il finira par partir de là-bas
Pour venir se renseigner à l'Écho de Bonanjo
Car c'est là la clé de voûte et son fameux do.
En tout cas, toutes ces belles métaphores ne veulent rien dire
Alors, à quoi bon songer à prédire?


Copyright 2010



Ce poème a été écrit par une belle soirée du mois d'octobre 2004, pendant que je sirotais une boisson bien glacée au sein de l'Echo de Bonajo à Douala, en compagnie de mon grand frère Dr. Michael Fosuh Geh.

THE LOST WOMAN

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Eleven minutes past nine
Those were her words, I swear
She said them while laughing as if drugged
Waving her white bedroom linen
Like the famous lone ranger at the Marché Dakar.

All alone, she left as she sipped wine
Wondering aloud who had moved up her gear
She hadn't parked the car, so why was it unlocked?
Her bag lay there,in tact but no Stephen
So had someone tricked her to say, "bic" instead of "parker"?

Nonetheless, off, she went, hopeful
Although all alone, in search of the lost one
For years she had gone around, topless
Putting her basket in the place of the cat
And the cat in the place of the basket.

Today though, was the day of retribution, even for a fool
And she knew she must find a white gown
Failing that, she would go home soulless
If they liked, they could skin her on the mystic mat
And parcel off her remains in a gasket.

TOO BAD

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

I saw the skylark strike its only birdling
Far away from man's naked eye
Yet close enough for virgins to see and wail
Standing by on tiptoe yet unseen
Were the Lords of the Flies
Too full of garlic onion to chant.

This little hand of mine so poor at cuddling
For a long time silenced like the deadly sky
Kept tabs on the illfated campaign trail
Like the wounded king of the jungle and his beleaguered queen
When their spies let off those shrill cries.
Since far off hills look green, musn't we all rant?

Copyright 2010

REGARDS CROISES

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga

Dis-moi
Objet de mes désirs
Enterré dans des volcans sans toit
Que ces sables mouvants connaitront tes plaisirs.

Lune de miel envoutée et lésée
Voilà tout ce que je t'offre
Car je ne suis qu'un pauvre cordonnier mal payé
Voilà pourquoi bâton rime avec béquille à Rue Joffre.

A PSALM FOR SAM

Tribute to Barrister Sam Achu when he fell never to rise again in 2004

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

The bible, that good old companion
Is a sharp pointer to good news for man
Depicting in all accuracy man's rise and fall
The alpha and the omega everlasting
For Jesus then, like for Samnow.

People can choose the manner, like onion
But not the day; no, not even you Sam
Even so, wherever you are, I know you walk tall
Whether in chambers with friends or at Rock Farm tiling
I know Jesus is with you because he made that vow.

Copyright 2010

ONE STYLE

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

The southerly star in its self-styled kingdom
Spreads out its tentacles and sniffs at all wisdom
On the seventh floor of the mighty crown
Where orange bench women all night frown
Lazy bones unfit to rule call the shots
While the dying cats lick their black spots
At the eleventh hour
When the preferred wine goes sour
And sidewalk election monitors call to inspect
No one, not even the widows will show any respect
So, nobody in the end will be able to rise and say
They won because they heard the cries.

Copyright 2010

JUST TOMORROW

For Scholar

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Tomorrow, I'll think about it
And it doesn't matter one bit
Whether I toss head or tails
But just don't take the wind out of my sails.

Life is difficult enough already
For all to try to row the boat steadily
One day, I'm sure, when all the clouds have cleared
I'll rejoice that what happened was never what I feared.

Copyright 2010

LE DESTIN

A Aretha, collegue à Douala

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga

Du soleil en pleine mer
Sans vice de forme ni détour
Juste un simple constat
Venu d'une beauté d'Outre-Mer
Qui à tort ou à raison se prend pour l'enfant terrible
Et donc indomptable
Elle a pour preuve
Ses tresses trompeuses et ses infatigables perles
Elle se croit figée, inamovible
Intouchable, incontournable
Inattaquable, invincible
Pourtant et pourtant elle s'ignore.

Elle ignore quand le prince charmant apparaitra sur terre
Il n'y aura pas de répit, même pour le vautour
La route sera barrée comme pour le sida
La porte sera fermée à clé, même pour le père
La première fois qu'elle verra ce prince incroyable
Ce sera indubitablement le coup de foudre palpable.
Notre princesse perdra alors la tête comme une veuve
Époustouflée, sidérée, bouche bée, elle oubliera les couvercles
Alors, faisant fi de sa coiffure et de sa bible
Elle s'emparera de son sac et courra sur le sable
Sans bâton de pèlerinage, ni chien, ni écharpe visible
Et avec son prince, elle ira au paradis que nul n'ignore.

Copyright 2010

MY BATTLEFIELD SHIELD

For Aneurine

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Why do I often seem wrong?
Too often I'm cut short
Cut off and silenced
I'm blamed even when right
I'm gagged
Persecuted
Misunderstood.

Yet, of the ladder I know every rung
I don't need an escort
My voice can also be strident
I'm quicksilver and light
Henceforth,with the Lord as my rear guard
I'll be proactive, agressive and elated
I'll spit fire and feed everyone with food.

Copyright 2010

THE ONLY WAY IS UP

For Etang

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Achieving greatness
That's my greatest ambition
I want to reach the highest of heights
And why not?
For me, everything is possible
And I know I'll make it
I have no doubts about that.

Ambition is no weakness
On the contrary, it's strength with confirmation
That's why I foresee streets with strobe lights
As far as I'm concerned, nothing is too hot
I assert, I don't quibble
I don't ask, I posit
One day, I'll sit where Napoleon sat.


Copyright 2010

dimanche 11 avril 2010

100 KILOMETERS TO NOWHERE

For Chantou

By Tikum Mbah Azonga


The nostalgia of repatriation
That's what keeps haunting me hourly
Nostalgia isn't necessarily bad
But repatriation to me is a taboo
The idea of being grabbed
Bundled into a hasty plane
And then being dumped at one's doorstep.

How then can there be reconciliation
When the price is so heavy?
Although some may think those who venture are mad
It can't be as easy as going to the loo
We here at ENSAB fear being nabbed
And in any case, we prefer to remain sane
Rather than daily cry for help.


Copyright 2010

samedi 10 avril 2010

MY SECOND BIRTH

For Lilian

By Tikum Mbah Azonga


Why am I so sad
When everyone else around me makes merry?
Why do I shed tears when everyone else roars with laughter?
Am I so narrow minded?
Do I live in a world of my own?
Am I some race apart?
Do I forget no man is an island
And that each one is a link in God's chain of life?

Watch my lips
Here and now I make this solemn vow
Henceforth I'll be more cheerful than anyone else
I'll rise early in the morning, say my prayers
And when I go out, I'll give every one I meet a smile
And tell them what a wonderful night I've had
I'll tell them I've never felt any better
That I'm in robust health, fit as a fiddle
And ready to take on the world all alone
Then everyone will know that I've changed
I've turned over a new leaf
I'm no longer who I was
I'm a new person
I'm born again.

MY ONE AND ONLY VOCATION

For Regina

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

The industrious teacher
That's what I am
My philosophy is simple
Waste not, want not
But produce and produce
Let abundance be your watchword
Produce goods, create wealth
Let them fill God's earth to the brim.

I'm not a preacher
And I own no ram
I'm the mountain goat with a dimple
I still have my cot
And reminiscences of the old sore
I'd introduce rather than induce
So that the teacher I am can move forward
Some pêople liken us to the parson and his health
And some call me Tim.

Copyright 2010

THE ECONOMICS OF GOD

For Mambo

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Who really, is God?
Is he a trousered man?
Is he physical?
Or is he a spirit, invisible, untouchable?
Is he here with me in Baforchu today
Or is he in Bethlehem
Where Jesus was born?
Who is he?
What is he?
Where did he come from
Where is he
And where is he going?

I grapple with my doubt
Although I carry no pain
You may call me skeptical
Or even feeble
But I won't let uncertainty carry the day
As an economist, I readjust, I don't hem
Above all, I'm not on the run
So that if anyone is, I too can be
I am on my knee
In search of the holy key
But I beat no drum
And I fell no tree
So that when he speaks, I'll be sailing.

Copyright 2010

MY DEFINED PARAMETERS

For Dorothy


By Tikum Mbah Azonga


Are you in love with me
Or are you just kidding?
Have you seen the ranging waves
Of the Limbe great sea
Or do you just camp on your hilly home
And think the world is your oyster?

If you're a prankster, stay away from me
My feelings run deep especially when Epasa Moto is erupting
My dream man is one who snores and raves
For him I carry my heart and my key
And I tell my family everything at home
So if you can't sting, don't come any closer.

Copyright 2010

THE TURN AROUND

For Ngwen

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Was it ever to be so
Or am I just imagining?
Really, wonders shall never cease
For, how can a girl who gave up biology
Today, suiddenly grqb the subject prize?
Before, she was a novice
Today all of that has changed.

She can label a toe
She can name the parts ofnthe heart, singing
She defines osmosis, mitosis,photosynthesis, all in peace
She knows biology, botany, zoology, agronomy and ecology
She wants to be another Rice
She has vowed to spray out any form of vice
And says by 2025, she'll be engaged.

Copyright 2010

THE INVISIBLE FORCE

For Aban

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Isn't God powerful enough to end suffering?
Or is his omnipotence only a semblance?
Otherwise, why must mankind suffer thus
Everyday, everywhere and everybody?
And he watches, says nothing and does nothing?

But I know my God is overpowering and overarching
He made all the elements that are substance
Today, we weigh, mix, balance and analye without fuss
We combine genetics with biochemistry to make nobody somebody.
At any time, he can ask us what's in the offing.

Copyright 2010

A PLACE VOID OF GREYNESS

For Venying

By Tikum Mbah Azonga


A wonderful world
That's all I want
Keep your money
Keep your gold
Keep your diamonds
And keep your silver.

Ours is already a bounteous world
Although there are still people who rant
Those who love money
Should also put chemical properties on hold
Tell us the number of carats, cations and anions in diamonds
And write out the formular for di-ethyl ether.

Copyright 2010

THE RELAY BATON

For Yvonne

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

It's my mother's place
Not mine
I'm just a passerby
With my folded umbrella
A bottle of water
My bible, tooth brush and tooth paste.

I'm also in the race
With my mum here and the gifted nine
Everyday I go to bed with a lullaby
Whether in mum's medicine store or in Douala
Whenever I have the baton but no wafer
I know it's time to make haste.

Copyright 2010

FIXED ON TABLETS OF STONE

For Mbiozing

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Happiness is but a temporal episode
It's no longer a cigar called Hamlet
It's an entangled web of fossils and foreclosures
With pent up feelings and gutted outlets
That's why what goes around comes around.

If you like, call this missive an ode
But only be there when I throw down the gauntlet
I'm skilled enough to block all fissures
From ENSAB to Bafanji and other hamlets
At the end of the day, I can still stand my ground.

Copyright 2010

vendredi 9 avril 2010

NOT A SHOULDER BUT A HAND

For Princess Diana

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Those are the things I don't like
Just like Soyinka''s metal on concrete
Dont forget I'm no ordinary being
I'm a princess
So blue blood flows in my veins.

It's not enough to send me a bike
You must also be romantic and discreet
Because seeing is believing
So that when God's mystic universe is in recess
The world will know its Princess Diana who reigns.


Copyright 2010

COUNTESS WITH A TWISTED MIND

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

A glimmer of hope
That was all we needed
Not a cheque for a million francs
Let alone a brand new car.

We never knew about dope
All we wanted were fences mended
So why did the countess arrive with silly pranks
Unless she had a mind black as tar.

Copyright 2010

A SCAPE GOAT

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Routed, booted and nailed
How could she speak
The poor girl
And as if to add insult to injury
Her mother accused her of infirmity.

So don’t ask why she wasn’t bailed
Or why on that day, the bed didn’t creak
If you were this poor little girl, wouldn’t you also hurl!
Now everyone accuses her of perjury
So, how about the vows of chastity?


Copyright 2010

THE FINAL SOLUTION

For Ntumfor Nico Halle

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Why, son
If the dark sky groans
Then, light a lamp.

If the spanners give way
Send for the rainbow warrior
Don’t count the dead bodies.

If all else fails
Surrender yourself to your God
And let him be your helper.

Copyright 2010

dimanche 4 avril 2010

THE WRONG BLAME

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

It`s a shame
Isn`t it?
That all the paint should be gone
And so soon too!

Had we all been lame
I`d have swallowed it
But now that our only blame is the short bone
The only option is to hide in the loo.

Copyright 2010

DAYS THAT DAZE ME

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

There are too many days to grapple with
Tall ones and short ones
White ones and black ones
Kind ones and nasty ones
Shiny ones and muddy ones
Poor ones and rich ones
Wrong ones and right ones
How I wish they were all written off
So that we could start all over!


Copyright 2010

I ALSO HAVE RED BLOOD

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Over the years, I’ve been a fool
A big fool
A capital fool
That’s why everyone thinks I’m their stool.

But don’t I too have my dreams?
I’m also weak at the seams
I’ve equally crossed hundreds of streams
Even if I’ve sometimes wrecked the beams.

Copyright 2010

THE LOST MIDDLE

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

We nearly had a diddle
Yes, not a twiddle
Nor a fiddle
Nor even a needle.

It pained me so
Because it made me feel low
As if I`d suffered the world`s biggest blow
If only I`d carried my mother`s hoe!


Copyright 2010

NOTES ON THE BOARD

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

This is time to talk
Not time to think
But if you prefer to sulk
Remember the Master Teacher has the chalk.

Copyright 2010

THE WRONG WORD

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Why say such a thing
As if this was just a fling?
If you think your luck is out
Then you’ve simply lost the bout.

Copyright 2010

NIGHT MIRAGE

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

This loaf isn’t large enough for us
If it were, it would be signed
But now that it’s instead refined
Let’s make no fuss.

Copyright 2010

NOCTURNAL REMISSION

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

At a very odd hour of the night
He work his poor mother about the toilet
When she took him out to the right, a light shone
And a voice spoke: “Just for him I have a chalet to let!”


Copyright 2010

THE TALKING CAT

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

When he climbed up the mango tree
No one saw him
None, but the pastor’s dog
When we had all searched in vain
The beast stood up and proclaimed:
“Just look up the tree!”
Marveled by a talking cat
We all threw up our arms and exclaimed
At that point our golden teeth fell off.

Copyright 2010

THE ONE CLUE

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Her friend isn`t a preacher
She`s just a fresh convent girl
There`s a difference
It`s in the bookmarked page.


Copyright 2010

THE RENTED PLACE

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

I`ve been there before
There is an age-old corner store
Right behind the parson`s abode
Sour and drunk men
And stinking ditched women frequent it
I`ll go back there
That`s where I`ll live
Because I too came to save
Not to condemn.

Copyright 2010

vendredi 2 avril 2010

WE WHO CAME FROM THE SEA

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

I`m not Nzobotane
Neither am I Foretia
I`m Mola, just Mola
The man who knows all about the sea.

Perhaps you`ve been talking to Matemane
But how, when I haven`t been to Bastia
The furthest I`ve been is Douala
But when it comes to sea language, one Douala can be three.

Copyright 2010

STRANDED WITH A BOX

Tikum Mbah Azonga

How shall we return his box
When we don’t know his name?
We don’t even know where he comes from
So, aren’t we worse off than our neighbours?

Copyright 2010

JUST A COWARD

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

He told us he had the key
That he alone held the secret
But when the prince changed the `C` into a `T`
He scrammed leaving his ID card on the seat.

Copyright 2010

VOX POPULI, VOX DEI

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

People power isn’t a joke
If it is, then so is the very ground on which you stand
When I worked and earned the rand
I thought I owned the world until I lost over a coke.

Copyright 2010

PLAY ON WORDS

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

To pray
Is not the same as to prey
One infuses
And the other confuses.

Copyright 2010

QUESTION DE CHANGE

Par 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 le Sud change?

Copyright 2010