lundi 28 février 2011

ARCHBISHOP TUTU`S WHITE WINGS

For Thembazaki Eunice Williams

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

South African angels have white wings
All of them
Although not all white wings in Pretoria belong to angels
That`s what the Holy Book says, to those who can read it.

If this world of ours were made of only little things
Wouldn`t we all love to touch and dearly cuddle them
Even if Durban preferred to bask all day long in the living light?
Remember the archbishop says hard work keeps you fit?

Copyright 2011

dimanche 27 février 2011

MON INCROYABLE ABONDANCE

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga


Jamais je ne débroussaillerai seul dans ton champ
J`ai mon champ à moi
Il est vrai qu`il maque cruellement d`épis d`or
Et de tous les méandres foudroyants
Et des vieux bruits de bottes incandescentes
Mais ne regorge-t-il pas de bardes fourrées
De mille et une confessions pastorales
Et de sang rouge qui coule partout ?
Alors, ne suis-pas comble ?

Copyright 2011

VIDANGE CELESTE

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga

Aide-moi, seigneur
Aide-moi à vider mes poches
Aide-moi à vider ma bouche
Aide-moi à vider ma tête
Remets-moi a l`état pur et innocent.

Ensuite, remplis-moi de vapeur
Comble-moi de tes propres roches
Dote-moi d`une nouvelle couche
Puis, invite-moi à la fête
Je serai aussi rond que les deux zéros de cent.

Copyright 2011

ENTRE LA VIE ET LA MORT


Par Tikum Mbah Azonga


La mort c`est la vie
Et la vie, c`est la mort
Voila pourquoi le bébé qui nait pleure
Et l`adulte qui meurt se glisse dans l`au-dela
Purement et simplement.


Copyright 2011

ORDONNANCE DU MEDECIN

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga

Sors un peu
Et écoute les multiples battements de cœur de la lune
Puis, rentre chez toi en catimini
Ensuite, raconte tout, tout
A ton Dieu
Tour, sans rien retenir.


Copyright 2011

EPONGE MOUILLEE


Par Tikum Mbah Azonga


Je vois bien ton petit plan
Tu as le chemin déjà tracé
Mais il est parsemé de feuilles mortes
Alors, à quoi bon courir ?
Ecoute, jette l`éponge !


Copyright 2011

LA DERNIERE VALSE


Par Tikum Mbah Azonga


Regarde ce que tu fais, folle !
Tu déchires to bulletin de notes
Tu salis ton manteau vierge
Et ça ne te dit rien ?
Tu es normale ?
Ou tu es cinglée
A la fin ?

Copyright 2011

RIEN SANS TOI

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga

Cosmos, tu es ma lune de miel
Ma brochette de midi
Ma pomme de France
Sans tes etoiles étiolées
Et toutes tes radieuses splendeurs
Je ne suis rien
Rien
Rien du tout
Je te le jure.

Copyright 2011

MA LIGNE DE TIR

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga

Je ne suis pas Senghor
Certes
Mais j`ai bel et bien mes strophes bohémiennes a moi
Je ne gamme pas
Et je ne bouchonne pas
Loin de la, je crée des images-symboles.
Voilà ce que je fais, moi.


Copyright 2011

vendredi 25 février 2011

PURE VERITE

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga

Ce qui me fâche le plus
Ici bas, d`aillewurs
C`est ce maudit sourire de la terre
Je vous le jure.

Vous voyez comment ils se sont tus
Ce n`est pas par formation sur le tas
Non, il s`agit de maçons sans mères
Ce qui importe, c`est la vérité; la pure vérité.


Copyright 2011

NOEDS INTREPIDES

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga

Je ne veux pas de noeud symbolique
IL s`avérera intrépide et fétide
Je préfere les lampions éteints
Ils prône toujours la politique de la largesse.


Copyright 2011

DROLE DE COMEDIE

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga

L`mour d`est pas la comédie
Non, c`est la vie même
Elle viot, ellerespire et elle meurt
Elle est sa comédie à elle.

Copyright 2011

THE SOUTH-BOUND VESSEL

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

No, I won`t board the sinking ship
Not again
Once bitten, twice shy
And that`s where I stand
Even if I stand alone.

Enough of Southampton
Why on earth must I vomit twice
On the same spot?
Nay, let`s swing around and head straight for the north
They won`t get us, even if they give chase
I`m not ready yet.

Copyright 2011

mardi 22 février 2011

L`ASSAUT INC0NTOURNABLE

Par Tikum Mbah Azonga

Lorsqu`on est sûr de partir
On ne pâtit pas
Lorsqu`on est au front
On ne compte pas ceux qui tournent en rond.

Copyright 2011

KIDS` QUESTIONS ABOUT GOD

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

She`s my friend
That`s what Stanley said
About Lizzy
Because she accepted
To play with him
Stanley may not be Hogbe Nlend
Nor the Emir`s Fakir
But he`s Lizzy`s best Boh
See them play together
And Stanley asking her:
“Do you think it`s God?”

Copyright 2011

samedi 19 février 2011

LESSONS FROM THE IVORIAN COUP

By Tikum Mbah Azonga


This paper is an adaptation of an earlier one I delivered on the Cameroon National Radio Television Station on the 24th of September 2002, as a reflection on the crisis in the Ivory Coast that threatened to divide the country . The paper was one of the daily political commentaries I delivered on the 6.30 a.m. prime time national and world news on Cameroon Radio Television between 2002 and 2005.
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A little under a week after the bubble burst and blood flowed on the streets of Côte d’Ivoire, the dust has still not settled. Running battles continue. And so, what had worked like mere pockets of resistance are turning out to be a well orchestrated show of strength. There is no doubt that despite the flying in of French troops, avowedly to protect French nationals and other foreigners as well as the hurried return home from abroad by President Lawrence Gbagbo, the situation continues to be volatile and precarious. Yet in all of this, we must look introspectively in conformity with the saying that if your neighbour’s house catches fire, you must rush to yours and make sure it is safe.


One cannot help wondering how Cote d`Ivoire, a country with such a high profile, which had enjoyed peace and stability for so long could so easily have succumbed to such a rapid disintegration. However, a closer look indicates that there are reasons for that. For too long, the country lived under the shadow of one man, President Houphouet-Boigny who led the country to independence and ruled it with an iron fist single handed until his death in 1993. His succession was never well thought out, let alone prepared. In fact, it was a question the Ivorian evaded when asked about it, just like president Mobutu Sesse Seko Kuku Gbendu Waza Banga did in Zaire.


So when Houphouet-Boigny died, the ruling class was suddenly and unexpectedly beset by the twin problems of coping with the trauma of his exit and replacing him. Yet, in his life time, he had resisted stepping down, even for health reasons. The situation was different here in Cameroon where the first President Ahmadou Ahidjo had made known who would succeed him, a strategy that materialized when President Paul Biya took over in 1982 naturally. So, in Cameroon, there was change in continuity even if there has been a hiccup.


Contrary to Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire has hardly given its armed forces the importance they deserve. Perhaps for fear of a threat to his position, President Houphouet-Boigny opted for when he called a symbolic army. When he finally departed and a new president took over, other more pressing issues took up his time. To this day, the Ivorian army is said to have no elite unit or an air force worthy of the name. Even when the rebels struck last week, the regular army is said to have been unable to readily gain access to arms or ammunition, hence their running into troubled waters.
Here in Cameroon, our armed forces on the other hand have remained well maintained, serene, efficient, and disciplined, compared not only with their Ivorian counterparts but also those of many other African countries which this political commentator has visited. Unlike some other African armies, ours is kept busy even in peace times with day- to day activities, which is why among its ranks we have doctors, magistrates, translators, journalists, nurses, etc. Members of our armed forces whose numbers are boosted by the increasing number of graduates and women that swell their ranks, make the corps one of our country`s most outstanding institution, greatly admired by foreign visitors.


One point that stands out in the Ivorian crisis is their patchy national unity. It is because of this factor that Alassane Ouattara who had served unopposed as Prime Minister under Houphouet-Boigny was suddenly declared a `foreigner` not eligible for President. Here in Cameroon the policy by which the government posts civil servants to any part of the country has greatly helped in Cementing national unity because it allows people from different parts of the country to cohabit peacefully and consequently get to know each other better. In Africa, Cameroon has set an enviable example on that score.


The biggest lesson from the Ivorian crisis is that we in Cameroon have come a long way. Our own challenges lie in consolidating those gains.


Copyright 2011

AMERICA AND WORLD POLITICS

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

This paper is an adaptation of an earlier one I delivered on the Cameroon National Radio Television Station on the 17th of September 2002, as a spontaneous reaction to the condescending foreign policy of America, notably under then President George Walker Bush. The paper was one of the daily political commentaries I delivered on the 6.30 a.m. prime time national and world news on Cameroon Radio Television between 2002 and 2005.
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There is no doubt that very increasingly the world is becoming a global village, not just economically and environmentally but also politically. Thus, what one country does, even internally, is bound to have repercussions on the other countries of the world. In the case of the United States of America, this is doubly true, considering Washington’s prowess and might which make it the world’s most influential country.
America went wild so to speak, when terrorists drove planes into the twin towers of the world Trade Centre in New York on September 11 last year and brought down the buildings which were the symbol of American might, killing thousands of people in the process. No one in his right thinking mind would help sympathizing with those who lost their lives, especially when one considers the colossal extent of the damage cause.


Washington waged a merciless was at Afghanistan in the name of flushing out Ben Laden, the Saudi tycoon who was being sheltered by the then Afghan leaders. The war quickly degenerated into one that saw America changing the regime in place but still not finding Ben Laden. In the process, some innocent Afghan’s were killed and many families were bereft and embittered. They will live with those scarce for ever.
If America attacks Iraq, perhaps as president George Bush has boasted, with or without the support of the international community, considerable human, material and financial damage will be done to Iraq. It is certain that Britain which has turned out to be a poodle of America`s will be right behind America. It now seems that British policy towards solidarity with America is: America, right or wrong
The Americans have shown little understanding of the Arab and especially Iraqi mind set. Even if Saddam Husein is removed from power, there is no guarantee that another Saddam Husein will not rise rapidly and take his place in which case the American and British would have labored in vain.


Even so, that does seem to matter to Washington. George Bush’s country is so obsessed with posing as the world’s gendarmes that they now look like bully boys who feel insulted, hurt and humiliated to find that the likes of Saddam Hussein are waxing strong whereas they ought to be silenced and pigeonholed. Saddam Hussein survived the clamping down of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Herbert Brush and Bill Clinton, before George Walker Bush came to power. By the look of things by the time Bush leaves the White House, Saddam may be having the last laugh.


Cameroon, and by extension, Africa, has a major role to play in bringing America to reason. Thus is through the role our country now enjoys in the Security Council. Already our president has added his voice to that of those who want America to have the backing of the U.N before making any move against Iraq. That is the voice of reason which America ought to heed.


Copyright 2011

AMERICA AND THE WAR IN IRAQ


By Tikum Mbah Azonga


This paper is an adaptation of an earlier one I delivered on the Cameroon National Radio Television Station on the 17th of February 2003, as a spontaneous reaction to the then President George Walker Bush`s unstoppable determination to go to war. The paper was one of the daily political commentaries I delivered on the 6.30 a.m. prime time national and world news on Cameroon Radio Television between 2002 and 2005.
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By all accounts, the split among members of the Security Council ought to be taken seriously. Key members such as France, Germany and Russia have distanced themselves from America by advocating for the weapons inspectors to be given more time. Although the United States and Britain continue to gun for a second Security Council resolution to be brought to bear on Iraq, the danger is that since some permanent members of the council are opposed to war against Iraq, at least not just yet, it is enough for them to slam a veto on the resolution for it to fail. If that was done, the wind would be taken out of George Bush’s sail and his thunder, stolen storm.


As if in conformity with the adage that it never rains but it pours, the knife has been further twisted on America and its British allies by the thousands of demonstrators who turned out in numerous world capitals to say ‘no to war against Iraq`. Large numbers of demonstrators also took to the streets in America, which means that even in George Bush’s own backyard, there are dissenting voices. Although partisans of the pro-war camp have argued that those who demonstrated were in the minority, it is also true that the number of people that demonstrated were the largest in recent times.


But the problem is the if one considers the arsenal America has built up in readiness for this war against Iraq, one cannot help imagining how immense George Brush’ disappointment would be if there was after all no war and he had to recall the troops. Politically, it would be suicidal, with him being seen as having capitulated and thus handed Saddam Hussein another victory on a platter of gold. That is why the next few weeks, perhaps days, are crucial for the American President.
If Bush feels he is now between a rock and a hard place, as Americans love to put, then he should also remember that he brought it upon himself by boasting that America would force Saddam Hussein to disarm, with or without the United Nations. By so doing, he sought to resort to bully boy tactics. That statement was both over the top and below the belt because it implied America could by-pass the United Nations. It is therefore not surprising that former South African President Nelson Mandela ha lampooned President Bush on the subject.


Undoubtedly, Iraq is a big test for George Bush. Already Ossama Ben Ladin has slipped through his fingers and North Korea is taunting him. The world is watching to see what will be his next move.

Copyright 2011

samedi 12 février 2011

SPROUTS NO ONE WANTS

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

We`re behind the bars
For daring to spell our names backwards
Cryptic sprouts and moronic administrators
All of them with wet noses
Stood up like sheppardless sheep
And without shame
Testified against the Man of God.

Copyright 2011

JOKERS FROM EAST LONDON

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

They are all sick Jokers
That’s what they are
They stink and groan
So don’t give them a penny.

These guys shoot at anything that moves
And munch sprouted shrimps like starved brides
They gulp down leaven milk like castrated bullocks
The fools do that all day long
As if there was no tomorrow.

Copyright 2011

BULLETS IN LIPSTICK

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

How shall you count them?
How on earth shall we do it?
Crossed cannibals, gored palace chickens
And chained toothless bulldogs
That`s what they are
With their shallow buttocks
Sunken jaws and false teeth
Do you think they`ll hear you?

Why do you waste your gun powder?
Keep it in check
Save it for the rainy day
Above all
Save your breath for your porridge
If you have no underwear
Fetch the golden bible
Otherwise, you`re doomed.


Copyright 2011

SENTENCE BEFORE TRIAL

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

The last man was out
So there was no need to venture in
Only the lame wishes of the bride
Or at the very least
The stained necklace of the pastor`s wife
Could dare the marooned king
And put a foot forward
That was why when the last of the Kaisers
Bellowed and camouflaged like a Bafang pig
Everyone quickly dug up their Nagasaki pearls and vanished.

SUGAR CANE FOR EVER

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

We`ve taken care of it
We`ve sent it back, haven`t we Michele
So, let`s keep moving on
And for God`s sake
Let`s publish or perish.

If you think sugar cane is a hit
Just ask Michele
Not for fun
Or as a new form of rake
But a magic wand to cherish.

Copyright 2011

mardi 8 février 2011

THE DUSTY MESSAGE

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

Let them,all of them, know it
Tell it them
But for God`s sake
Don`t bell them
In case they ask you to start knitting.

Copyright 2011

A DIME AT LIVERPOOL STREET

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

I saw the cat game
It was certainly not for the lame
But it grew out of something eerie
And the odd Liverpool Street name,Cleary.


Copyright 2011

A PROBLEM AND A HALF

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

We have a problem
Though not about the Marxist slogans
Nor Mobutu`s tin of sour baked beans
No,it`s the meagre and chloroformed Yiddish contribution.

I may not be a second Moslem
Nor a former user of Morgan`s
But I know about all the virgin teams
And the great day of retribution.


Copyright 2011

vendredi 4 février 2011

FIRE BURNS IN COTE D`IVOIRE

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

This paper is an adaptation of an earlier one I delivered on the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) on the 7.30 prime time national radio news programme of the 17th of November 2004. This paper was one of hundreds of political chronicles I delivered on the news programme from 2002 to 2005. It was motivated by the imposition of by part of the international committee, of sanctions on the warring factions of Cote d`Ivoire at that time.
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The arms embargo was in a way, a last resort, for several other attempts aimed at quenching the figurative fire burning in Côte d`Ivoire had failed. Among these were efforts made at the international level, with France, playing a major role, at getting together the warring factions, that is, President Laurent Gbagbo and the break way group.

The embargo bans the entry of arms into Côte D’Ivoire for thirteen months. This means that neither President Gbagbo nor the rebels, as they have come to be known, can arm or re-arm themselves with imported weapons. Worse for Gbagbo is his inability to rebuild the air fleet that was destroyed by French military fire recently. The 46 000 –strong troops in Côte D׳Ivoire inflicted this setback on Gbagbo’s forces in retaliation for the killing of nine French soldiers by Ivorians angry about the presence of French troops on their soil. Gbagbo himself has accused France of seeking to bring about a coup d’état.


The crisis has done a lot of damage to Côte D’Ivoire, West Africa’s second largest economy and the world’s largest cocoa producer. The African Development Bank, a multi billion dollar multinational firm, has had to move its headquarters from Abidjan to Tunis in Tunisia. The civil war has cost lives and property and led to exodus into neighboring countries as well as displacements internally. The country is torn apart by lawlessness, crime, disease and insecurity. In all of this, the rebels have accused Gbagbo of flouting the terms of the power sharing government they went into and of discriminating against the predominantly Muslim North.

Obviously, it is not hard to see that one strong force Côte D’Ivoire needs as it grapples with these first time problems and struggles to rebuild its base, is national unity. The political foundation is weak and wobbly and the powers that be do not know how to hold it together. If that is not thee case, how does one explain how Laurent Gbagbo who only some years ago attended the convention of Cameroon’s main opposition party, the SDF here in Yaoundé, as Opposition Leader in Cote d`Ivoire, went on to become the president of his country but now finds power to be too much of a hot potato on his hands? Surely, such a state of affairs proves that having power is not enough; it is also to necessary to know how to wield it, otherwise it becomes another Frankenstein, or a monster of ones own making, that devours its creator.

Whatever is the case, Côte D’Ivoire is a reminder for Cameroonians to guard jealously the peace that reigns in their country. So, it is worth remembering that without peace, nothing works. As a result, let peace continue to be rated highly by Cameroonians.

Copyright 2011.

THE NATIONAL CHARACTER

By Tikum Mbah Azonga


This paper is an adaptation of an earlier one I delivered on the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) on the 7.30 prime time national radio news programme of the 12th of April 2002. This paper was one of hundreds of political chronicles I delivered on the news programme from 2002 to 2005. The article was a spontaneous reaction to the national political snapshot of Cameroon on the day the commentary was delivered. The trigger was the move taken by the ruling political party of the country, the Cameroon People`s Democratic Movement (CPDM), given substance through the reorganization of the basic organs of the party.

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A certain dictionary defines the word, “character” as a distinctive mark, a peculiar trait that is something which marks out or distinguishes one thing or person from another.

Although the above definition is limited, the question may arise, whether a country or nation can also have a character. Americans for instance, have a very strongly marked nationalist character, which makes them love their country, right or wrong, as dearly as one loves a spouse. For the American man or woman, love of the fatherland is a strong, innermost feeling which he or she would not trade or betray, even for a kingdom. As one loves a spouse, therefore, one is equally prepared to go to any lengths to defend his or her interests.

What then is the national character of our nation, Cameroon? Well, compared with other countries, the Cameroonian loves peace, his neighbour, education, beer and football. But then, there are moments when some of us question the national character. And that is why some Cameroonians have lamented being born Cameroonians. Such regret is, to say the least, is as pointless as it is counter productive. It is like saying one regrets being born to one’s parent. The fact is that at birth one cannot choose nationality, just as one cannot choose one’s parents. It is a reality into which one is born and over which one really has no choice and even strictly speaking, no right of reply.

Besides, even if one is not happy being a Cameroonian as such, can one pack one’s bags and move into another country and at once adopt that country and be accepted by it? Of cause not! There is therefore no place like home, which is not to say home is a bed of roses.

The point is that every Cameroonian has a right to live in the great national triangle. There is room in it for us all. No son or daughter has any greater right to that national space than anyone else. No one should therefore allow themselves to be out maneuvered or to chicken out.

Our national newspapers ought to be champions of the national character, like those of other countries such as Nigeria, are. But one finds that generally that is not always the case, for, some papers tend to mix up national interests with the interests of those who govern us. There is no doubt that our leaders, as public figures, ought to be x-rayed journalistically speaking, but the nation as such, is untouchable, unassailable and inviolable. As the late statesman S.T. Muna put it: “people come and go but, the nation remains”. So, let us, by all means, focus on the many similarities that unite us, than on the few differences that divides us.

Copyright 2011

CONDOLEEZA RICE AS SECRETARY OF STATE

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

This paper is an adaptation of an earlier one I delivered on the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) on the 7.30 prime time national radio news programme of the 19th of November 2004. This paper was one of hundreds of political chronicles I delivered on the news programme from 2002 to 2005.
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Although when Colin Luther Powell’s resignation was made known on Monday, one of those informally mentioned as a likely successor was Condoleezza Rice, whom President George Walker Bush had appointed National Security Advisor only in January, her ultimate choice as the new secretary of state, a post which is widely believed to be the most influential in the American government, still surprised many.

Obviously, the first thing that would strike anyone about Condoleezza rice is her exquisite beauty and her irresistible charm. But beyond that, there is a lot to Condoleezza Rice than meets the eye. She is the first black woman to hold that prestigious post in the history of the United States of America. With Condoleezza Rice so honored, the Black vote, is likely to go to whichever Republican candidate will succeed Bush at the next Presidential election. The question however is, since Rice is a Black woman, will she now give Africa pride of place in her execution of American foreign policy?

By appointing Condoleezza Rice, George Walker Bush has gone to lengths never before attained by any American President. By so doing, he has stolen the thunder of the Democratic Party, the American party most associated with the championship of the ethnic Minorities.

Even so, President Bush’s choice of Condoleezza Rice is not only based on her nice looks. Far from it, Bush appears to have done so out of conviction, for instance, he has stated that Rice’s foreign policy experience and struggle against racism uniquely qualify her to be what he termed “America’s face to the World”.
As a person, Rice has an outstanding pedigree. Born on November 14, 1954 in Birmingham, Alabama, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s from Notre Dame University and a PhD from the University of Denver. She has also been awarded honorary degrees from a number of universities. In her professional life, she once was chief budget and academic officer of a university where she managed an annual budget of 1.5 dollars.

Dr Condoleezza Rice has won two of the highest teaching awards: the 1984 Walter J. Gores Award and the Sciences Dean’s Award, both for her excellent teaching qualities. She is a professor of political science and has been Board Member of Several Corporations and Foundations.

Significantly, Rice turned 50 only five days ago, a factor which indicates that she was born under the astrological sign of Scorpio and is therefore highly compatible with President George Walker Bush who is a Cancer. Both signs, along with Pisces, make up the three signs ruled by the natural element, water. Consequently, they have a lot of mutual regard for each other. The three signs understand each other so well that astrologers say that the union linking them together was not only made in God’s house, but actually ordained in his bedroom.

It will be interesting to see how far this “ideal couple” will go in the running of America’s national and foreign issues.

Copyright 2011

THE STARS AND US HUMANS

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

This paper is an adaptation of an earlier one I delivered on the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) North West Provincial Station in Bamenda on the 24th of October 2000. It was on the HIGHLAND MORNING SHOW presented by Grace Che Ngwafor in English, Louis Marie Begnet in French and me as the Bilingual Resoiurce Person. This paper was one of hundreds of papers I delivered either in Bamenda or the National Radio Station in Yaounde from 2002 to 2005.
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Perhaps the best way of approaching the question is by uttering a loud and resounding “yes”. However, the explanation of the phenomenon is not as simplistic as that. That complexity no doubt finds its origin in the very supernatural nature of the greater being, that is to say, the holy one and the maker of both man and stars.

To put things in perspective, I should like to remind us that God’s world is perfectly known only to him in comparison to man‘s ignorance of what and who he is. In fact, the holy book tells us that God knows each of us by name; he can name each strand of hair on each individuals head. He alone knows how many stars there are and where they are and what they are doing. Regarding astrology, I must however point out that the influence it wields goes far beyond just the stars. That is why planets such as such. Neptune, Saturn, Mars etc and the natural part to play. In fact as far as the rift between God’s limitless and boundless knowledge and wisdom as apposed to our crass ignorance are concern, it would be better perhaps, to quote those scholars who have affirmed that our total knowledge ratio compared compared with that of God is less than 1:1 000 000 000. I f so, then how do we think we can understand as much as he how this universe works? Perhaps we ought to remember the answer President Ronald Reagan gave when asked once whether he believed in astrology. He simply said he did not think he knew enough about the subject to be able to tell whether he believed in it or not.

Knowledge of astrology can, no doubt, help us to know ourselves, family members, friends, colleagues, employees, students etc, better. Before I go any further I should like to state that astrology has two main areas, the first of which I will call the horoscope. Horoscope is the usual prediction we read in newspapers and hear analyzed over the radio. I am not interested in that aspect of astrology. However, do not run away with the impression that I am dismissing it. The other branch of astrology which has come to be my field of specialization is that which I call psycho-astrology. This branch deals with behaviors and relationships. It is handy when it comes to examining the questions of compatibility between people. You may not believe this but I made some money in London by acting as an astrological consultant, successfully putting my skills and expertise at he service of anyone who reported some deviance in behaviors, or those who complained that things had gone wrong between them. My prescription worked. And I got paid for the job.

God’s ways are many; in fact, some one once said God draws straight lines in a crooked way. Another said God speaks many languages, which of course include the languages of astrology. That is probably why an astrologer has described the discipline as “heavenly solutions to earthly problems.” Nonetheless, astrology as such constitutes only one of many disciplines that serve to tackle and solve societal problems. Some of the others are philosophy medicine, pharmacy, anthropology, archeology, geography, numerology, chemise, astrology, palmistry, and I-ching, to name those.

In the business of astrology, a discipline I have studied and researched on for many years, some of the daily realities are observance of the law and order and symmetry that govern every one of God’s creations. So, if God’s world including man who lives in it is such a perfect clockwork, then why do we doubt that some of his creations can equally affect others? Let’s take the sun as an example: although it is so far away form us, does it not warm us some times to the extent of burning our skin? The moon is equally distant from us, yet some times it shines so brightly that standing in the yard in our compound I have been able to read a book that in its light. Can we really explain the phenomenon, let alone create anything similar? We must not forget that it is God’s perfect symmetry that has worked things out so well that Bible says in an indisputable way that there is time for everything, a time to soul and a time to harvest. Even our parents who farm the land without having ever gone to school have mastered the precise time of the year to clear their farms, till them, sow, weed and harvest. Any messing up of the time of the activities would no doubt render the whole exercise futile and counterproductive.

Astrology does not, of course, influence human behavior to the exclusion of other factors such as dieting, religion, social background, for instance. Even so, the astrological trade mark of the individual usually stands out. So, of the twelve signs of the zodiac, one finds that the most fearless and impulsive is Aries. Leo and Sagittarius which together with Aries make up the triangle are similar n character. As a result, any two signs from the same triangle would get on very well with each other whether as friends or a matrimonial couple. Some famous fire sign are Hitler (Aries), Ephraim Banda Ghogomu (Aries), Bill Clinton (Leo), Fidel Castro (Leo), Napoleon Bonaparte (Leo), Peter Ngu Tayong (Leo), President Omar Bongo (Sagittarius), Jacques Chirac (Sagittarius), Peter Mafany Musoonge (Sagittarius), Louis Marie Begnet (Sagittarius) and Winston Churchill(Sagittarius).

After the fire element, the remaining elements are Air (Gemini, Aquarius and Libra), Earth (Virgo, Taurus and Capricorn) and Water (Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces). Just like in the fire triangle, any tow members of any of the other three triangles above, that is to say,. Air, Earth and Water, would make ideal partners for each other. Some examples of the Earth element are Ahmadou Ahidjo (Virgo), Jesus Christ (Capricorn), Mary the Mother of Jesus (Virgo), Stalin of Russia (Taurus), Mendo Ze (Capricorn), to name those. By nature, the earth signs are rock solid, reliable, productive and successful. They hate lies and love the truth even if it is bitter.

As for the Air signs, examples include Paul Biya (Aquarius), Sadou Hayatou (Aquarius), Mahatma Gandhi (Libra) and Marilyn Monroe (Gemini. These three signs are generally not the best financial mangers. They are people who hate to see anyone suffer. Therefore when they find someone in need of something which they have, they can find no earthly reason not to give it. Matters of love are more of a duty to them than full time romance. A love relationship to them is first and foremost intellectual before being sexual.

The water signs: cancer, Scorpion and Pisces are the most emotional of the twelve signs. They are so sensitive that they are easily hurt. However, you many not always notice that they are hurt unless you are one of them. This is because they are very good at concealing their feelings. On this point they are the exact antithesis of the fire signs-Aries, Leo and Sagittarius who do not know how to hide their feelings. Love means a lot to a water sign. In fact, love is the very nucleus of this person’s being. That is why some of them never get round to mending their hearts when they are broken, unlike the earth signs –Virgo, Capricorn and Taurus – who are always very practical and methodical in whatever they do. Some water signs are Princess Diana (Cancer), Einstein (Pisces) and Ralph Awa (Scorpio).Dear reader; do any of the above descriptions apply to you? It is for you to decide.

Copyright 2011