By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Copy of a reply sent to Mbunwe Charles on FACEBOOK
Hi Mbunwe,
I read your comments on the BIYA-FRU NDI meeting. You talk about “fighting Biya.” That`s fine. It`s your democratic and civic right. But every action should have an aim, an objective. What is yours in the fight? Is it to create a vacuum in the country? What do you fight him with? Words? The ballot box? A military coup? What option have you chosen? And what is your timetable? Who are the people in your fight? What is their remuneration? What is your source of funding? And for how long will you hold out?
You caption your photo of the Biya-Fru Ndi as one in which Fru Ndi is "begging for money". Is that not just an assumption? Were you there and heard him asking? How much did he ask for? How much was he given? Was in cash or by cheque or by travellers` cheques or by bank transfer, etc?
Whatever way you view it, by sitting down and talking – at last, at long last – the two men have shown a great act of statesmanship. Israelis and the Palestinians have sat down and talked; Cameroon and Nigerian have sat down and talked. Even the Holy Bible recommends dialogue that when there is a conflict between people dialogue should be used to solve it. So why shouldn’t Biya and Fru Ndi sit down and talk? It`s healthy for the country and for world peace.
Thanks for your friendship invitation. I have responded positively.
Copyright 2010
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est TIKUM MBAH AZONGA ON POLITICS. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est TIKUM MBAH AZONGA ON POLITICS. Afficher tous les articles
dimanche 12 décembre 2010
mercredi 20 octobre 2010
TWO DRINKS IN ONE
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Aright is a right
And a shoe, a shoe
So if you drink sprite
Prepare tea for two.
Copyright 2010
Aright is a right
And a shoe, a shoe
So if you drink sprite
Prepare tea for two.
Copyright 2010
dimanche 17 octobre 2010
A FACE WITHOUT EYES
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
To me he`s nothing but an empty vessel
Don`t mind his big grammar
If you defy him with the village flute
Can he sound it?
Copyright 2010
To me he`s nothing but an empty vessel
Don`t mind his big grammar
If you defy him with the village flute
Can he sound it?
Copyright 2010
jeudi 14 octobre 2010
RIGHT TO REPLY
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Let me talk
Don`t stifle me
Isn`t the living word stronger than beer?
That`s why crickets enter backwards.
If you think I`ll bulk
Then hold up your right knee
If you aren`t stricken with fear
Then today`s nurses are just wards
Copyright 2010
Let me talk
Don`t stifle me
Isn`t the living word stronger than beer?
That`s why crickets enter backwards.
If you think I`ll bulk
Then hold up your right knee
If you aren`t stricken with fear
Then today`s nurses are just wards
Copyright 2010
samedi 9 octobre 2010
A BLOW BELOW THE BELT
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Wonders shall, in deed, never end. I received a Facebook invitation to get linked to `The Southern Cameroons` . I did, in a bid to get to know more about the organisation. Shortly after, I found a message in which Facebook announced that I "liked" the BIYA MIUST GO CAMPAIGN. I found that to be cheap , poorly calculated, half-baked and far below-the-belt. I think we could do better.
I don`t operate in that manner. I don`t like things for the sake of liking them. I also don`t approve of blanket statements. Where, for example, must Biya go? What should he be going there to do? And who takes his place? How does that person get there? And what if in the end he doesn`t go at all? Will proponents of this theory then eat their words and thereby, eat humble pie? Cameroon`s constitution as it stands (right or wrong) allows Biya to run again if he wishes. and although he hasn`t announced his intention to do so, it is possible that he may. If he does, it will be for another seven years. Seven years is nothing and even if he accepts the 2011-2018 mandate, it is very likely that he may not run again when it comes to an end. So, why the panic? What contingency plans are interested persons making now to take over when the time comes? Solomon Tandeng Muna once said "People come and go, but the nation remains". Those who have the will and the means to stop him can best do so, in my opinion, by joining forces with the opposition, the most plausible party for that purpose being the SDF for now because of its weight and status.
As far as the Southern Cameroons issue is concerned, my stance has always been one and the same: If you have an enemy, face him; don`t chicken out. Don`t simply turn round, cut and run. I believe in one Cameroon in which I fight for my rights on the same footing as anyone else. I don` believe in capitulation.
Copyright 2010
Wonders shall, in deed, never end. I received a Facebook invitation to get linked to `The Southern Cameroons` . I did, in a bid to get to know more about the organisation. Shortly after, I found a message in which Facebook announced that I "liked" the BIYA MIUST GO CAMPAIGN. I found that to be cheap , poorly calculated, half-baked and far below-the-belt. I think we could do better.
I don`t operate in that manner. I don`t like things for the sake of liking them. I also don`t approve of blanket statements. Where, for example, must Biya go? What should he be going there to do? And who takes his place? How does that person get there? And what if in the end he doesn`t go at all? Will proponents of this theory then eat their words and thereby, eat humble pie? Cameroon`s constitution as it stands (right or wrong) allows Biya to run again if he wishes. and although he hasn`t announced his intention to do so, it is possible that he may. If he does, it will be for another seven years. Seven years is nothing and even if he accepts the 2011-2018 mandate, it is very likely that he may not run again when it comes to an end. So, why the panic? What contingency plans are interested persons making now to take over when the time comes? Solomon Tandeng Muna once said "People come and go, but the nation remains". Those who have the will and the means to stop him can best do so, in my opinion, by joining forces with the opposition, the most plausible party for that purpose being the SDF for now because of its weight and status.
As far as the Southern Cameroons issue is concerned, my stance has always been one and the same: If you have an enemy, face him; don`t chicken out. Don`t simply turn round, cut and run. I believe in one Cameroon in which I fight for my rights on the same footing as anyone else. I don` believe in capitulation.
Copyright 2010
vendredi 10 septembre 2010
ODD BED FELLOWS
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Sand pits are not of different heights
They`re all as similar as mouse traps
But when it comes to media hypes
The Lord Mayor of Kumbo will open up all the gaps.
Copyright 2010
Sand pits are not of different heights
They`re all as similar as mouse traps
But when it comes to media hypes
The Lord Mayor of Kumbo will open up all the gaps.
Copyright 2010
dimanche 5 septembre 2010
THE PREMIER'S MEA CULPA
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
The lamp lit
Isn’t for Joseph Newit
It’s the end time frontispiece
Of the novel the beleaguered premier sent his niece.
Copyright 2010
The lamp lit
Isn’t for Joseph Newit
It’s the end time frontispiece
Of the novel the beleaguered premier sent his niece.
Copyright 2010
mardi 31 août 2010
ZIK`S MUSIC
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Music is not only for Zik
After all, who is Zik, if not just another fat liar?
What we must do is get him a flier
Then anything he touches, it he will lick.
Copyright 2010
Music is not only for Zik
After all, who is Zik, if not just another fat liar?
What we must do is get him a flier
Then anything he touches, it he will lick.
Copyright 2010
THE CHAIRMAN`S CAT
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
She`s in Santa
With her junior sister
When the chairman`s cat is found
There`ll be no need to hound.
Copyright 2010
She`s in Santa
With her junior sister
When the chairman`s cat is found
There`ll be no need to hound.
Copyright 2010
mercredi 11 août 2010
THE PRESIDENT`S FAREWELL
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Human hearts will always be heartless
Walking like dead spirits
To join hands and fight for seats
Until the president steps down, powerless
Copyright 2010
Human hearts will always be heartless
Walking like dead spirits
To join hands and fight for seats
Until the president steps down, powerless
Copyright 2010
lundi 9 août 2010
THE NEW DEAL
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
For God’s sake
Don’t be apologetic
Just go right ahead and say it
Shout it if you like
You don’t need the priest or your father
Lest so the Head of State.
It’s not suspicious– not at all
But you can’t compare it with
The dirty, stinking, oil-filled gutters of the capital
Or the poor impregnated comic sofas of the palace.
It’s is a new world out here
A new world order
A new deal.
Copyright 2010
For God’s sake
Don’t be apologetic
Just go right ahead and say it
Shout it if you like
You don’t need the priest or your father
Lest so the Head of State.
It’s not suspicious– not at all
But you can’t compare it with
The dirty, stinking, oil-filled gutters of the capital
Or the poor impregnated comic sofas of the palace.
It’s is a new world out here
A new world order
A new deal.
Copyright 2010
WORLDS APART
Tikum Mbah Azonga
In this part of the world
Where we live and move and have our being
We also have a life of our own
We also have our joys
Although you think it’s all misery.
In your part of the world
Which you claim is paradise on earth
Because you have your cars, your houses and your money
I know not all that glitters is gold
You’re a bunch of frustrated tigers.
Copyright 2010
In this part of the world
Where we live and move and have our being
We also have a life of our own
We also have our joys
Although you think it’s all misery.
In your part of the world
Which you claim is paradise on earth
Because you have your cars, your houses and your money
I know not all that glitters is gold
You’re a bunch of frustrated tigers.
Copyright 2010
jeudi 29 juillet 2010
BULL IN THE WRONG PLACE
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
Don`t roast the bull
All he knows is New York
Don`t even waste your time about Cork
He may think you`re just a tool.
I`m no marketing guru
No business plan, no viable option
But I have techniques of suction
If you like, call me Sumanguru.
Copyright 2010
Don`t roast the bull
All he knows is New York
Don`t even waste your time about Cork
He may think you`re just a tool.
I`m no marketing guru
No business plan, no viable option
But I have techniques of suction
If you like, call me Sumanguru.
Copyright 2010
samedi 24 juillet 2010
PREFECT TIME
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
They came straight at us four
And for cover, we ducked
It was like re-enacting Musinga
Because the siren tore the quiet atmosphere
No one dared to cry out.
The prefect was on tour
While our hour clocked
We longed to escape on the Cam Bubinga
Out of the den and to just anywhere
Suddenly, the senile referee ended the bout.
Copyright 2010
They came straight at us four
And for cover, we ducked
It was like re-enacting Musinga
Because the siren tore the quiet atmosphere
No one dared to cry out.
The prefect was on tour
While our hour clocked
We longed to escape on the Cam Bubinga
Out of the den and to just anywhere
Suddenly, the senile referee ended the bout.
Copyright 2010
IN WASHINGTON WITH THE QUEEN
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I just came in from Washington
Where I went to see the queen
I brought back her bedside bible
And left her my bedroom slippers
I wonder what the President will give her
As she troops back to Buckingham Palace, sullen-faced.
These are no longer the days of Bill Clinton
Nor those of Steve Mc Queen
This is the season of the rotten rubble
When royalty goes in search of fresh waters.
Our only hope is that they don’t go too far
Otherwise, the entire race will be razed.
Copyright 2010
I just came in from Washington
Where I went to see the queen
I brought back her bedside bible
And left her my bedroom slippers
I wonder what the President will give her
As she troops back to Buckingham Palace, sullen-faced.
These are no longer the days of Bill Clinton
Nor those of Steve Mc Queen
This is the season of the rotten rubble
When royalty goes in search of fresh waters.
Our only hope is that they don’t go too far
Otherwise, the entire race will be razed.
Copyright 2010
mercredi 21 juillet 2010
IS OUR BUEA DOOMED?
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
How is that for an article headline? Misleading, you may say? If that is what you think, then I beg to differ, because I strongly believe that Buea has a problem that needs to be looked at with all seriousness.
Buea, headquarters of the South West Region, is one of Cameroon’s ten regional administrative headquarters. The other nine regions and their regional capitals, are: the Far North with its capital as Maroua, the North whose capital is Garoua, the Adamawa and Ngaoundere, the North West and Bamenda, the West and Bafoussam, the Littoral and Douala which is also the national economic capital, the Centre and Yaounde which is also the national political and diplomatic capital, the South and Ebolowa, and finally the East and Bertoua.
One of the problems with Buea is that while the nine other regional headquarters have “grown up and moved on”, Buea has basically remained rooted to the spot, refusing to grow up and join the “big boys”. One example is that a couple of years ago when the government decided to break up the big towns into three different administrative units and thus increase the number of sub Divisions in the country, all of the other nine regional headquarters benefited from the move by being split. Buea alone remained as a single sub division. Yet with each of the new sub divisions came a local government council and a new way of looking at things.
The new administrative units were a welcomed innovation for the local populations because as the government put it, this was a way of bringing the administration nearer to the people”. To substantiate the point, they point to the services brought about by the new administrative units such as a district office, a police station, sub delegations of the various ministerial departments and a host of other amenities.
The creation of new local councils has also greatly changed the outlook in the towns in question. A typical example is the keen competition that has developed among the three new local councils in Bamenda city, headquarters of the North West Region, which benefited from the split into three units. These are Bamenda 1 Council which corresponds to the territory of Mendankwe village and includes the administrative quarter of the city since this is where the regional governor and his Etat Major as well as the Senior Divisional Officer for Mezam and his own Etat Major live and work. The Bamenda 2 Council area corresponds to the villages of Mankon, Mbatu, Nsongwa and Chomba. Bamenda 3 is Nkwen village and its northern neighbour, Banjah. Like we said earlier, the two new structures that are the sub Division and the Council have greatly enriched life in their localities. One can therefore imagine the loss that Buea suffers from having been left as single Sub Division and a single Council. One government official said Buea did not qualify for the spit because it is still a “small” town, compared with the others.
One aspect that is even more striking is that in addition to the other nine ten regional headquarters being split, in some regions, even divisional headquarters considered to be large were also split. An example is Limbe, headquarters of Fako Division of which Buea, the regional headquarters is part. Kumba, divisional headquarters of Meme Division still in the South West Region was also broken up into three new sub Divisions and three new Councils.
Paradoxically, the regional hospital of the province is located not in Buea the regional headquarters but in Limbe, the divisional headquarters. Instead, Buea has been made to host a provincial hospital “annex”, which of course is comparatively smaller and less commanding. Still, compared with Limbe, Buea really does not have urban roads worthy of the name. Apart from the long street that runs from Mile 17 through Bongo Square and up to the SOWEDA and National Security junction, there is not much else to see as a road in the city. Even so, one notices that the city’s lone main road described above , despite having been redeveloped some years ago and given two lanes, still remains a death trap which one has to seriously watch out for when crossing because the narrowness makes fleeting vehicles a danger to pedestrians.
Buea does not have a market worthy of a regional headquarters. For years now, it has had to contend with the make shift and unsightly structure that stands like an eyesore next to the OIC, the international outfit put in place to train young people in professional job skill areas such as catering and carpentry. Ironically, people who live in Buea and want to buy foodstuffs in a “serious” market are obliged to go to Muea whose market attracts sellers and buyers from all the neighbouring towns. Yet Muea is a smaller town in Buea Sub Division. Furthermore, some necessities that one might take for granted in a town or city may be surprisingly missing in Buea. One example is the fax machine. So it is very frustrating for anyone, notably a businessman who has an urgent text to fax to realize that after hours of searching, they are till unable to find one.
Even so, when one looks carefully at the city of Buea, one finds that probably in no other place in Cameroon are there as many assets as there are in Buea. For the tourist, Buea offers a unique climate which changes as one goes up the town from, Mile 17 and passes through the bright weather of Molyko, the overcast sky of Bongo Square, the fog covered atmosphere of Bishop Rogan College and the humid tea plantation of Tole.
Buea is a major historic town of Cameroon, the proof being the legacy the Germans left when they settled there. This includes the former residence of the Governor General at the time, a building which later became the famous 72 bedroom official residence of the prime minister of the state of West Cameroon. The building still stands there today as testimony of the role Buea once played in shaping the history of Cameroon. Apart from that sumptuous edifice, there are numerous other houses in the city which were built and inhabited by the Germans before they were booted out by the allies when they lost the World War. Today, they constitute a major tourist site.
The history of today’s Cameroon or that of the former West Cameroon or even the Southern Cameroons can not be effectively written without pride of place being given to Buea. Who does not remember that this was the seat of power in Cameroon West of the Mungo, even when our people sat in the Eastern Nigerian House? When later following the plebiscite the State of West Cameroon was created as part of the Federal Republic of Cameroon, who does not remember that this was where our prime ministers lived and worked. Who does not remember that this was the seat of government of the State? Has anyone forgotten the capital role played by Radio Buea at the time? How about the penetrating music of the Super Ambiance Orchestra of the Lido Bar in Kumba? Have we forgotten the Bali Modern Jazz Orchestra led by Dr Moses Fokong? Have we forgotten famous radio names such as Mary Kamara, Annembom Monju, Rahel Fombuh, Maurice Odine, John Ndane, Paul Kode and a host of others?
Buea boasts cash crop plantations of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) in and all around it. As plantations are crowd pulling locations in terms of the many people who have to go and live and work there, their mere location adds a spice to the daily lives of the community. Plantations are of course a source of employment for those who are interested in working. Increasingly though, businesses and other investments are taking root in Buea. Some of the latest are Chariot Hotel, the new palace of the Chief of Muea, the King David Square Hotel in Muea, the three new petrol stations along the road from Mile 17 to Mile 13, the multiple storey building being put up at Mile 17 by the Lobe Cooperative Credit Union, the National Social Insurance Fund complex, as well as the numerous student hostels, popularly known as “mini cites” dotted here and there in the city. Unfortunately, Buea lost the historic Mountain Hotel some years ago. It was allowed to fall into disuse, get dilapidated and collapse. This is a pity because of what the hotel represented in the making of the history of Cameroon, especially history west of the Mungo.
Apart from the thousands of students that the University of Buea has on its campus, there are also students in a good number of other educational institutions which make the city an indisputable citadel of learning - in fact one of the major ones in the country. Others include the Pan African Institute for Rural Development, the National School of Penitentiary Administration, the National School of Public Works and the National School of Posts and Telecommunications, to name some. Mention must also be made of the numerous institutions of higher education which have seen the light of day in conformity with government’s policy of expanding higher education in the private sector.
So, what has happened to our Buea? Has it been cursed? Is someone holding it back deliberately? Whatever is the case, what is certain is that the city needs shock therapy to get up and take its rightful place in today’s Cameroon. The problem is no longer at the local level. So it is not a matter for the governor or the District Officer or the Mayor. It is a matter for everyone. It concerns anyone who lives or works in Buea or cares about the place, even if they live and work elsewhere. Perhaps such people could now come together without any discrimination and set up some form of platform for the resuscitation of the city of Buea. Only then can this lovely city of ours rise and shine again.
Copyright 2010
How is that for an article headline? Misleading, you may say? If that is what you think, then I beg to differ, because I strongly believe that Buea has a problem that needs to be looked at with all seriousness.
Buea, headquarters of the South West Region, is one of Cameroon’s ten regional administrative headquarters. The other nine regions and their regional capitals, are: the Far North with its capital as Maroua, the North whose capital is Garoua, the Adamawa and Ngaoundere, the North West and Bamenda, the West and Bafoussam, the Littoral and Douala which is also the national economic capital, the Centre and Yaounde which is also the national political and diplomatic capital, the South and Ebolowa, and finally the East and Bertoua.
One of the problems with Buea is that while the nine other regional headquarters have “grown up and moved on”, Buea has basically remained rooted to the spot, refusing to grow up and join the “big boys”. One example is that a couple of years ago when the government decided to break up the big towns into three different administrative units and thus increase the number of sub Divisions in the country, all of the other nine regional headquarters benefited from the move by being split. Buea alone remained as a single sub division. Yet with each of the new sub divisions came a local government council and a new way of looking at things.
The new administrative units were a welcomed innovation for the local populations because as the government put it, this was a way of bringing the administration nearer to the people”. To substantiate the point, they point to the services brought about by the new administrative units such as a district office, a police station, sub delegations of the various ministerial departments and a host of other amenities.
The creation of new local councils has also greatly changed the outlook in the towns in question. A typical example is the keen competition that has developed among the three new local councils in Bamenda city, headquarters of the North West Region, which benefited from the split into three units. These are Bamenda 1 Council which corresponds to the territory of Mendankwe village and includes the administrative quarter of the city since this is where the regional governor and his Etat Major as well as the Senior Divisional Officer for Mezam and his own Etat Major live and work. The Bamenda 2 Council area corresponds to the villages of Mankon, Mbatu, Nsongwa and Chomba. Bamenda 3 is Nkwen village and its northern neighbour, Banjah. Like we said earlier, the two new structures that are the sub Division and the Council have greatly enriched life in their localities. One can therefore imagine the loss that Buea suffers from having been left as single Sub Division and a single Council. One government official said Buea did not qualify for the spit because it is still a “small” town, compared with the others.
One aspect that is even more striking is that in addition to the other nine ten regional headquarters being split, in some regions, even divisional headquarters considered to be large were also split. An example is Limbe, headquarters of Fako Division of which Buea, the regional headquarters is part. Kumba, divisional headquarters of Meme Division still in the South West Region was also broken up into three new sub Divisions and three new Councils.
Paradoxically, the regional hospital of the province is located not in Buea the regional headquarters but in Limbe, the divisional headquarters. Instead, Buea has been made to host a provincial hospital “annex”, which of course is comparatively smaller and less commanding. Still, compared with Limbe, Buea really does not have urban roads worthy of the name. Apart from the long street that runs from Mile 17 through Bongo Square and up to the SOWEDA and National Security junction, there is not much else to see as a road in the city. Even so, one notices that the city’s lone main road described above , despite having been redeveloped some years ago and given two lanes, still remains a death trap which one has to seriously watch out for when crossing because the narrowness makes fleeting vehicles a danger to pedestrians.
Buea does not have a market worthy of a regional headquarters. For years now, it has had to contend with the make shift and unsightly structure that stands like an eyesore next to the OIC, the international outfit put in place to train young people in professional job skill areas such as catering and carpentry. Ironically, people who live in Buea and want to buy foodstuffs in a “serious” market are obliged to go to Muea whose market attracts sellers and buyers from all the neighbouring towns. Yet Muea is a smaller town in Buea Sub Division. Furthermore, some necessities that one might take for granted in a town or city may be surprisingly missing in Buea. One example is the fax machine. So it is very frustrating for anyone, notably a businessman who has an urgent text to fax to realize that after hours of searching, they are till unable to find one.
Even so, when one looks carefully at the city of Buea, one finds that probably in no other place in Cameroon are there as many assets as there are in Buea. For the tourist, Buea offers a unique climate which changes as one goes up the town from, Mile 17 and passes through the bright weather of Molyko, the overcast sky of Bongo Square, the fog covered atmosphere of Bishop Rogan College and the humid tea plantation of Tole.
Buea is a major historic town of Cameroon, the proof being the legacy the Germans left when they settled there. This includes the former residence of the Governor General at the time, a building which later became the famous 72 bedroom official residence of the prime minister of the state of West Cameroon. The building still stands there today as testimony of the role Buea once played in shaping the history of Cameroon. Apart from that sumptuous edifice, there are numerous other houses in the city which were built and inhabited by the Germans before they were booted out by the allies when they lost the World War. Today, they constitute a major tourist site.
The history of today’s Cameroon or that of the former West Cameroon or even the Southern Cameroons can not be effectively written without pride of place being given to Buea. Who does not remember that this was the seat of power in Cameroon West of the Mungo, even when our people sat in the Eastern Nigerian House? When later following the plebiscite the State of West Cameroon was created as part of the Federal Republic of Cameroon, who does not remember that this was where our prime ministers lived and worked. Who does not remember that this was the seat of government of the State? Has anyone forgotten the capital role played by Radio Buea at the time? How about the penetrating music of the Super Ambiance Orchestra of the Lido Bar in Kumba? Have we forgotten the Bali Modern Jazz Orchestra led by Dr Moses Fokong? Have we forgotten famous radio names such as Mary Kamara, Annembom Monju, Rahel Fombuh, Maurice Odine, John Ndane, Paul Kode and a host of others?
Buea boasts cash crop plantations of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) in and all around it. As plantations are crowd pulling locations in terms of the many people who have to go and live and work there, their mere location adds a spice to the daily lives of the community. Plantations are of course a source of employment for those who are interested in working. Increasingly though, businesses and other investments are taking root in Buea. Some of the latest are Chariot Hotel, the new palace of the Chief of Muea, the King David Square Hotel in Muea, the three new petrol stations along the road from Mile 17 to Mile 13, the multiple storey building being put up at Mile 17 by the Lobe Cooperative Credit Union, the National Social Insurance Fund complex, as well as the numerous student hostels, popularly known as “mini cites” dotted here and there in the city. Unfortunately, Buea lost the historic Mountain Hotel some years ago. It was allowed to fall into disuse, get dilapidated and collapse. This is a pity because of what the hotel represented in the making of the history of Cameroon, especially history west of the Mungo.
Apart from the thousands of students that the University of Buea has on its campus, there are also students in a good number of other educational institutions which make the city an indisputable citadel of learning - in fact one of the major ones in the country. Others include the Pan African Institute for Rural Development, the National School of Penitentiary Administration, the National School of Public Works and the National School of Posts and Telecommunications, to name some. Mention must also be made of the numerous institutions of higher education which have seen the light of day in conformity with government’s policy of expanding higher education in the private sector.
So, what has happened to our Buea? Has it been cursed? Is someone holding it back deliberately? Whatever is the case, what is certain is that the city needs shock therapy to get up and take its rightful place in today’s Cameroon. The problem is no longer at the local level. So it is not a matter for the governor or the District Officer or the Mayor. It is a matter for everyone. It concerns anyone who lives or works in Buea or cares about the place, even if they live and work elsewhere. Perhaps such people could now come together without any discrimination and set up some form of platform for the resuscitation of the city of Buea. Only then can this lovely city of ours rise and shine again.
Copyright 2010
vendredi 16 juillet 2010
THE STRANDED BOUQUETS
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
I have withdrawn the bouquets
All of them
They’re all here with me
Not a single one is left
Believe me
When she comes back
She’ll see an empty space
Reminiscent of Godot`s long wait.
I’m not a middle road man
That’s why bouquets mean the world to me
The road carcasses are twitching
Yet not one fly has left them
Even they are thirsty for bouquets
So when the time comes spaces or no spaces
All the front-runners will fail to run.
Copyright 2010
I have withdrawn the bouquets
All of them
They’re all here with me
Not a single one is left
Believe me
When she comes back
She’ll see an empty space
Reminiscent of Godot`s long wait.
I’m not a middle road man
That’s why bouquets mean the world to me
The road carcasses are twitching
Yet not one fly has left them
Even they are thirsty for bouquets
So when the time comes spaces or no spaces
All the front-runners will fail to run.
Copyright 2010
mardi 6 juillet 2010
NDEH NTUMAZAH: RIGHT MAN, WRONG PARTY?
By Tikum Mbah Azonga
On July 21 of this year, 2010, it will be exactly six months since Ndeh Ntumazah, incontestably one of the greatest makers of modern Cameroon died. He gave up the ghosts in London, at the ripe old age of 83. He went blind for some years before he died. Incidentally therefore, he died out of Cameroon, which is where he spent the greater part of his life as a leading member of the opposition party, Union of the Populations of Cameroon (UPC).
Writing on the UP STATION MOUNTAIN CLUB blog, Prof Tazoacha Asonganyi, a modern day political pundit and former Secretary General of the main opposition SDF party of Cameroon said: " Pa Ntumazah was a political activist for nearly 60 years. He joined the UPC around 1950 and remained a militant of the party until his demise. When the UPC was banned in French Cameroon in 1955, he was advised by his comrades to create another party in the Southern Cameroons, which would be the UPC in disguise. The party was called "One Kamerun Movement - OK", with Ndeh Ntumazah as its President. Following its banning, the UPC started a war of liberation in French Cameroon, so Ntumazah from the safety of Southern Cameroons, liaised with his comrades in French Cameroon to carry out their underground operations."
Following the determination of France and the Ahidjo regime to crush the liberation war (a `war of terrorism` according to the other camp), Ntumazah went on self-exile in 1962. His life and experiences abroad as he stayed committed to the cause of the UPC can fill volumes of books. In the process, Ntumazah moved from country to country, bought and smuggled arms into Cameroon where other leaders of the UPC such as Ernest Ouandie and Um Nyobe had stayed on to continue the struggle. He changed his names to Mbarack Ben Ibrahim. Back in Cameroon, Ntumazah was some kind of maverick. He was believed to be a magical man who could appear and disappear at any time and go unnoticed by the forces of law and order who were out for him, dead of alive. Ntumazah was a highly intelligent man who spoke both English and French with ease. He was knowledgeable in many disciplines and areas. In fact, Ndeh Ntumazah was known to be highly intelligent. He met and rubbed shoulders with many world great leaders and I would like to think that he learned a lot from them.
That was how he struck me when I came face to face with him in London in the late 1980s. The occasion was a joint press conference he and Mongo Beti gave on the then political situation in Cameroon. I was at the event as a reporter for the London-based WEST AFRICA magazine. When I raised my hand to ask a question that I specified was directed to Mongo Beti but also stressed that I would ask it in English, Ntumazah stepped in and asked me to ask it in French because as he put it, I spoke French very well. I was staggered because I had not known he knew me. On the same occasion, I asked him whether it was true that he used to appear in Cameroon and disappear at will. His terse but jocular response was: "Why should I tell you my secrets?" We all laughed about it.
That was Ntumazah as I new him. However, at the time of his death, he had lost practically all the leading comrades with whom he championed the liberation of Cameroon within the UPC party. Some had been tracked down and shot dead, others had been arrested, tried and executed, and some (at least one) had been poisoned. Worse still for him the UPC in the end lost the struggle to the French/Ahidjo regime that they had combated all along. And what’s more, some members of the UPC had crossed the carpet and joined Ahidjo CNU party. As Ntumazah left this world, Paul Biya whom he criticized as just another extension of Ahidjo was not just still ruling Cameroon but actually gave him Ntumazah a state funeral. Did Ntumazah realize this in the world beyond? If he did, how did he take it?
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