LAND OF PROMISE, LAND OF GLORY

One cannot say enough how blessed Cameroon is in terms of her very enviable rich natural and socio-cultural endowments - world class intelligentsia, strategic position on the African continent with an option for bilingualism (English and French) only second to Canada throughout the whole world - a potential recognised by many who have had opportunity to travel to this country. This potential is not tapped into either out of ignorance, neglect, greed or political manoeuvring or the sheer‘I don’t care' attitude. There is every reason for one to wonder if ours is a ‘golden ring on a pig’s nose’ – everyone else seems to see this potential and value of a country capable of being an all round reference on the continent and yet we make as if we need to be reminded over and over again by someone else that we are actually sitting on ‘a gold mine’. 

The following words of Harriett Isom, US ambassador to Cameroon from 1993 to 1996 fully captures the potential of this country we regularly refer to as Africa in Miniature: “There are the white and black sand beaches, the volcanoes, the lakes and lush highlands, the tropical forests, the old grassland kingdoms bursting with history and art and the totally different north with its terrain similar to America's southwest and boasting a nice game park. Cameroon should be, but isn't yet, part of the tourist route in Africa. This is a country about the size of California with still enviable potential. It has abundant energy resources, still unexploited mineral resources, bountiful timber and superb agricultural conditions for crops and plantations. It has ethnic groups who excel in trade and entrepreneurial ventures, ……..” 

Those are the words of someone who definitely is looking at all this untapped wealth of a people with envy, and finds it difficult to understand how on earth we cannot put to good use what we’ve got and yet regularly stand knocking at the doors of the World Bank, and in recent times, that of China with cap in hand for financial assistance all of which come with endless and unbreakable strings. The loud question as Cameroonians, we should be asking ourselves individually and collectively is, ‘are we really unable to see what we’ve got and someone else has to tell us?’ 

Our forefathers had seen this potential and immortalised it in the National Anthem we sing with ‘reverence and gusto’ at every official occasion, but the question has to be asked. How much attention is paid to the content and meaning of the lyrics of the National Anthem? If we take a thoughtful look at the following lines from the National Anthem and then take a look at the country today it may be clearer how much our love or non-love for country and therefore the input into its development is in dissonance with the commitment we make every time we sing the National Anthem. ‘Dear fatherland, thy worth no tongue can tell! How can we ever pay thy due? Thy welfare we will win in toil and love and peace, will be to thy name ever true! Land of promise, land of glory! Thou of life and joy, our only store! Thine be honour, thine devotion, and deep endearment, for evermore’. The message does not change even in a simple translation of the key lines of the French version of the Anthem, ‘Dear fatherland, darling country, you are our only true fortune, our joy and our life. In you there is love and great honour….’ 

In my humble opinion, admission of failure can be manifested either through the spoken word or through actions. From the moment we resort to taking medical examinations and treatments abroad not in national health facilities, or opting to educate our children in foreign schools instead of the national schools, or regularly spending our holidays outside the country instead of within the country, fly from one end of the city to the other, there is no doubt these actions are an implied admission of complete failure of commitment to love for country and its welfare. Other indicators of such failure include increased rural exodus and emigration in search of better pastures, as well as the prevalence of crime, bribery and corruption within the national territory. 

Currently the government is seeking ways and means of engaging with the Diaspora in a bid to tap into the rich material and intellectual potential of Cameroonians living abroad. As part of these efforts recently a delegation from the Presidency of the Republic was in the UK as part of a tour to other cities around the world to dialogue with the Cameroon Diaspora. This was closely followed by an enlarged question and answer working session with the Cameroon community in the UK by the Prime Minster, Yang Philemon while he was in London for the Commonwealth Trade Forum. However, the obstacles standing in the way of Diasporans wishing to engage in a much more meaningful commitment to being part of the development process in Cameroon are the same obstacles faced by Cameroonians living in the country – poor road infrastructure, corruption, insecurity at various levels, excesses of officials at the ports and the Ministry of Finance, very little or no support to small and medium size enterprises, an investment code which puts national and international business concerns on the same level playing field with the obvious consequence being that the competition cannot be fair since the multinationals have a better financial muscle, very poor customer services in government offices, and the list of the ills is endless and well documented. 

The way forward will be to consider addressing these inherent problems as very urgent and do something about them as soon as possible. Meetings and the resolutions spun there off are not enough if the conclusions do not result in concrete actions, same too are ideas; they remain paper tigers if not implemented. To get all Cameroonians (no matter where they may be) on board our development efforts, there must be a change in mentality at all levels. We need to revisit the content of the message in the lyrics of our National Anthem and make Cameroon the ‘land of glory and land of promise’ that she is meant to be. We are responsible for our own destiny, and no one is going to decide, carve out and see the attainment of this destiny for us. 

Steve Nfor

CAMEROON - LOOKING BEYOND FOOTBALL PROWESS

It is common knowledge that when one introduces himself as being Cameroonian within the British community be it on the streets or in workplaces, the reaction is the same – oh football…. Roger Miller….! It is understandable when one takes a look at how much contribution Cameroon has made to the development of world football so far.

Cameroon’s football exploits on the world stage and her dominance on the African continent are well documented. Five very impressive appearances at the World Cup in (1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 - and the sixth this year (2010) in South Africa) and lifting the African Cup of nations title four times in (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002 and runners-up in 1986, 2008, winner of the gold medal in the football tournament at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia in 2000, and runners-up in the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2003. In 2006 and 2009 Cameroon was ranked 11th in the World, the second highest position ever achieved by an African nation south of the Sahara in World Football (Nigeria was ranked 9th in 2006). This is quite an achievement by Cameroon since appearing on the international scene for the first time in 1960 beating the national side of French Somaliland, now Djibouti 9-2 in the friendship games organized in Madagascar.

However, there is much more that this very privileged triangle at the armpit of the continent can offer to the world than just football. Because of her varied ecology, (a near desert climate in the North transiting through savannah to the dense tropical rain forest in the South, in addition to a rich socio-economic and cultural potential, Cameroon is generally referred to as ‘Africa in Miniature’ because the country has it all.

TOURIST ONE-STOP SHOP
For tourism enthusiasts, Cameroon abounds with a diverse and yet undiscovered options (300 tourist sites) – abundance of unique cultural traditions and very rich and collectable artifacts corresponding to the over 250 ethnic groups that make up the Cameroonian population (almost 19 million), around 400km of splendid and natural sandy beaches along the Atlantic coast overlooking the ocean, world class hotel accommodation. Safari tourists have the option of visiting what has been described as the best developed and the most interesting National Park in Waza in the Northern region of the country. The park has a good representation of the key wildlife on the continent such as gorillas, lions, leopards, black rhinos, cheetahs, elephants, hyenas, hippos, antelopes, giraffes as well as 379 species of birds.

The ecology and the climatic variations in the country offer the ecotourists different options. There is the Korup National Park in the South-West region with rare plant species some of them said to be millions of years old, the equatorial rain forest and the primary forest in Dja classified as a Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Mountaineers have a challenge of 4070 meters up Mount Fako in the Southern region, or the waterfalls and rocky hills in the Adamawa, West and North-West regions of the country, and more still, some sites of the Mayo Rey containing fingerprints and fossils of dinosaurs.


SPOILED FOR CHOICE IN INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Since the early nineties, Cameroon was among the leaders on the continent to make the first moves towards encouraging Foreign Direct Investment by enacting a code that promotes freedom of investment. From her location right in the heart of the continent and being the meeting point of Equatorial Africa in the South and Tropical Africa in the North, Cameroon offers foreign direct investors easy access to the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Guinea as well as to the market potentials of the entire Central African sub-region and Nigeria with whom Cameroon shares a long border. For the foreign direct investor, the areas of possible investment are many.

There is potential in the energy, human Resources, transport, mining, telecommunications, waste management, forestry exploitation as well as the agro production and processing sectors. In the area of agriculture which is the main stay of Cameroon’s economy, the government is keen on increasing production to satisfy home demand and export the surplus to the sub-regional and international markets as well as add value to the raw materials and increase job opportunities by promoting local transformation.

As part of this quest to develop the agricultural sector, the government is committed to make available to national and foreign investors, secured land on contractual basis and also implement measures aimed at reducing customs duties. Investments in road infrastructure, the building of dams to step up energy capacity, low-cost housing and improvement in the telecommunications, are the needed accompanying measures to make the development of the agricultural and mining sectors more realistic and viable.

Some economic reforms have also been put in place, thanks to the support of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, to stimulate the private sector. The banking sector has been stabilised, with some 13 active banks operating in the country currently, in addition to a Stock Exchange in the economic capital of Douala to facilitate free capital movement.

In terms of human resources, the country has an untapped young, energetic and trainable workforce as well as well trained professionals in various fields both in Cameroon and in the Diaspora. The foreign direct investors can take advantage of this potential to stabilise and sustain their operations on the ground rather than rely on the usually more costly and unstable expatriate labour, especially at this time when the Diaspora are getting more and more interested in going back home to be part of the country’s development process even if it means doing so on the payroll of a multinational as an employee.

THE DIASPORA – A FORCE TO RECKON WITH
On the other hand, as Cameroonians take a look in the country’s historical rear mirror 50 years on, more than ever before Cameroon will also have to rely especially on her human resources both at home and abroad in this quest for meaningful and sustainable development of the country, moving forward. Cameroon has a massive potential (material and intellectual) in the sons and daughters in the Diaspora, those of the United Kingdom included. In fact the UK has a cream of very highly qualified Cameroonian professionals in various fields which could impact directly and effectively in Cameroon’s development efforts.

Here in the United Kingdom, Cameroonians through individual and collective efforts, do everything possible to help their loved ones at home either through direct remittance of foreign currency, by setting up micro businesses for family members, or creating Charities to liaise and work with non-governmental organisations back home. Talking to Cameroonians here in the United Kingdom (and it is not an overstatement to say that this is the common view of all Cameroonians in the Diaspora), it comes across very clearly that they are very interested in getting involved in the development of their country either through micro or macro projects but the hurdles are legion.

Proof of this interest is the plethora of Cameroonian socio-cultural, economic and professional organisations/associations (Cameroon Forum, The Millennium Group, Friends of Cameroon, Cameroon Business Club, Cameroon Young Professionals, Cameroon North-West Cultural Association etc. etc.) now existing in the United Kingdom, all with a mission to contributing, in their own way, to the development of self and Cameroon.

Nonetheless, the general complaint is that genuine efforts to effect some form of economic development initiative in the country is often stifled by the many hurdles and bottlenecks in place in Cameroon beginning with the excesses of the officials at the port in Douala to the unrealistic demands of the taxman in the Ministry of Finance in Yaounde. It will be necessary to put in place investment and business tax codes that enable nationals to compete fairly with multinationals for contracts and investment opportunities in the country.

The main risk in Cameroon continues to be that of corruption which has been reported in various though isolated incidents. This has occurred both in the government and the judiciary. While it remains a problem, there have been efforts made to improve the situation. Some of these include reforms in various sectors such as easing and speeding up the process of granting trade licenses; previously an area of much corruption, and the call to order or arrest of some suspected corrupt officials.

Fifty years is unquestionably an age of reason, so as we look back at those things that make us different, in the rear mirror of the country’s history for the past half century, there is cause for celebrating the strides made so far towards nation building. However, the celebrations must not blind us to the many challenges that lie ahead as Cameroon strives to step up her development efforts. This maturity should be reflected in our decision-making process, development prioritisation as well as business and investment partnership choices to make maximum use of the specificity that is Cameroon, Africa in miniature, with very rich natural and human resources the country is blessed with.

Steve Nfor

CAMEROON GOVERNMENT KICKS OFF DIALOGUE WITH CITIZENS ABROAD

Cameroonians in the Diaspora have been craving for an opportunity to express their concerns regarding various stumbling blocks standing in the way of getting directly involved in the development strategies in Cameroon either through micro and macro development projects, charities, making available their expertise in the various fields if only on an advisory basis and more.

Those concerns may in the near future become issues of history as a special technical delegation from the Presidency of the Republic in Cameroon is currently en route to 8 western countries visiting around 20 cities to meet and dialogue with Cameroonians in the Diaspora in a bid to find common ground for effective involvement in the development process in Cameroon.

After their first stop in Belgium, the delegation made up of an official in charge of special duties at the Presidency, an adviser to the Prime Minister, the Head of Division in charge of Cameroonians abroad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and an Inspector General in the Ministry of Communication, was in the United Kingdom over the weekend holding talks with leaders of various Cameroonian groups in London, Manchester and Birmingham.

During the various meetings introduced by the High Commissioner of Cameroon to the UK, H.E. Nkwelle Ekaney, members of the four-man delegation briefed the leaders of Cameroonian groups invited to the meeting on the status of earlier concerns such as dual nationality, right to vote, creating and running businesses in Cameroon, investment opportunities in various sectors of the economy – agriculture and forestry, banking and finance, communications infrastructure, the mining sector, water and energy, sports and the media environment in the country among others.

Speaking on the Diaspora, the head of Division in charge of Cameroonians abroad, Mr Thomas Fozein Kwanke brought out some revealing statistics (for example, over 4,000 Cameroonian medical doctors abroad against only 800 at home – 1 doctor/20,000 in the cities and 1 doctor/40,000 in the rural areas, 167 million US dollars (0.8% of GDP) in remittance from the Diaspora in 2008).

He called on all Cameroonians to register at the Cameroon High Commission, regardless of their residential status, pointing out that there is no exact figure on the number of Cameroonians living outside the country. Mr Fozein Kwanke said the High Commission is there to serve the interest of all Cameroonians and should in fact serve as an administrative facilitator for all Diasporan initiatives, be they of an economic or charitable nature geared towards the development of the country. .

On the specific issue of dual nationality, the delegation revealed that technically everything had been completed and the document will have to be tabled before the National Assembly before it becomes effective.

Concerning the right to vote, they also said that with regards to Presidential elections or a referendum it could also be possible for Diasporans to exercise their civil duty in the near future as promised by the President when he addressed the Cameroonian community during his visit to France last year, though the problem of under which constituency to classify the Diaspora will arise when it comes to parliamentary or municipal elections.

In Birmingham, members of a group calling themselves ‘Collectif des Organisations Democratiques et Patriotques des Camerounais de la Diaspora (CODE)’ obstructed the meeting for some 30 minutes to express their discontent with the powers that be in Yaounde, accusing them of embezzling state funds, corruption and human rights abuse, brandishing photographs of the famous Cameroonian musician Lapiro de Mbanga, who is currently in prison, and Germain S. Ngota Ngota editor of a private newspaper, Cameroon Express, who died in prison recently. It was thanks to the intervention of the police that the meeting went on undisturbed.

In fact, the head of the delegation, Dr Emmanuel S. Wonyu admitted that, of the three meetings held in the United Kingdom, that of Birmingham stood out as the most constructive and enriching with regards to the expressed concerns of Cameroonians in the Diaspora.

In a comment following the dialogue, which at times was near virulent but passionate, the High Commissioner called on Cameroonians in the Diaspora to have faith in the leadership, whom he said, is striving to take the modernisation process of the country forward and to demonstrate maturity in matters relating to the image of the country abroad.


Steve Nfor

THE LETTER OF YOUR LOOK

I can say what you are
Just by looking at you.
Your look is a letter of yourself
I may be wrong, I may be right
But what people take you to be,
Derives from the outward perception of you

So how do you expect me to read you?
The way you project yourself,
Or what you think you really are?

I can say who you are
Just by the words of your mouth.
Your words and tone say much about you
I may be wrong, I may be right
Since what you say and how you say it,
Often reflects your inner self perfectly

I want to make a correct reading of you
So do project a true image of yourself.
What is on the outside should be a reflection of the inside;
Your words and tone should always be yours;
That way I will read you rightly and not wrongly
Since it is a true reflection of the inner you.

Let what I see, be what I get,
The real and true letter of your look!

THEY ARE EVERYWHERE

You find them everywhere
In the countryside and in the cities
In the developed and developing worlds
Always on sight in corridors,
On pavements and in the streets,
That is all about their world
No other place to go to

You know them by their looks
Epitomes of misery, rejection and dejection
You know them by their abode
On the streets, the market places,
Railway stations and airports
In sunlight and in darkness;
In rain and in the winter cold

You know them by their movement
Not enough energy to carry them on
For clothing and food, they sit cap in hand
Waiting for the 'Samaritan'
To drop in 'some change' if they care
Or scavenge the garbage can
For crumps from the 'rich man's table'

They are the hungry and homeless
The helpless and the hopeless
The wretched of the earth

They need our love and affection
To turn hopelessness into hopefulness
Lend an ear! Give them a word of hope
To help them out of rejection
They surely deserve better
In this world of abundance

LITTLE ANGELS

I can still remember those days,
When life was at its peak, so to say,
I wanted to enjoy it to the fullest.
Marriage was never on my list of priorities,
And the thought of children very far-fetched.
A bunch of destructive ‘brats’ I thought of them
Please forgive me for I knew not
That they are really little angels;
The warmth and joy they bring are matchless.

I dare not say the same of them today
For it is real fun to have them around.
They’d cry when scolded, but are quick to reconcile;
To forgive and forget are their virtues
We have to change and be like them,
If we want true peace in this turbulent world of ours.
Please listen to me for I know now,
That they are really little angels;
The warmth and joy they bring are matchless.

They have a strong spirit of belonging and sharing,
And are always very sad to part with loved ones.
They will cry and yell, but patiently wait for their return,
And are quick to the door with a genuine hug of welcome.
To ease off the tensions of another difficult and challenging day
You need to have them to know and feel their unbridled love.
Please believe me, I bet you
For they are really little angels;
The warmth and joy they bring are matchless.

They teach you forgiveness and true love
They help to discipline and mould you,
Into a more responsible and selfless person.
You grow up to have a more meaningful vision of life.
The cry from their tiny voice is like a dagger in your heart;
Oh how they are pretty and you want to keep them happy!
They deserve it, I assure you
For they are really little angels;
And the warmth and joy they bring are matchless.

NO ONE TO TALK TO

The night was long and distressing,
And the loneliness of my home scaring.
I longed for someone to talk to,
My only friend, the cat was snoring
And neither knew nor cared about what was happening
Enjoying her paradise in my hell

The streak of the morning light brought hope,
I heaved a sigh of relief, at the birth of a new day.
The chores were done; I was ready to go
And leave behind the horrors of the night.
To allay my fright I needed someone,
Someone who’d care and listen to my nightmare.

I stroked and kissed the cat goodbye
I hurried to the door, slipped my key in the keyhole
And locked the loneliness of my home behind.
I was just on time to hop on the bus.
I made my way to the back in search of a seat,
And there, a gentleman looked at me with a grin on his face

He created space and I sat by him.
Before I had time to say ‘good morning’
He commented on the beautiful weather outside.
I anxiously answered back saying it was a lovely day,
Little did I know the conversation would end there.
He buried his face in a paper and his voice I heard no more

On the train and everywhere, the mood was the same
We squeezed and pushed for space to sit or stand
Everyone was in a hurry and no one cared to talk
Here I was, anxious to share my story with someone
Though there were many people, I felt lonely again
It is an inhuman world fraught with selfishness and pride!

But it all begins with my own selfishness,
How come I choose to live only with my cat
When there are thousands out there longing for an abode?
It may be true that for fear of the unknown, there’s no more trust
But for how long and to what extent will man fear man
And become each a tiny island in an ocean of human beings?

Let’s be human and show warmth towards one another
It’s the best way of dispelling the fear and suspicion of each other
And by so doing make this world a better place to live in!

A New Generation

We grow as fast as we want to
We talk and act as we want to
What'er you say we care not
For ours is a new generation

Even though by age we're minors
We smoke and drink as adults
Though risks abound we care less
For ours is a new Generation

The streets out there our haven
We wine and dine our freedom
And make life tough for others
'Cause ours is a new generation

We disrespect our parents
And look down on our teachers
Their time is gone we tell them
And ours is a new generation

Let's stop and think for a moment;
What will our own world look like
When we grow up into leaders
If ours is a new generation?

Good God, not a world of egotists
And surely not of druggists
Who glory in crime and violence
No, ours is a new generation
W A T C H O U T !

POPE’S VISIT TO CAMEROON: THIRD TIME LUCKY?

Pope Benedict XVI is in Cameroon for a four day visit during which he will hold talks with political and religious leaders of the continent. As is customary with visits of this nature, the population of Cameroon in particular and Yaounde, the Capital in particular must have been preparing frantically to clean up the environs to dignify the presence of the august visitor and his entourage on the soil of this privileged country – Africa in miniature. Did I say privileged country? Oh yes because we have all that it takes for a country like ours to stand up and be counted – the natural, socio-cultural and human resources, the ‘peace’ and its strategic position on the continent. 

 

This visit is the third by a Roman Pontiff to the country in a quarter of a century, which is eloquent proof that the Vatican still considers Cameroon as the nerve centre from which the Holy Father's message of love, peace and hope can reach out to the entire continent and by the same token to the rest of the world. Of course, having covered such a visit before, I know for sure that the presence of those in authority in the country will be very prominent during the four-day stay of the Pontiff in Cameroon – some of them surely after having pulled their bibles out of the rubble and dusted them for the occasion. Will there be a place for those suffering from AIDS (who’s cause Pope Benedict XVI is so concerned about), the lepers, the handicapped, the poor, the unemployed youths, the prisoners or simply put the downtrodden or the neglected of the country to come in close contact with the Pope as a source of hope as was the case during Christ’s mission on earth? 

 

The national media and the politicians will strive to use the visit for scoring political points. I am not trying to be cynical or downplay the importance and the impact of this third visit of the Head of the Catholic Church to the country. It could help to touch and soften hardened hearts of some of Cameroon’s leaders if they so do wish. There is always room for a new beginning. We have learnt through the media of how corruption, favouritism and patronage have eaten deep into the fabric of Cameroon leadership; how at a time the country is classified as one of the poorest in the world, the leaders in the legislative arm of government (national assembly) of the country are greedily seeking to guarantee feeding fat off the system both in active service and at their retirement; how leadership is ageing (the majority of those in authority in Cameroon are aged around 70) and the old guard is stubbornly hanging on to power while the young and youthful (‘leaders of tomorrow’, they say) are searching far and wide for subsistence and a deserved space under the sun. The long queues at the US and British Embassies for Visas are eloquent proof of this quest to move on even if it means leaping into the dark. 

 

The brain drain continues and the country is thus deprived of a much needed active age group to drive forward its development efforts. There are lots of Cameroonians in the Diaspora anxious to be part of their country’s development process but bottlenecks and political positioning make it difficult for them to chip in their expertise. In my opinion and I hope it is shared by the visiting Pope, preparations for his visit would have had more meaning and impact if instead of laying emphasises on the outward beauty of Cameroon during the visit, there was a deeper cleansing of all the vices (corruption, squandering of state revenue, patronage, favouritism, human rights abuse, high-handed suppression of freedom of expression, misuse of the forces of law and order, political victimisation etc.) imbued in the hearts and systems of the leaders of the country in preparation for the coming of the man of God. 

 

Maybe in passing mention should be made here of the fact that Cameroon has witnessed the assassination of Catholic priests and the religious in mysterious circumstances in years gone by and to this day no one has been brought to book for the killings. I just hope the Pope will be third time lucky to change the way of thinking as well as the ‘façon de faire’ of the leadership of Cameroon in particular and the entire continent in general.

 

Will they (leaders) be ready to make an effort for change in the right direction and thus open up their hearts to let the Saviour in? We can only hope and wait and wait and hope, or else it will be business as usual and when the dust of this visit settles, the nightmare of the vices standing in the way of meaningful development of the continent, will be staring at us in the face.

CNWCA CULTURAL CELEBRATION IN PHOTOS