OJ SLIM MEDIA

Cameroonians are not in a mood to celebrate an independence many feel is flawed because of the perceived continued dominance of France in the country. They feel that mistakes of the past have led to the crises today. Cameroonian activist Andre Blaise Essama feels his country is still a far cry from decolonization. He has been repeatedly sentenced and jailed for damaging statues that, in his view, contradict all that independence stands for. In 2016 he spent six months in prison for destroying a monument to French colonial general Leclerc. Earlier he had been sentenced to three months for knocking over the statue of the Unknown Soldier, because it was represented by a white western man. The statue's head disappeared in April of this year. The suspicion fell immediately on Essama. On the 60th anniversary of the independence of the French-speaking part of the Cameroons on January 1, 2020 the activist plans to pay another visit to L...

Silencing the guns by 2020 — that was the proclaimed goal of the African Union back in 2016. A goal which many experts believe is unattainable, especially if illegal arms trade continues to flourish.  Two mass shootings, two deaths and 17 people injured. That was the scene on the streets of Johannesburg, just an hour into the new year. Assailants shot at passers-by in front of a restaurant and in the city's Mary Fitzgerald Square. "Right now in the last 24 hours we have reached a crisis point in the gun issue," said Adele Kirsten, director of the organization Gun Free South Africa. "In South Africa, most victims of gun violence are killed in armed robberies, but this is different. It is very worrying." Like South Africa, many parts of the continent are battling with crime, insurgencies or extremism , spurned on through legal and illicit flows of weapons across is often porous borders. Read more :  Kenya bus attack: Several dead, inc...

The year 2020 will see a wave of celebrations in Africa among 17 countries that gained their independence in 1960. The three-year conflict between anglophone separatists and security forces has claimed more than 3,000 lives But in Cameroon, the first country in the jubilee line, the mood among many people is sour. The highly diverse central-western state was traditionally viewed as one of the most stable in Africa. But today, a combination of conflict, political tension and economic uncertainty are putting the country through one of its most wrenching periods since it decolonised from France on January 1, 1960. "We're not thinking about the 60th anniversary. We just accept it," said David Fomuso, a father of three, in an impoverished district of Douala, Cameroon's oil hub. "If there hadn't been the crisis, I would be partying right now." Two years ago, Fomuso and his family fled his village in western Cameroon where the sec...

The Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest Ngalle Bibehe recently withdrew the driver’s license of a driver of “Binam” travel agency, alongside a five-year ban , following an armed robbery incident in the bus on October 26th . He was blamed for picking up passengers along the road in defiance of travel regulations . But he is not an isolated case; bus drivers have been known over the years for picking up passengers along the road, with some overloading their buses. Picking up passengers along the road is a practice that may not die soon. Most drivers say poor working conditions forces them to seek other means of income . Mr. Sebastien is one of them . ” Drivers are poorly paid . Picking up passengers along the road is one of the few opportunities that helps us get extra cash. Most drivers earn between 36-40 thousand, and its irregular. Sometimes, we go for up to 4 months without salaries. How do we cope with our families? When a driver sees the chance to get some ...

By Stephen Ojang.  This is Wum town at sunrise. The gloomy nature of the picture is an epitome of what the people of this part of the country are going through, after the epileptic power supply and the eventual seizure, for a period of over five months now. But what is happening that lights find it absolutely difficult to return to the restive land of great hospitality?  This situation has made many Menchum denizens to wonder aloud whether when God said in Genesis 1:3 " Let there be light",  Menchum division and Wum town in particular, were not included. This is because, for a little over five months now, these people have forgotten the existence of electricity as well as its use, and have opted for other sources of electricity.  Solar gadgets, generators, car batteries and other sources that could provide electricity, are sought by the people, in order to stay connected.  Documentation services are now focal point for phone charging. 100 frs fo...

By Pedmia Shatu Tita*   Today at NDEFCAM Radio Bamenda on one of the most listened talk show program in the region Press and Associate, I was part of the team that examined issues around the much talked about National Dialogue. These are the things I said; I still feel that we are not yet ready for dialogue the people who matter in this crisis are not mentioned any where. We have cajoled this situation for 3 whole years can we be serious? There is a representational gap because I still don't see who is representing the boys. We must remember that this national dialogue is because of the guns in the hands of these fighters and if they are not represented at the table what difference will it make when those "represented" comeback to deafening gunshots? The content on the dialogue table still remains worrying to me. Why are some issues taboo subjects? Place all on the table and tell me reasons why you think I should not choose Federation or Secession r...

« j’ai décidé de convoquer, dès la fin du mois en cours, un grand dialogue national qui nous permettra, dans le cadre de notre Constitution, d’examiner les voies et moyens de répondre aux aspirations profondes des populations du Nord-Ouest et du Sud-Ouest, mais aussi de toutes les autres composantes de notre Nation » , S.E. Paul Biya. Le grand dialogue national est un rendez-vous historique pour le Cameroun. Comme chez les sportifs on dira, avec le grand dialogue national ça passe ou ça casse. Tellement les espoirs sont nombreux et grands. Convoqué seulement le 10 septembre, et pour se tenir du 30 septembre au 04 octobre, le temps est curieusement trop court pour que le travail préalable soit fait en vue d’un dialogue réussi et salvateur pour le Cameroun. « L’offre de paix aux membres des groupes armés, en les invitant à déposer les armes et à bénéficier d’un processus de réintégration dans la société » ne peut produire des fruits juteux s’il n’est précédé pa...

This article shows how National Dialogue works. Most noteworthy are the consultation forums it begins with. These allow a broad range of Cameroonians of all works of life to define Cameroon's problems in general, and Anglophone’s problems and their solutions in particular. These consultations are the basis for peace conferences, including regional conferences that address tribal and ethnic conflicts. Consultations also set the agenda for a national conference and recruit its delegates.  The National Dialogue is a process that includes dialogue consultations, conference negotiations, and implementation.  Unlike a peace treaty, it allows the governed to negotiate and determine goals. In addition, with National Dialogue, we can redefine our national unity for ourselves. We can redefine what being Cameroonian means. On that basis, we can also create a new constitution that reflects the values of all of us. Every citizen has the chance to join in the dialogue. Through grassro...

From simple protest to where we are today. But how did we get there? Fighting is gradually coming to a halt between security forces and militants from Cameroon’s English-speaking minority. The government has called for a National Dialogue, while armed militants appear inclined to continue fighting. The Church is seen here as the only source of hope and solace and could thus be an arbitrator in the current crisis. Why does it matter?Other than the Church, there are few prospective peacemakers. If no one fills that role, the separatist sentiment already voiced by many Anglophones will continue to grow, fuelling further violence and exacerbating the ongoing insurgency in the Anglophone regions, with Municipal and Parliamentary elections in early 2020 standing at the horizon. What should be done?The Church should bridge its divides and state its impartiality on the thorniest question facing Anglophone regions – federalism versus decentralisation. A clergy able to project a ...

Situation géographique Pays d'Afrique centrale donnant sur le golfe de Guinée, le Cameroun est frontalier du Nigeria au nord, du Tchad au nord-est, de la République centrafricaine à l'est, du Congo au sud-est, du Gabon et de la Guinée équatoriale au sud. Au nord, une étroite bande de terre donne accès au Lac Tchad. La superficie du pays est de 475 440 km². Villes  : Yaoundé (capitale administrative) : 2,4 million d'habitants Douala (capitale économique) : 2,4 million d’habitants Régime politique  : République Démographie Population totale : 20 millions d'habitants Densité  : 42,1 hab./km² Indice de fécondité : 4,7 Croissance démographique  : 2,5 % Espérance de vie  : Femmes : 53 ans - Hommes : 51 ans Société Ethnies : Peuls, Bamilékés, Pygmées, Bassas, Doualas… Langues : français et anglais (langues officielles), bassa, douala Religions : animistes (40 %), chrétiens (40 %), musulmans (20 %) Alphabéti...