Dibussi Tande: Scribbles from the Den

A Rose by Any Other Name: “United Republic of Cameroon” vs. “Republic of Cameroon”

Dibussi Tande

Let us assert forcefully and equivocally, that history is very much like itself - like history, that is; the more you try to efface, distort or forget, the more it sticks on as the one permanent, absolute haunting reality. Cameroon Tribune (English Edition), February, 8, 1984, Pg. 7

On February 4, 1984, President Paul Biya issued a decree changing the official name of Cameroon from the "United Republic of Cameroon" to the "Republic of Cameroon" (or, La Republique du Cameroun), which was the name taken up by the French Cameroons when it became independent in 1960. According to proponents of the name change, this was a manifestation that the bilingual Cameroon Republic had gone beyond “mere” national unity to a much "higher stage" of national integration.

Celestin Monga in His Own Words: The Price of Political Activism

"Like many other Cameroonians, I was shocked by the outrageously condescending, paternalistic, and pretentious tone that you used in the National Assembly on December 3 when addressing the Cameroonian people. How could you allow yourself to say to 11 million Cameroonians: 'I have brought you democracy ... ' This is a country where every day, the most fundamental human rights are ridiculed and where the majority of the people do not have enough to live on, while a small number of opportunists share the riches of the country with impunity?"
Celestin Monga in his famous open letter to Paul Biya which landed him in Jail - Le Messager #209 of December 27, 1990.

The Geopolitics of Power in Cameroon

By Dibussi Tande (Revised and reproduced from a May 2000 Posting on CAMNET)

 

Political power in the French Cameroons and subsequently, in the bilingual Cameroon Republic, has largely been a power sharing exercise between the Fulani of the North province and the Beti of the Center-South provinces, with the balance tilting in favor of the Fulani until 1982 and the Beti thereafter.

The Geopolitics of Power in Cameroon: A Rejoinder

(Originally Posted on CAMNET in May 2000)


This posting is based on excerpts from two reactions to my original article on the geopolitics of power in Cameroon. Both rejoinders, which appeared on CAMNET in 2000, deal primarily with the rise of the Fulbe (also referred to as the Fulani or the Peul) to political prominence in Cameroon. They also shed more light on the ethno-political configuration of the Northern provinces of Cameroon, where the Fulani hold the reins of political power although they are demographically a minority ethnic group in the region.

Strengthening Transparency in the Oil Sector in Cameroon

Stéphane Cossé. Strengthening Transparency in the Oil Sector in Cameroon: Why Does it Matter? IMF Policy Discussion Paper No. 06/02. March 23, 2006.

Summary: There has been a growing recognition of the importance of transparency for economic growth and social development in oil producing countries. This paper analyzes transparency issues in Cameroon's oil sector. It shows that, while substantial efforts have already been undertaken, continued action is necessary to strengthen transparency. The paper seeks to identify why and how transparency, especially in the fiscal area, matters for economic development and poverty reduction in Cameroon.

The Biya Succession Debate: When Fact, Fiction and Fantasy Collide

By Dibussi Tande

According to an article from Le Journal Chrétien, which is currently making rounds on the Internet, President Paul Biya is preparing to resign from office. The article states that French have decided that his successor will be from the Muslim North, “in keeping with neocolonial tradition”. The list of potential successors has allegedly been narrowed down to two prominent Northerners: (1) Ahmadou Ali, the current Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, and (2) Sardou Hayatou, a former Prime Minister and current head of BEAC.

Secrecy Undermines Justice and Democracy: An Overview of the Draft Bill on the Declaration of Assets

By Dibussi Tande

"Political language . . . is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind" – George Orwell, Politics and the English Language

After creating the National Anti-Corruption Commission (better known by its French acronym, CONAC, which the irreverent Francophone press has labeled COGNAC), the Government has submitted an anti-corruption bill to Parliament. Parliament begins its review of the income and assets disclosure bill today, March 21, 2006. The bill is based on Article 66 of the Cameroon constitution.

Sita Bella: The Final Journey of a Renaissance Woman

By Dibussi Tande

This weekend, a woman who was a pioneer in many fields was buried at the Mvolye cemetery in Yaounde amidst national soul-searching. Her name was Therese Bella Mbida, popularly known as Sita Bella. It is no surprise that although she died at the ripe age of 73, most Cameroonians never heard of her until her death a couple of weeks ago.

Sita Bella was Cameroon's first female journalist who started plying her trade on the eve of independence. She was also one of the first African female filmmakers, her most popular work being a short 1963 documentary titled « Tam-tam à Paris ». But that was not all; she was Cameroon’s first female pilot, a writer, guitarist and model.

Looking Back at the Messi Messi Affair (3): Monga Returns, the Biya Regime Goes on the Offensive

By Dibussi Tande

Celestin Monga was still in Paris when the May issue of Jeune Afrique Economie made it to the newsstands and started an international firestorm thanks to the Messi Messi Interview. As soon as the story broke, the Biya regime allegedly decided to arrest Monga upon his return to Cameroon (Le Messager, no. 262 du 14 mai 1992).

Looking Back at the Messi Messi Afair (2): “The Interview that Shook the World”

By Dibussi Tande

In an explosive interview that filled 24 pages (Jeune Afrique Economie. "Ainsi a été Pillé la SCB," May 1992, pp. 106-130), Robert Messi Messi, the former General Manager of the bankrupt SCB sang like a canary. Using documents that he had smuggled out of the country, he detailed how the “Presidential couple” and their entourage had pillaged the SCB.

Looking Back at the Messi Messi Affair (1): “The Greatest Politico-Financial Scandal of all Times”

By Dibussi Tande

14 years ago, the Biya regime was rocked to its foundations by the Messi Messi affair which many still consider as Cameroon's greatest politico-financial scandal of all times. As a new anti-corruption caravan rolls on, kicking and screaming, we revisit the scandal that brought the country to a virtual standstill back in 1992.

Mboua Massok in his Own Words: "Why I Want to Destroy Leclerc's Monument"

The idea to destroy General Leclerc's statue (which some refer to as a monument) first came to me in 2001. At that time, I thought the statue was made of concrete. I tried to destroy it back then with a chisel. Unfortunately this was not possible. I was arrested and later released...

Mboua Massok's Masterpiece: General Leclerc Defaced...

Cameroon Human Rights Report for 2005

The U.S. Department of State has released its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2005. The report, which is published each year, details the state of human rights in 196 countries. In the preface to this year's report, the U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, writes that the United States:

must help countries develop the democratic institutions that will ensure human rights are respected over the long term. We must help fragile democracies deliver a better life for their citizens. We must call countries to account when they retreat from their international human rights commitments. And we must always stand in solidarity with the courageous men and women across the globe who live in fear yet dream of freedom.

Click here to read the human rights report for Cameroon.

Ndiva Kofele-Kale: Reliance on Article 66 to Combat Official Corruption in Cameroon is Misplaced

Interviewed by Dibussi Tande (Part I)

Ndiva Kofele-Kale, Professor of Public International Law at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, is a leading scholar on official corruption in developing countries. He is also at the forefront of the growing movement to make corruption a human rights violation punishable under international law.

In this interview with Dibussi Tande, Prof.Kofele-Kale talks about the anti-corruption drive in Cameroon, and the need to establish international mechanisms for dealing with corruption by high-ranking government officials. 

Prof. Ndiva Kofele-Kale: The Biya Regime Must Confront The Root Causes of Corruption

Interviewed By Dibussi Tande (Part II)

Question: A cursory look at ongoing international attempts at stemming state corruption gives the impression that there is too much focus on  the recovery and repatriation of embezzled funds, and very little on establishing national mechanisms for tackling embezzlement before it happens. Shouldn’t national preventive mechanisms take precedence over international recovery efforts?

The Cultural Alienation and Historical Amnesia of Public Spaces in Cameroon

By Dibussi Tande

"Does General Leclerc, a French soldier, deserve to be honored at the Bonanjo [Douala] independence square of all places, at the expense of Cameroonian martyrs such as Douala Manga Bell and Ngosso Din?”
Mboua Massok ma Batalong after defacing the Leclerc Monument.

Colonial Relic: General Philippe Leclerc's Monument in Bonanjo, Douala

Why Cameroon is Poor and Corrupt

A Review By Dibussi Tande

Tim Harford. The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor—and Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car! Oxford University Press, 2005. 288 pages.

In his book, The Undercover Economist, Tim Harford, a World Bank economist and columnist for the Financial Times, dedicates a chapter to the reason why poor countries remain poor. The chapter draws extensively, if not exclusively, from the Cameroon experience. An abridged version of that book chapter is published in the March 2006 issue of Reason magazine. This posting is a review of that article.

Beware of the HIPC Completion Point!

Dibussi Tande

A common thread  in analyses of the ongoing anti-corruption drive in Cameroon is that it was launched because of external pressure; that it was initiated primarily to ensure that Cameroon successfully reaches the completion point of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. The expectation being that the country's officials will simply return to their old corrupt and extravagant ways once the completion point is attained and Cameroon's 1400 Billion FCFA debt written off. The international community, however, sees it differently, and expects things to change fundamentally and permanently. Here is a cautionary note in this regard from the US ambassador to Cameroon, Niels Marquardt, during his now famous January 19, 2006 declaration:

Full Moon: A Book on Storytelling in an African Village

Bora Becca. Full Moon (illustrated by Sequia White). Trafford Publishing. Oxford: UK. 2005. 36 pages. ISBN 1-4120-4386-7; US$20.00, C$22.50, EUR16.50, £11.50

This book is about children and storytelling in an African village. It gives insight into understanding African culture in a fast-expanding, no-boundaries global society, and tells the story about the events leading to a storytelling contest by village youths, an event highly anticipated by them. The book is funny and interesting, educational and exciting, and introduces (particularly non-African) youths to other cultures of the world through the monthly activities of youths in an African village as an example, to the extent that the stories are Africanized.