Dibussi Tande
Although the Cameroonian blogosphere is not as vibrant or as organized as the Kenyan blogosphere, and lacks tools such as Ushahidi which Kenyans used to keep the world updated on events in the country at the height of the post election violence, a number of Cameroonian bloggers at home and abroad have nonetheless stood out this past week thanks to their on-the-spot reporting or analyses of the ongoing crisis in Cameroon.
Le Blog de Nino and Media City lead the pack in terms of videos and images of the rioting. Le blog de Nino goes a step further by updating his blog with SMS updates from eyewitnesses on the ground. Others such as Le Blog de Tamba run by Le Messager reporter Edouard Tamba, have provided on-the-spot reporting of events that occurred in Yaounde.
Ne Touche Pas A Ma Constitution (hands off my constitution) run by the "Cameroon Youth's Patriotic and Popular Council" has also provided on-the-spot reports particularly at the University of Yaounde, where a massive police raid last Wednesday somehow did not make it into the mainstream Cameroonian media.
The English language blogs have primarily focused on analysis and mobilization. This is the case of Innocent's Deal, a blog run by former CRTV journalist, Innocent Chia, which has been trying to mobilize the Cameroonian Diaspora community in the United States, and Dibussi Tande's Scribbles from the Den which has a link to a continuous public chat taking place on Skype. Individuals with Skype accounts log in to take part in discussions and to provide updates of what is going on in Cameroon.
With the Biya regime cracking down on radio and TV stations that broadcast "subversive" material, this crisis might finally get Cameroonians (particularly those in the Diaspora) to appreciate the importance of alternative media sources in times of crisis, and compel them to join the increasingly vibrant and important African / Cameroonian blogosphere in larger numbers.
Links to blogs mentioned in this posting
Ne Touche Pas A Ma Constitution
Click here for a review in French of other Cameroonian blogs writing about the crisis
GENERAL MOBILISATION OF CAMEROONIANS IN THE DIASPORA.
CAMEROONIANS IN THE DIASPORA PARTICULARLY THOSE IN EUROPE(BELGIUM),ARE HEREBY CALLED UPON TO MASSIVELY JOIN THE RANKS OF THE DEMONSTRATIONS ORGANISED BY "CODE"(COLLECTIF DES ORGANISATIONS DEMOCRATIQUES ET PATRIOTIQUES DES CAMEROUNAIS DE LA DIASPORA).THIS DEMONSTRATIONS ARE AIMED AT SENITISING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF THE HEINOUS AND MACABRE CRIMES COMMITTED ON OUR PEOPLE BY BIYA'S REGIME DURING THE LAST FEW DAYS.
THE DEMONSTRATIONS IN BRUXELLES(BELGIUM) WILL TAKE PLACE ON TUESDAY,MARCH 4TH 2008 AT 11:00 AM PROMPT INFRONT OF CAMEROON'S EMBASSY AND SUBSEQUENTLY AT THE EUROPEAN UNION(EU) HEADQUATRE BUILDING.
THE ADDRESS OF CAMEROON'S EMBASSY IN BRUXELLES(BELGIUM) IS: 131-133,AVENUE BRUGMANN(1190).
TO CONTACT THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE:
+32499413764 OR +32475354970 OR +0485395885
EMAIL:COMITEDECOORDINATIONCODE@YAHOO.FR
HTTP://WWW.LECODE.CANALBLOG.COM
'CODE' WHICH CAN BE LOOSELY TRANSLATED IN ENGLISH AS THE 'ASSOCIATION OF DEMOCRATIC AND PATRIOTIC ORGANISATIONS OF CAMEROONIANS IN THE DIASPORA' WAS CREATED MOSTLY BY FORMER STUDENTS OF THE 'PARLEMENT GROUP' OF THE UNIVERSITY OF YAOUNDE DURING THE TURBULENT YEARS OF THE 90'S.
ALL CAMEROONIANS IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR POLITICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL LEANINGS,TRIBES,GENDER,SOCIAL STATUS AND CREDO HAVE A HISTORIC DUTY TO ANSWER TO THIS CALL.YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU AT THIS HOUR.
Posted by: Nga Adolph | March 02, 2008 at 01:00 PM
write english when you mean to write internaionally, not french mixed with english as whay you in french cameroun do and call bilingualism
Posted by: paulo laurent | March 14, 2008 at 10:46 PM