Dibussi Tande: Scribbles from the Den

Cote d'Ivoire: Theophile Kouamouo and Others Freed

The Verdict
Count 1: Theft of an administrative document. NOT GUILTY
Count 2: Resale of stolen documents: NOT GUILTY
Count 3: Releasing information from a legal record not yet made public: GUILTY ($10,000 USD fine and 15-day suspension of Le Nouveau Courrier newspaper)

Kouamouo and others defiant to the end. (C)Twitpic

Click here for additional details.

Cameroonian Blogger/Journalist & Two Others Arrested in Cote d'Ivoire for Publishing Report on Corruption

By Elia Varela Serra (Originally posted on Global Voices Advocacy)

According to the blog of Le Nouveau Courrier, three journalists from this Ivorian daily have been arrested since Tuesday July 13th for publishing a leaked report on alleged corruption in the cocoa and coffee trade in Côte d'Ivoire.

Theophile Kouamouo and Saint-Claver Oula on their way to court (c) twitpic

The three journalists – editor Saint Claver Oula, publisher Stéphane Guédé and managing editor Théophile Kouamouo were arrested by plain-clothes police on public prosecutor Raymond Tchimou Fehou’s orders and taken into custody after refusing to reveal their sources during a surprise visit at the Nouveau Courrier's offices. That morning Le Nouveau Courrier had published the first installment (see original in French here) in a series that was to last the whole week on the embezzlement investigation into 30 people in the coffe and cocoa national industry.

Rhodes Journalism Review: What is Missing from Journalism Education?

In the current issue of the Rhodes Journalism Review, 15 journalists, editors & new media specialists from around the world pinpoint what’s missing from journalism education. Includes a contribution from me.

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Click here to read or download article.

Obituary: Puis Njawe, the Beacon of Press Freedom is No More!

Pius Njawe, pioneer journalist and pre-eminent Cameroonian press freedom activist, died yesterday in Washington, D.C. in a car accident. He was in the United States to attend a conference organized by the Cameroonian Diaspora to discuss the country's future. Cameroon has lost a colussus who came the closest in establishing a veritable fourth estate in the country. May his soul rest in peace.

 (c) lemessager.net

Excerpt from Pius Njawe's 1998 Prison Diary 

My treatment in prison is highly humiliating. The objective is surely to break my morale, if I cannot be eliminated physically. I share Cell 15 with about a hundred other prisoners, almost all of whom are criminals convicted of murders, assassinations, hold-ups and so on. My bunkmate, for example, was the leader of a gang that emptied out my neighbour’s house.

Rosemary Ekosso's "House of Falling Women" Nominated for the Aidoo-Snyder Prize

House of Falling Women, the debut novel of Cameroonian writer Rosemary Ekosso has been nominated for the Aidoo-Snyder Book Prize.

Other nominees include Kenyan novelist Wambui Githiora for her book Wanjira; Valerie Tagwira of Zimbabwe for The Uncertainty of Hope; Amma Darko of Ghana for Not Without Flowers; Kopano Matlwa of South Africa for Coconut.

The Aidoo-Snyder Book Prize is awarded annually by the Women’s Caucus of the African Studies Association (ASA) for an outstanding book published by a woman that prioritizes African women’s experiences. Named in honor of Ama Ata Aidoo, the celebrated Ghanaian novelist and short-story writer, and Margaret Snyder, the founding Director of UNIFEM, this award will be given during the 2010 ASA annual meetings in San Francisco at the Women’s Caucus Annual Lecture and Luncheon. Every fifth year the prize is given for a creative work, this year the Aidoo-Snyder Book Prize will be awarded for a novel.

Photo Essay: Why Cameroon Shared the Last Place at the 2010 World Cup With North Korea

Dibussi Tande

A million reasons have been given to explain why Cameroon, supposedly one of the greatest football nations in the world, ended up sharing the last spot at the 2010 World Cup with - Oh! The humiliation! - North Korea. While conflicts within the national team and poor coaching may explain  Cameroon's South African debacle, the problem with the country's football is systemic and structural. Take a hard look at the following pictures; these are some of the stadiums where games for the MTN Elite One league (Cameroon's premier football championship) are played each week.

Cotonsport, Cameroon's Elite One Champions, playing at the Bamendzin "Stadium" in Bafoussam, homeground of Racing Bafoussam FC

Exactly what kind of talent do we expect to emerge from these potato fields? Isn't it time for Cameroon to go back to the basics - developing a coherent national football policy, establishing a credible youth prospection and development program, professionalizing the elite league, training local coaches in modern techniques and tactics, building stadiums that meet minimum FIFA standards, etc. - before aspiring to conquer the the African and world stage? There can be no cutting corners on this one!