Dibussi Tande: Scribbles from the Den: Essays on Politics and Collective Memory in Cameroon. Langaa publishers. Available in June 2009. 212 pages. Distributed in Europe by African Books Collective and in North America by Michigan State University Press.
This collection consists of 49 insightful essays by leading Cameroonian blogger Dibussi Tande, which originally appeared on his award-winning blog Scribbles from the Den. These essays tackle some of the most pressing and complex issues facing Cameroon today such as the stalled democratization process, the perennial Anglophone problem, the crisis of higher education, the absence of the rule of law, the lack of leadership renewal, a stifled collective memory, and a continued inability to harness technology for purposes of national development, among others. Scribbles from the Den goes beyond the news headlines to dispassionately analyze and unravel the complexities of Cameroonian politics and society.
“Dibussi Tande serves up a rich, highly relevant, intellectual smorgasbord of wellcrafted critical refl ections, nay spirited submissions, on the politico-cultural, economic and social components of what can be called the ‘Cameroon Question’. Scribbles from the Den is indeed a highly stimulating and rewarding intellectual banquet.”
Lyombe “Leo” Eko, Associate Professor of Journalism & Mass Communications, University of Iowa, USA.
“Dibussi Tande, in this collection, shares with us a bumper harvest of essays that are instructive on how we could begin to go about the process of harnessing blogging and the ICTs in the interest of positive social change in Cameroon.”
Francis B. Nyamnjoh, Professor of Anthropology, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Author of Africa’s Media: Democracy and the Politics of Belonging.
About the Author
Dibussi Tande was born in Buea, Cameroon in 1968. A poet, journalist, essayist and blogger, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Law and a post-graduate diploma in Political Science from the University of Yaounde, and Masters degrees in Political Science and Instructional Technology from Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago) and Northern Illinois University (DeKalb) respectively. He is author of No Turning Back (2007) and co-editor of the poetry anthology, Their Champagne Party Will End! (2008). In recent years, he has established himself as Cameroon’s preeminent blogger, and his award-winning blog, Scribbles from the Den, is ranked among the top 100 African blogs.
Great initiative! I always wished that I could read articles from the scribbles from in book form because I never do them jusice on the web and it is a pleasure to see that Dibussi had the same idea.
Looking forward to my copy, preferably an autographed one.
Posted by: Donny Boy | May 29, 2009 at 03:49 PM
Thanks Lagaa,thanks Dibussi
By the time I was making this suggestion to Dibussi both of you had used your foresight to get it on. Congrats
Who is the Cameroonian who shall afford to miss procuring a copy ? which library shall afford to be left out with the book not gaping on its shelf?
Produce,Publish and Procure
Mwalimu
Posted by: Mwalimu George Ngwane | June 02, 2009 at 05:10 AM
Reading "scribbles" from a book is definitely superior to reading it from the screen, where one tends to skim. Congratulations, Dibussi, and everyone needs a copy.
Posted by: Emil I Mondoa, MD | June 02, 2009 at 04:36 PM
Congrats!!! This is surely a treasure for posterity!
More power to your elbow!
Posted by: Neba-Fuh | June 02, 2009 at 08:19 PM