Cameroon’s 50 Most Influential Personalities According to Jeune Afrique

In this week's issue of Jeune Afrique (N°2520-2521 du 26 avril au 9 mai 2009), the Paris-based weekly magazine profiles 50 men and women whom it considers to be the most influential personalities in Cameroon.
 

Divided into four main categories - politics, business, civil society, culture and the media - the vast majority of these individuals are part of the technocracy, now in its twilight years, that came of age after Paul Biya became president in 1982 - “la generation des longs crayons” as Jeune Afriques puts it.

Even though Francois Soudan, the author of the list, warns that it is a subjective one, the list has, nonetheless, still generated lots of discussion and controversy in Cameroon, with some claiming that it is not the “investigative report” that JA claims it is, but rather a report commissioned by certain individuals involved in the ongoing “wars of succession” that have been a hallmark of the Biya regime in the last few years, and who are using every trick in the book to gain an advantage in the race to succeed President Biya.

Whatever the case, this is an interesting document, even if only because it profiles many prominent men and women whom the Cameroonian public generally knows little or nothing about.

Click here to download the report (PDF- 2.08 mb)

Comments

[Kamer]

I enjoyed most especially the 'business tycoons'. Nice read.

[Nino]

I discover something VERY interesting about the "tycoon"...
The son is leading MTN which is private, and the father is leading CAMTEL which is public...

So, can they share secret informations in family? Is this good for consumers...I'm wondering.
Can CAMTEL lauch secretly a product as the father is the leader, and can tell his son?

This sounds very unpleasant to me, very very unpleasant.

[DANGO TUMMA]

remember this is cameroun, afrench colony
its jeune afriqu is profrench african newspaper, curruption,lies, poverty is fench african portion, soo they wont ask how the father and som got their wealth, as, no one ask how biya transfer all of british southern cameroons wealth he is illegally colonising to his tribesmen

[Samira Edi]

This article from Jeune Afrique must be one of the "laziest" I've ever read. Amongst the 50 most influential Cameroonians; Biya whose clasping fingers have clutched the neck of our national politics in an asphixiating stranglehold for 26 years; his Imperorial Tyrannical President does not feature? First lady, [now renown World social butterfly] Chantal Biya who seems to have the most obvious Cleopatra influence over Biya does not feature?

Some of the peope on that list are so "prominent" they don't even have a page in Wikipedia. Samuel Fosso; world renown photographer remains an unknown entitiy amongst his countrymen, and does not even have his own website. How influential are Laurent Esso- not taking away anything from their personal achievements, some of these persons listed are not known by Cameroonians and do not even hold Cameroonian passports.

Fallen as he is from the height of his Ivory Tower at Mballa II, Gervais Mendo Ze remains a prominent, albeit a distructive figure of controversy in Cameroon, responsible for the news blackout during much of Biya's reign.

Sultan Njoya is a great force to be reckoned with, not only as a traditional head of the great Sultanate of Bamoum, but because of the socio-cultural affluence of the Bamoum--which developed their own writing "Akauku", which the French destroyed. in the late 19th century.

Jeune Afrique need to do their homework.

[Neba-Fuh]

Subjective list indeed!

[DANGO TUMMA]

when ever yiu seecameroon, read it as
french cameroun, then will you see the whole picture ofthings emerging, 7m british southern cameroonians, have no government, no voice, no economy, no education of their control, no right of theirs, soo cameroun, cameroon represent only french cameroun, a french african colony

[Edmund Njoh]

Oooh?
I wonder If the Press at this level is also corrupt for most of the names are not prominent and their pictures not recognised and can be minstaken for a decendant or a foreigner.
I really dought if Cameroom or Cameroun is only for formal East Cameroun.
The formal West Cameroonians are very insignificant in the present Camrouns.

[Bob Bristol]

Here we are again, facing the glaring ignominy of being insignificant. In a list of 50, we can't count 3 of ours. Our businesses have been crippled. Gov't approved scholarships are not for us. Ours have gone on self exile. Any Southern Cameroonian who still hasn't got it, should get it now.

A loose federation is not too much to ask. Is it?

[Loretta Ashu]

@Samira....well said!

[Ngobesing Romanus]

Is this site not still active? You have to continue. You are doing a good job.