Last week, I was interviewed by fellow blogger Innocent Innocent Chica about a variety of issues, from my blogging to my new new book (Scribbles from the Den: Essays on Politics and Collective Memory in Cameroon). Here is the interview which also appears on Innocent's blog, The Chia Report.
The Chiareport: Congratulations on your third publication! Is your proclivity for writing yet another emphatic antithesis to critics and cynics who have consistently and constantly footnoted Literature by Anglophone Cameroonians?
Dibussi Tande: Thank you! Well, my work is just one out of many in recent years which demonstrates that writing (both fiction and non-fiction) is thriving in the English speaking regions of Cameroon. From this perspective, my book, Scribbles from the Den, is definitely a challenge to those who continue to downplay or question the quantity and quality of the literary output from Anglophone Cameroon.
The Chiareport: What is so special about the 49 articles (roughly one tenth of total postings in Scribbles from the Den) that you elected to put together in print? In other words, how did you come about this selection?
Dibussi Tande: Simple. First, I selected articles which could easily translate into the book format, and then categorized them by theme. The book is divided into nine parts covering themes such as multiparty politics in Cameroon, the rule of law, the crisis of higher education, presidential politics, etc.
The Chiareport: When you started Scribbles from the Den in 2006, did you anticipate the mammoth reception and stream of reactions that has made it the leading marketplace for socio-political and economic discourse in the Cameroon and African blogosphere?
Dibussi Tande: Not really. When I started, I had very modest expectations for a blog that would focus on a variety of issues that interested me (sports, African/Cameroon politics, ICTs, etc.). However, I realized very early on that the most successful bloggers were those who created a niche for themselves and became an authority on a specific topic or area. So I focused most of my attention on Cameroon. I think that the popularity of the blog is derived from this “specialization” which gives readers the opportunity to be informed about the Cameroonian situation in a manner not seen in the mainstream Cameroonian or even international media.
The Chiareport: The Internet has unlocked the chains that governments had on the traditional media and repressed societies. Is this a statement of fact or fiction? If a fact, how has it freed you and enabled Scribbles from the Den?
Dibussi Tande: First of all, I think that the traditional media is still in chains in repressed societies, and the Internet has not really helped that much apart from being able to quickly publicize cases of press censorship and harassment or persecution of journalists. One simply has to look at the Reporters Without Borders’ 2009 Press Freedom Barometer to understand what I am talking about; 26 journalists killed, 167 journalists, etc.
The Internet’s main advantage is that it has been able to give unfettered freedom to those who operate outside traditional media, particularly bloggers, who are not restrained by the shackles of the state’s repressive apparatus. As I write in the preface of “Scribbles from the Den”, all over Africa, regimes which once had absolute control over the flow of information are taking note of, and trying to adapt to, this new phenomenon.”
From a personal perspective, the Internet has not necessarily provided me with any new freedoms because I still write the types of articles that I wrote when I was in Cameroon. Rather, what the Internet has provided me is a truly universal or global readership; close to 200,000 unique visitors from a record 196 countries worldwide. Even the most popular newspaper in Cameroon will yearn for such statistics.
The Chiareport: Have you seen a certain growth or maturity of your audience or readers and, how have you continued to interest them?
Dibussi Tande: What I have seen is an increasingly diverse readership. Initially, readers consisted primarily of a small circle of friends, and individuals who were familiar with my writings on Cameroonian forums and listervs such as Camnet. As I pointed out in the preceding question, that readership has now spread to include thousands of people from around the world the vast majority who are unknown to me. These include foreign journalists, politicians, researchers, students, government officials, etc., with one interest or the other in Cameroon. In fact, rarely a day goes by without me receiving a request or an inquiry about Cameroon from an individual or an institution.
The Chiareport: Are there any of the pieces that may not have seen of the light of day were it not for the Internet and the distance between La Republique du Cameroun and The Den? Does it make those of us that write what others describe as “scathing” pieces cowards?
Dibussi Tande: Not at all! Nearly 20 years ago, while a student at the University of Yaounde, I began writing regularly for the leading publications in Cameroon (Le Messager, Cameroon Post, Challenge Hebdo, Cameroon Life, etc.). Even though the risks were great back then, I never held back out of fear or favor. And I did have close encounters with some shady characters as a result of my writing. So distance has neither emboldened me nor changed my writing style. I will nonetheless concede that there are many bloggers whose pen would not have been as vitriolic if they were still in Cameroon, within easy reach of security forces. On the same token, there is a growing number of Cameroon-based bloggers who are constantly taking on the status quo without fear.
The Chiareport: My favorite part of Scribbles from the Den is the depth of its archival library. You recently carried President Ahmadou Ahidjo’s reception by JFK. Of what effect, if any, are such memories to the national discourse?
Tande Dibussi: I have always been passionate about the issue of collective memory in Cameroon. As I point out in the preface of my book:
“For half a century, Cameroonians have been systematically deprived of the appropriate repères historiques or historical reference points that would enable them to analyze political and other events in the country in an informed manner, and place these events in their appropriate historical and geo-political context. Over the last three years, Scribbles from the Den has, from its little corner in the blogosphere, tried to recreate those reference points by taking a fresh look at events of the past and going beyond the official narrative when interpreting today’s events.”
I am one of those who believe that a significant part of the problem with Cameroon today is the inability of its citizens to clearly identify and learn from those historical reference points that have shaped the life of the country. If we all did a better job in this regard, then we would be able to ask the right questions and look for the right answers to our problems.
For example, a recurring theme these days (brilliantly articulated by the US ambassador to Cameroon) is the inability or unwillingness of Cameroonians to take charge of their country, their apathy and resignation in the face of major socio-political and economic odds. Granted, this is an accurate observation, however, it serves no purpose repeating it over and over without trying to place this Cameroonian attitude in its appropriate context. In my opinion, the real question is “why” have Cameroonians, who only two decades ago were among the most politically active people on the continent, given up on their country and on politics? Or to quote one observer, “what explains the early euphoria and subsequent disillusionment and even wholesale withdrawal” from the country’s political life? We cannot answer this question accurately without first understanding our history, particularly the history of the so called années de braise or the smoldering years of the early 1990s, when the Biya regime successfully neutralized and dispersed the forces of change. This is why I am passionate about history, about collective memory, and about archival material such as the one between Ahidjo and Kennedy.
The Chiareport: There is no denying that many have tried to pigeonhole you: there are those who have regarded your writings to be in favor of a unitary state as Cameroon currently is; there are those who believe you are a middle-of-the-road guy; and there are those who believe you a cautious supporter of the Southern Cameroons secessionists’ movement…. Who are you not?
Dibussi Tande: (Laughs). It was only a couple of weeks ago that someone asked me if I was a “silent supporter” of the Biya regime. When I asked why, the person responded that to the best of his knowledge, I have never insulted either the President or the ruling CPDM, even though I have criticized both. My response was that the facts about the president Biya’s rule in Cameroon are so compelling that giving in to emotion while analyzing the Cameroon situation only obscures those obvious facts.
The same applies to the Southern Cameroons situation, or the “Anglophone problem” to which I dedicate an entire section of my book. Whether one is a unitarist, a federalist or a “secessionist”, the facts about the union between the former British Southern Cameroons and the French Cameroons are so compelling that injecting oneself into the debate simply obscures those salient facts. There are writers who cannot write without putting themselves in the middle of whatever they write. That is not my style; I always strive to make myself invisible even when I write about something that I was actively involved in.
So my advice to those trying to pigeonhole me is that they should instead focus on the quality, depth and relevance (or lack thereof) of my analyses of the Southern Cameroons issue. The same with the broader Cameroonian politics.
The Chiareport: What has been most rewarding about your experience as a blogger, a leading, award winning blogger?
Tande Dibussi: My most rewarding experience has been knowing that I have established an interactive forum where alternative and usually marginalized voices can be heard, that I am reaching a truly global audience, and that my contributions are being recognized for their quality.
The Chiareport: Who is your favorite Anglophone Cameroonian author and why?
That said, my favorite Anglophone author at this time is novelist Francis Nyamnjoh, not only because of his prolific output but also because of the quality and diversity of his works. There is also a group of Young Turks of the third generation whose writings are very exciting; Kangsen Wakai, Lloney Monono, Rosemary Ekosso, Wirndzerem Barfee, Oscar Chenyi Labang, Bernice Angoh, Dipita Kwa, just to name a few.
The Chiareport: Because of my personal knowledge of who you are, and your beautiful family, I know that it will not be long before you feed the appetite of readers with another title…
Dibussi Tande: You’re correct. In fact, regular readers of my blog are aware that I am currently working on what I consider my most significant work on Cameroonian politics; a book that attempts to answer the question which I raised in the previous answer. The book is tentatively titled Reform and Repression in Cameroon and should be available next year, just in time to commemorate the 20th anniversary for the return of multiparty politics.
The Chiareport: Since the storied campaign and election of President Obama, it has almost become cliché to talk about improbable stories. Did you ever imagine the map of your life the way it has turned out as a prolific writer?
Tande Dibussi: My writing career is really not that improbable. I can state that it is a story foretold! (laughs). In fact, when my former classmates who have not seen or heard about me in a quarter of a century find out that I write books and have a blog, none of them bats an eyelid because that is what they expected of me. My first newspaper article was published when I was in Form Three. And at the age of 22, I became I regular contributor to major Cameroonian newspapers. It is around this same time that I started writing poetry. In fact, my first poetry collection, No Turning Back, which was published by Langaa in 2007, is made up of poems that were all written in my early 20s. So mine is not an improbable story. It is simply a response to the call of destiny…
The Chiareport: Our readers may not care to know that The Chiareport, which is my little corner, sprang to life because of your nagging and support. What does your crystal ball say about spaces such as mine, and the plethora of others that JimbiMedia has created, in the new world media order?
Dibussi Tande: The term citizen journalism has become a cliché used in the most inappropriate of instances, but I think that it is still relevant to understand the role of blogs such as www.chiareport.com which provide analyses and commentary not available in the mainstream media. Traditional methods of disseminating information (newspaper, radio, TV) have changed irrevocably with citizen-generated media increasingly playing a key role and providing fresh new perspectives on issues, events, and people. Blogs such as yours will continue to play a pivotal role in that regard, especially at a time when we are witnessing an increasing blurring of the divide between blogging/citizen journalism and traditional journalism. So online spaces such as those created by JimbiMedia are here to stay and thrive.
The Chiareport: Thank you so very much for taking the time to talk with The Chiareport today. I hope we can do this soon again.
Dibussi Tande: Definitely! I look forward to another interesting discussion with you. Hopefully the next time around I will be the one asking the questions.
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