Dibussi Tande: Scribbles from the Den

Cameroon: 2005 Census Results Finally Published

According to the government of Cameroon, the population of Cameroon is now officially 19.4 million (19,406,100) as of January 1, 2010. This figure is a projection derived from the Population & Housing Census of November 2005, and based on an estimated national population growth rate of 2.6% since then.

Given the important role that census figures play in national life, from the allocation of state finances to the of distribution social and other services such as hospitals, schools, roads, including the allocation of parliamentary seats, etc., it is no surprise that these results are already mired in controversy with some either questioning the accuracy of the projections for the last five years, or simply accusing the government of having manipulated the results with an eye on future elections...

Critics point out, for example, that the "opposition" NW province, which had a population of 1.7 million in 2005, is now projected to have increased by a mere 75,000 to about 1.8 million inhabitants, while the "pro-regime" North province with a population of 1.6 million in 2005 now has 2 million inhabitants - a startling increase of about 362,000 inhabitants - even more than that of the Littoral province, Cameroon's economic nerve center...). Government  officials have refuted these claims, pointing out that the projections were done by statisticians whose work has been validated by the Resident Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

1. Regional breakdown of national population according to 2005 census results and 2010 projections

Mystery and Intrigue in a Tropical Paradise - Revisiting the Speedboat Attack on Limbe

Dibussi Tande

With its wide beaches laden with purpleblack volcanic sands, its magnificient botanic gardens, its historic seafront, its proximity to Mount Fako, the tallest mountain in West Africa ,and to Debundscha the second wettest place on the planet, etc., Limbe is a tourist’s paradise.

The Down Beach area, which now serves as the town’s banking district, was once the nucleus of the “historic” Victoria – that strip of land, some twelve miles long along the Atlantic coast and five miles into the interior – settled in 1858 by Alfred Saker and freed Jamaican slaves from Sierra Leone and the neighboring island of Fernando Po.

Cameroon: At What Age?

At what age ...are school-children employed, married and taken to court?

School-leaving age 
As far as schools are concerned, the provisions of the Constitution and of article 9 of Act No. 98/004 of 14 April 1999 on education guidelines in Cameroon provide that primary education is compulsory, but do not refer to any age limit for school attendance.

Minimum age of employment 
In social matters, according to article 1 of Order No. 17 of 27 May 1969 on child labour, "Any person of either sex, whether a wage earner or an apprentice, who is below the age of 18 years shall be regarded as a minor." However, the annex to Order No. 16 of 27 May 1969 contains a list of work prohibited to minors.

Lapiro de Mbanga: "Everybody to Kondengui Prison" (Music Video)

Listen to the lyrics of this song to understand why the Biya regime is determined to silence jailed protest singer Lapiro de Mbanga

In this fiery and no-holds-barred song released last year, Lapiro lashes out against the symbols of decay in today's Cameroon: A regime in power which has turned its back on all the nationalist slogans of the early years; generalized corruption that has effected every stratum of society ; an insolent and arrogant ruling elite brazenly parading symbols of ostentatious consumption (vulgar SUVs out of place on Cameroon's roads, huge castles amidst appalling squalor, some shown in the video);

Where's the Outrage? Video on "Breast Ironing" in Cameroon

The UN says that 3.8 million West and Central African girls are at risk of a painful form of body mutilation know as 'breast ironing'. In Cameroon where the practice is most widespread, 50% of adolescent girls in cities and a quarter of all girls nationwide have their breasts 'ironed,' often by their mothers.

The 'ritual' is performed by massaging the girls' chests with heated objects like stones, in order to reverse their pubescent development. The mums say it's driven by fear of unwanted male attention, rape and pre-marital pregnancies.

Driving in the City of Douala, Cameroon - Not For the Faint-hearted!

Trail of Death: Maintaining Law and Order in Cameroon

Dibussi Tande

"Freedom of assembly and the right to demonstrate and to protest are widely accepted as basic civil rights and as such are embodied within all international charters of human rights" - Democratic Dialogue

 
Students shot by security forces in Kumba (c) Mutations

September 2007: Three people, two of them teenagers are shot dead in the town of Abong-bang during a demonstration by secondary school students protesting against frequent electricity cuts on campus which were affecting their studies. According to eyewitness reports, the Divisional Officer of the area, Sylvestre Essama, fired the first shot into the crowd of students which incidentally killed his own nephew, Marcel Bertrand Mvogo Awono.

The University of Buea Medical School: One Year After the "Regional Balance" firestorm

Dibussi Tande

Late last month, Cameroon’s Minister of Higher Education, Prof Jacques Fame Ndongo, quietly published the names of students admitted into the University of Buea's School of medicine for the 2007/2008 academic year.

Unlike last year when the admission process unleashed a firestorm that resulted in the shooting death of 2 students and the dismissal of the university’s Vice Chancellor, this year’s process was relatively uneventful and was largely unnoticed by the public.

Amnesty International Report 2007: Republic of Cameroon

Amnesty International

Nine men and four women were convicted for practising homosexuality. Scores of people were tortured by members of the security forces. Courts convicted some officials of involvement in killings. At least two students were killed and many others detained during clashes with government forces. Several journalists were briefly detained or beaten. Secessionist political activists were arrested and detained.

Cameroon Newspapers on the Web: Eden Newspaper Joins the Club

Martin Jumbam has just drawn my attention that the Limbe-based Eden newspaper, which is a subsidiary of the Eden Media group, recently established itself on the web.

Eden Newspaper and Buea-based The Post are the most popular English language newspapers in Cameroon.

Click here to go to the Eden Newspaper website.

Another Cameroonian English language Newspaper Goes Online

After the launching of its maiden (print) issue in December 2006, the Limbe-based The Sun newspaper becomes the latest Cameroonian English language weekly to establish an Internet presence. It joins a select group of newspapers such as The Post, L'Effort Camerounais, and The Entrepreneur which have already carved a niche for themselves on the web.

The Sun hopes to become a credible and respected presence on the Cameroonian media scene with what its staff promises will be balanced, fair and factual reporting.

When History Repeats Itself: The Government Spin Machine and the UB Crisis

Dibussi Tande

As I watched the tragic events at the University of Buea unfold in the past couple of weeks, and listened to the official narrative of events regarding the shooting of two students by the Cameroonian security forces, it all sounded so eerily familiar. And with good reason; we had been down this path before.

The Government’s reaction to the death of the students reminded me of its reaction to another student demonstration some 16 years earlier at the University of Yaounde.

www.flickr.com

A Taste of Cameroon ... At the Museum of London

Sending the Wrong Message

When driving through the English speaking region of Cameroon, one comes across many billboards with gramatically incorrect messages that have the potential to confuse or even endanger the public. This is the case with some of the billboards put up by the Ministry of Public Health as part of its national AIDS awareness and prevention campaign.

A Lesson of Tolerance in an Era of Religious Fundamentalism

In the past week, the US media has been replete with commentary about the most recent Al Qaeda threat calling on the Christian West, “even the crusader-in-chief George W. Bush”, to either “abandon their unbelief and repent and enter into the light of Islam” or face its wrath.

Sultan Mbombo Njoya, King of the Bamoun at the Ordination of Father Mbouapegnigni

Dual Citizenship (I): Time for a Long Overdue National Debate

By Dibussi Tande

Can Cameroon – a country which proudly celebrates its newfound HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Country) status - afford a development policy which shuts out some of its most resourceful and skilled citizens on the spurious claim that their patriotism is questionable because they reside abroad and have taken up foreign nationalities, usually for practical reasons?

After Cameroon won the first Afro-Asian football finals against Saudi Arabiain Jeddah in 1985, the Saudis refused to hand over the trophy on grounds that Cameroon had fielded an ineligible French player during the first leg encounter in Yaounde. The player in question was none other than the legendary Roger Milla who had showed up for the game with his French passport.

Film Review: Cameroon's Patriarchy Gets A Lashing From Sisters in Law

Reviewed by Brian Gibson

Sisters in Law. A film by Florence Ayisi & Kim Longinotto Featuring Vera Ngassa & Beatrice Ntuba Cameroon/UK, 2005, 104 minutes, Color, VHS/35mm/Beta/DVD

Currently Screening in the United States and Canada

Sisters in Law opens by introducing one of the feistiest, no-nonsensest action heroes you’re likely to see on screens all year. State prosecutor Vera Ngassa walks into a weathered building, past barred windows and through the padded inner door to her office. This is where she brings abusive husbands and tyrannical guardians to task.