Headlines

As Cameroon joins other nations to celebrate World Press Freedom Day, many questions are on the table, pending answers. Meanwhile media men and women continue to cry for help; the powers that be sound an alarm on a daily basis against what they call the ‘breach of ethics’ by journalists.

These tensions sometimes extent to the relationship between journalists and their bosses. The former often complain of poor working conditions and very low salaries, and latter lay the blame on socio-economic and political challenges. 

Well, there is no denying that Cameroonians do not have the habit of reading, thoughtless of buying newspapers as such. Besides, we cannot underestimate the difficulty encountered in obtaining adverts (the main source of revenue for the media business) in Cameroon. The fact that journalists are not well paid is common place in Cameroon. But that is not probably what we are celebrating today.

World Press Freedom Day!

During a press outing on Tuesday, the Minister of Communication claimed in very strong terms that “no journalist has been prevented from doing their job” in Cameroon. What he meant by this statement remains a truism to his followers and the contrary to others.

We may not have to mention the case of Ahmed Abba here, given that it has already had more than enough media coverage, and most importantly, because we do not have enough evidence to prove it otherwise. Even so, we cannot stop wondering how often the president of our country accords interviews to private media outlets. Or are journalists of the private media not doing their job? Better still is it not part of their duty to gather information in order to inform the public?

On the other hand, media practitioners in Cameroon are not saints. They seem to be leaving out their target and making a lot of noise.  Not only do they write unverified stories, they also engage in many more unorthodox journalistic practices that make the journalism profession very ugly.  Even so, they may not seem to carry all the blame. Nobody would kill themselves to do a job which cannot ensure their survival.

When your job cannot put food on your table there is cause for concern, especially if there is a second option. This partly explains why most of our colleagues receive money or other gifts to publish fabricated or biased information. 

Details

Tasha Seidou

03.May.2017

Hits: 1398

Write comment (0 Comments)

The Minister of Labour and Social Security has made a complete mockery of the newly created National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism at the 20th May Boulevard in Yaounde.

Mr Gregoire Ewona shocked Cameroonians by making a full-lecture speech exclusively in French, in complete defiance of the principle of bilingualism that binds the loose folds of Cameroon’s linguistic life together.

The minister was speaking during celebrations marking the 131st International Labour Day in Cameroon. 

The one-sided speech came at a time when the dust had not yet settled on the euphoria accompanying the commissioning of the members of the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism on Thursday 27,April, 2017.

Even the president of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions in Cameroon spoke exclusively in French at the same ceremony on Monday, May 01, 2017.

Not even a brief translation of the two speeches was given in the Queen’s language, leaving us with the skeptical impression that the Musonge Team still have to go extra mile to prove beyond reasonable doubt that they will make things better.

The National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism was created in a bit to curb the unrest in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

The Anglophone Problem is a denunciation of the marginalization of Southern Cameroonians by their French-speaking compatriots.

Details

Rita Akana

02.May.2017

Hits: 1807

Write comment (0 Comments)

Tensions are growing steadily between Cameroon and France over the fate of the correspondent of Radio France Internale in Cameroon.

Cameroon lashed out at Rfi and France on Friday in retaliation to strong accusations over  alleged injustice inflicted upon Ahmed Abba who was sentenced to ten years in prison by a military tribunal in Yaoundé last Monday.

A critical editorial from the state-run broadcaster, CRTV, declared and reaffirmed that Mr Abba deserved the sentence. It went further to ask France about the raison d’être of her own numerous prisons. CRTV also reiterated that Ahmed Abba is a Cameroonian, so tacitly he ought to have mastered Cameroon’s judicial life as well as been more patriotic. Cameroon is a sovereign state and will not receive orders from whomever in the name of freedom, concluded the editorial.

The National Communication Council issued a communiqué in the same light to warn some media outlets and practitioners who have been very critical of the sentence.

Mr Ahmed Abba was arrested in July 2015 when he was covering the activities of Boko Haram in Cameroon. Accused of complicity with terrorism and silence to terrorist acts, Abba was detained in a military tribunal in Yaoundé where he was later sentenced to ten years in prison on Monday 24.04.2017 after more than ten adjournments of the trial. Throughout the trial, he had claimed innocence. There have been repeated calls from some media groups and France for an unconditional release of Mr Ahmed.

Details

Tasha Seidou

29.Apr.2017

Hits: 2438

Write comment (0 Comments)

The case involving Br Nkongho, MANCHO, Dr Neba and 25 others against the State of Cameroon has been adjourned to may 4,2017.
According to the prosecution counsel , the court did not serve them with one of the two copies demanding for bail for them to study.

The case has been adjourned to 4 may 2017.

Details

Rita Akana

27.Apr.2017

Hits: 2128

Write comment (0 Comments)

A European Union delegation in Cameroon declared on Wednesday 26.04.217 that Cameroon’s slow pace of development is due to bad governance, the prevalence of corruption and the slow pace of decision making.

It was during a conference at the Advanced School of Mass Communication (ASMAC) in Yaoundé in prelude to the celebration of Europe Day on 9th May 2017. Participants of the conference included the ambassadors of the EU, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium to Cameroon; the British Higher Commissioner to Cameroon; an attaché from the Italian embassy in Cameroon, media persons from the “Union international de la Presse francophone as well students and lecturers from ASMAC. 

The focus of the conference was to evaluate the impact of the 60-year economic partnership between the EU and Cameroon. In response to questions from journalists on the reason for the status quo of Cameroon notwithstanding ‘lavish financial assistance’ from the EU, Francoise Collet, leader of the delegation made  it clear that bad governance was the root cause, adding that it was up to Cameroonians to develop their country given that  EU is simply in a partnership with Cameroon.

Responding to a question about the obstacles to investment in Cameroon, the British High Commissioner disclosed two major facts: corruption and the slow pace of decision making in Cameroon. He equally revealed his intention to meet the prime minister the following day given that, there “is $3 billion in the pipeline for investment in Cameroon” by the UK. He however specified by corruption was a global thread. On the other hand, he lauded Cameroon's bilingual nature as source of attraction to investors.

Looking at the ceremony from another angle, there was that old image of colonization looming in the air. At the high tables there were seven ‘white persons’ with a little black journalist perching at the far-right and a huge crowd of black faces staring admiringly at them as if to say “we wish we were like you.” 

Details

Tasha Seidou

27.Apr.2017

Hits: 1941

Write comment (0 Comments)

The axe of the national communication council falls on some media houses and journalists in Cameroon. The NCC through a press release signed by the president Peter Esoka yesterday sanctioned some Media houses and journalist for non-respect of deontology ethics of the profession.  In the release, the NCC also demanded that cable distributors remove Afrique Media from their distribution network. 

According to the NCC the suspended media were involved with instances in which they propagated false information against some individuals in Cameroon without proof.

Apart from Afrique media, others suspended for unfounded claims against some individuals in the country are:

L’Épervier Plus Newspaper

Ouest Littoral Newspaper

Le Satelite News paper

La Nouvelle Newsper

Kiss FM

La Nation D’Afrique Newspaper

Details

Mbi James

27.Apr.2017

Hits: 1719

Write comment (0 Comments)