About Talented Cameroonians at Home and Abroad N° 011 JULY 2008 CAPEC Protecting The Rights of Children CIANET Seminar on Access To Potable Water EduArt Literary Awards Sir George Lady Kate Johnny Aunty Kate Echu Visits Cameroon Mor Hello I would like to say congratulations on “THE SUCCESS Kudos to the team. Pretty good and broad STORY E-MAGAZINE”. It is a brilliant idea and it allows spectrum read. Amazing profiles of our those of us who are currently out of the Country to compatriots holding their own in their various connect with it. The monthly issues are informative and trades and abodes. This is certainly a spur to even though I don’t know most of the people represented our youth as they trudge along the road to in the magazine, I enjoy reading about them and I’m success. Such efforts need to be encouraged, happy you bring out the positives in the people. emulated and sustained. ...There are so many people who don’t feel that Cameroon is for them anymore, I believe in Cameroon By Emmanuel Ashu and I know it has so much to offer. We need to find ways to attract people and your magazine is a good medium for this. We need to show case our communities and the good things about it. Having the magazine on line is a great idea because you Hi! all, reach many people at any time... If you make it a static I'm indeed highly impressed with or dynamic webpage instead of attachments like your initiative. the .pdf files, it would save you time and the images I've worked with Dr. G.E. Fonsah while with would even be better. Del Montel CMR (he was my boss), and I've great I applaud you for making the production of the admiration for Dr. Fonsah's determination and Magazine consistent and timely. I will love to continue integrity. He's indeed, a talented Cameroonian. reading this magazine and I look forward to celebrating A job well done. Many thanks many more years. Thanks, By Gabby Nkwelle By Alice Nako Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey I came upon the website when I visited the Buea library website and was interested to know that there are many Cameroonians in This is a real success! keep Up the Diaspora achieving great success. This Salut je suis emerveillée de voir avec quelle justesse vous endeavor is an inspiration to many arrivez à elaborer un tel journal; La musique est la especially the youth. référence de la culture d'un pays et par cette édition de Keep up the good work! Success Story retrouver tous ces artistes camerounais même ceux déjà oubliés, savoir à quel prix on peut louer By Forsack Kwameh Fonkeng un véhicule sans se sentir complexé d'avoir à se présenter chez un autorent et enfin savoir où manger des délices africains quand on est Cameroun sans avoir à refléchir, ça il faut le faire. Success Story Magazine is about the world at our feet. Greetings from Bamenda. Just to say I Congrats love your Magazine. It’s pretty rich and I think it’s inspirational too. Ruth-Nadine Keep it up and Good Luck. Yaoundé Esmeralda Hongla Team, Good work! Great! I love music and it was the mainstay of my life for the years I worked as a radio personality for music and commercial stations in Cameroon. I enjoyed the stories in this edition. I would have wished that a few bits be added or taken out here or there. For instance, the author of the article on K-Tino did not go into detail on how her orchestration is different and this is a huge reason for her success and the basis of the rhythmic success of Lady Ponce and the other youngster. But who's perfect on earth? It is a resource that would prove useful to up and coming English speaking radio announcers and disc-jockeys in Cameroon. They often lack background material to spice their shows. Those of us who were able to have such information rose to heights of glory in Cameroon. I am happy that others through your work will have the ammunition to succeed. This also goes for those who have to write cover music or culture news in Cameroon. Upon reading the colourful 28 pages, I felt like running into an FM 94 or Mount Cameroon FM Studio again. That is surely not for soon - it is more likely to hear me on the netwaves on talk radio now. Good Work! George Esunge Fominyem e start this Issue by thanking you for appreciating this Magazine and for making useful suggestions to our team. We promise to put the best of our abilities and resources to keep this publication educative and enjoyable. We welcome your intellectual contributions whenever you feel inspired. W The Civil Society in Cameroon is growing and making meaningful contributions to the well being of Cameroonians. Children, most especially, are receiving greater attention from some civil society organizations. One of such organizations that have been very active on the field, is the Camer- oon Association for the Protection and Education of the Child (CAPEC) whose Executive Director, Miss Ajomuzu Collette Bekaku, is mobilizing the best of the resources she can to ‘put smiles on the faces of children’ To encourage greater production in Cameroon Literature in English, the US-based EduArt Inc. recently rewarded talented writers during the inau- gural Literary Awards Night that was organised in the mountainside city of Buea. We take you to this colourful event that mobilized so many crea- tive minds who have sustained Cameroonian Literature in English under the inspired leadership of EduArt’s CEO Dr. Joyce Ashuntantang. We en- courage you to take a ride to www.palapalamagazine.info to read the works of most of these contemporary writers. The President and CEO of the African Women’s Development Foundation (AWDF) Lady Kate Atabong Njeuma was visiting state, media and medi- cal institutions in Cameroon to discuss and share the vision of her organization in promoting the well being of Cameroonians. Our team in Yaounde was delighted to meet with this very dynamic lady whose quest for the welfare of her fellow countrymen received our encouragements. During the CIANET Seminar on Access to Potable Water that was organised on July 9th and 10th in Yaounde, we were alarmed to learn that more than one third of the world’s population would not have access to potable water by 2025, However, we are hoping that the involvement of the civil society in the fight for more access to potable water will create awareness in social and government circles for urgent action. Cameroon is blessed with so many indigenous languages that coexist with the two official languages: English and French. Could this Multilingual- ism be a Resource to Development? Our scholar, George Echu, attempts to answer this question in a brilliant study that we spread out in this Issue. You will be impressed by the depth of his findings. Many generations of English speaking Cameroonian women will fondly remember the Home Economics or Cookery “Bible” AUNTIE KATE’S COOKERY BOOK, that prepared many to manage their kitchens and homes. With nostalgia, we take you to the fa- mous 89 years old author, AUNTIE KATE, to learn who exactly she is. You would agree, that through her famous Book and initia- tives, she has been the ‘Mother” of many generations of Cameroonian women. Then, we visit Sir JOHNNY MOR, another talented Cameroonian who is actively spreading his top quality management skills in different areas of activity. His patriotic principles and belief in the greatness of Cameroon did attract our attention and earned our praise. At the end, we take a ride to the Mbonge Council Chambers to cheer Elisabeth and Martin as they seal their promise to be become one for the rest of their lives. Like other newly wedded couples, this couple will certainly use the five love languages to make their relationship a Success Story. Tonge B. Ebai Enjoy Your Reading! About Cameroonians at Home and Abroad 3 jomuzu Colette Bekaku is Founder and Executive Director CAPEC set out to achieve the following objectives: of Cameroon Association for the Protection and Education To make known the rights of the child and protect them through of the Child (CAPEC). education as prescribed by UNICEF and the UN Convention on the Ms. Ajomuzu has extensive experience in social work and Rights of the Child; A human rights. With a Post-Graduate Degree from the University of To assist the needy child irrespective of his/her tribe, origin, sex, Yaoundé II Soa, she started her non-profit association and targeted religion, in the domain of social welfare; orphans and underprivileged children in Cameroon. Prior to creating To prevent child labour and eliminate the sexual exploitation of chil- CAPEC, she had worked for the British Council Cameroon and was a dren; pioneer member of the InterAction Leadership Programme, a high To assist children confined in prisons and rehabilitation institutions; profile transformation leadership program in sub-Sahara Africa, spon- To monitor different forms of human rights abuse against the child sored by the British Council, LEAD International and delivered by CAPEC has worked with and for children and youths in more UK and Pan African experts. than thirty (30) villages in Cameroon, to identify the needs and meet the Ms. Ajomuzu’s passion for childcare is the sole motivation aspirations of the rural youth and the underprivileged. Visits have been behind her very active work in CAPEC.