Oh the myths

Anarchist creed

In birthing

Idea

Person

Some complexity

The sword of Damycles

Stealing power

For anxiety

Terror

Danger

Death and killings

Oh the impending doom

Facing the throne

The hanging sword

The head

The risk and anger

Doors shut

Fear

Isolation and bullying

Robespierre’s chambers

Self loathing king

Empty judiciary

The jokish legislative

Vulnerability

Injustice and terrorism

Victims victimization

The innocents

The people

The land and

The fallen out of grace

Someday, just maybe someday

Comes now a visionary

‘by and through

Undersigned counsel

And files a true motion

For custody

Reasonable visitation

Pursuant of Cameroon law code

As for my motions states as follows

Wherefore to

Defendant stole

He killed

He abused

He emperor zed

Oh the times

There is dancing

In the streets

In the homes

In the schools

Even babies unborn

Are celebrating

In their mothers womb

The end and the beginning

Oh peaceful silent noise

The whipers

Tears of joy

Songs of freedom

Hopeful promises

Dancing at liberty square

In praise and memory

Of the ultimate sacrifices

The precious blood

Of liberty

Of patriotism

Of peaceful resistance

Yet still

The Whispers

Of the cleansing

Calcutta Calcutta they shouted

But the land is forgiving

The people are forgiving

By Christmas Ebini

The esplanade of the National Museum in Yaounde is the venue of the second Yaounde International Book Fair, which kicked off yesterday, June 2, 2016, on the theme: “The Book as Instrument of Integration and Development.”

Organised by the Ministry of Arts and Culture, this year’s edition brings together Cameroonian writers in the Diaspora, authors from the continent and about 20 other countries to enrich the book fair. The second edition comes after the first that was organised three years ago. Cameroonians of all walks of life thronged the venue yesterday to discover the books on display and even meet the writers.

The Technical Director in the Ministry of Arts and Culture, Dr. Asheri Kilo, said the book fair was an opportunity for young writers to sharpen their skills as there are workshops where older writers engage younger colleagues, offering tips on writing. Dr. Asheri Kilo said the wish of the Minister of Arts and Culture, Prof. Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, was to get Cameroonians read more. She said with books from all the 10 regions of Cameroon, visitors were enriched with a totality of the cultural values that the nation offers.

This year, special honour is given to five Cameroonian pioneer writers. Yesterday June 2, 2016, was dedicated to Mongo Beti. This explains why stands had the late writer’s books on exhibition and for sale. It was an opportunity for Cameroonians to buy books by the author they could not find earlier. Today, June 3, 2016, will be the day for Sultan Mbombo Njoya, the author of the Bamoun language. Cameroonians will have the opportunity to discover the Bamoun language, which is one of the earliest Cameroonian writings to be orthographed and is today standardised. Artefacts and books from the Bamoun Palace will also be exhibited to honour Sultan Mbombo Njoya.

Saturday, June 4, 2016, is the day to honour Professor Bernard Nsokika Fonlon. It will be an opportunity to see him in picture and some of his writings like the “Genuine Intellectual,” one of the most significant journals that Cameroon ever had, starting as early as the 1960s. This will be followed by the Ferdinand Oyono Day. Oyono’s pictures will be displayed and his books such as “The old Man and the Medal” and others will be on the stands.

The last day will be the Francis Bebey Day. He is one of the authors that many Cameroonians do not know. Pictures and books written by Francis Bebey will be displayed for young Cameroonians to discover him and also buy his works.

Cameroon Tribune

Heads of Departments of the Faculties of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences, Law and Political Sciences and Economic and Management Sciences met yesterday, May 30, 2016 to discuss ways of putting in place a standard base on which the system of studies and educational programmes in these faculties in all State Universities will be built. This is to enable student mobility and credit transferability from one university to another as well as show proof of the implementation of the Bachelor, Master and Doctorate (BMD) system in the institutions of higher learning in the country.

Opening the workshop, the Minister of Higher Education, Professor Jacques Fame Ndongo said it is not about standardisation or uniformity of universities for each university needs to keep its specificity while harmonising educational programmes which are operational in classical faculties (not professional schools) in State universities for an effective credibility of the higher education system in the country.

The Minister reiterated the importance of the professionalization of the higher education system. He told participants to establish if the professionalization of studies should be gradual from one level to another or it should be professionalised at a certain level that is either Master or the last year of a First Degree level or at the beginning of any programme.

The experts debated on the various fields of studies and how to manage academic mobility taking into consideration the number of course units per semester, number of credits per course units and credit value all in a bid to ensure a hitch-free transfer if a student has to move from one university to another

A Research Officer in the Directorate of Higher Education Development of the Ministry of Higher Education, Professor Roselyn Mutia, said committee members also examined how programmes are named in various universities. A vivid example is the Department of English. In some universities it is called English Literature and in others it is called Literature in English. The committee had to harmonise the naming of programmes in a bid to come out with the same nomenclature of BMD programmes.

Participants also brainstormed on what could be fundamental courses in each discipline and what courses could be considered elective. Codes given to course units were predetermined and harmonised as it was agreed upon how many letters and numerals will be used to identify a course. At the end of the meeting, participants came out with reference documents through which others will use in drawing up teaching programmes.