Errance Mentale: when we believe it, we'll see it.

It all starts with alcohol Going back to Cameroon is an opportunity to see family members, old chums and relive one's nostalgic past. It is also true that such trips heighten a sense of accomplishment for a lot of Cameroonians as they are hailed as "bushfallers", a term that means they have the means to control a lot of situations that require financial intervention. Some rejoice in this new-found-glory that puts at their disposal albeit temporarily, alcohol, sex, power, in short, la dolce vita. Alcohol plays an important role in being Cameroonian, that is, for those who indulge in it or encourage others to, or do not discourage its consumption. If it stopped people from entering the kingdom of God, a lot of Cameroonians will be hovering around the gates of heaven waiting for a corrupt angel to bribe their way in. Alcohol will not be discussed today. Its sidekick that provides as much pleasure and promotes its consumption, footbal...

Dear Mr. Marafa Hamidou Yaya, It is with a heavy heart that I read about your sentencing to twenty five years in jail. I want to make it clear to you that my chagrin stems not from your proclaimed (by you) or perceived innocence but from the death of any form of justice and legal procedure in the country that both you and I love. If things were otherwise, Mr. Paul Biya would have been a defendant, if not a respondent in the travesty of a trial that sentenced you and Mr. Y. M. Fotso. I agree with you that Mr. Biya and the system he has perfected is the cancer of Cameroon and until he is removed and that system scraped from our country, we will NEVER emerge as a prosperous nation. My sympathy goes to you today and countless other Cameroonians who are victims of the whims and caprices of the owners of Cameroon's justice system. There are many men and women languishing in jail today for crimes that range from insulting a bigwig to questioning the President's authority. People...

MECA-USA: the painful path to unity. The following was written for a restricted audience: Manyu people. It may also apply to cultural groups that have suffered crises that led to break ups. You will read this once in a while on Manyunet and other fora, hear it almost at every gathering: “die-house”, fundraising, birthday... : “let us unite”. These calls, as laudable as they may sound have sometimes missed (or I have failed to see) the fundamental: it is a … process. Some sound divinely inspired, others are seemingly pedantic, some are condescending while others are downright simple honest and practical. Regardless of its type, calls for reconciliation have fallen on deaf ears, dumb mouths and stiff legs. Why? The answer is within each individual. I have heard people on both sides come up with arguments that range from “they left us, let them come back”, “we are the real MECA-USA”, “we now have peace, let us stay like this”, “we are brothers and sisters and we can achieve more wh...

Reading between the lines: Marafa's letter to Biya. Comments are italicized and bold. Monsieur le président de la République, Le lundi 16 avril 2012, j’ai été convoqué par le juge d’instruction du Tribunal de grande instance du Mfoundi et écroué à la prison centrale de Kondengui, sans autre forme de procès. Vous avez certainement dû apprendre que j’ai demandé la récusation de ce juge d’instruction qui était venu me voir de son propre chef et qui, avec instance, m’a sollicité pour que nous nous « arrangions » afin qu’il instruise le dossier dans un sens qui me serait favorable ! J’ai tout naturellement refusé sa proposition. Je vous en avais rendu compte en son temps, pensant que le président du Conseil supérieur de la magistrature s’en serait ému. Marafa attempts here to descredit the state prosecutor in this paragraph and even more significantly makes the point that Mr. Biya did not act on his (Marafa) suspicions of the prosecutor being corrupt. Est-il bes...

 Biya, Marafat, Inoni, Mendoze, ... who is really guilty? News of former Cameroon premier Chief Ephraim Inoni's arraignment has caused mixed reactions from the Cameroonian citizenry. It is very normal for pathos to be the keynote for those who have benefited from the former Prime Minister's largesse. I am here referring to people who eased themselves into positions of significant influence thanks to their relationships with Mr. Inoni. I do not know for sure but the list of his proteges should reflect a broad spectrum of the Cameroon civil service: teachers, judges, fiscal administrators, directors, medical doctors, military, gendarmerie, police force, etc. These people must have been trained through our "grandes ecoles" viz, ENS, ENAM, EMIA, ENPT, ENPURI, etc. The list of beneficiaries also includes business men and women fictive or real who make up the horde of private contractor supplying various materials to the Cameroonian civil service at exorbitant prices....

The place once called Pays The child was condemned to a life of servitude and slavery, All the protests against the chains clattered in vain The oppressor got good at the game so well that The child's parents became the surrogate rebukers Stopping any sign of waywardness with stern reprimand. The fallacy had been so strong: reward benefits hard work. As the children played around the yard, they believed it all. They will change their world and make it better for posterity. The sweetness of innocence veiling the promise of doom That shines on the other side of the dark tunnel of Pays. Poor children caged in the sweetness and bliss of now The boys will grow up with no manhood and the girls, Will be sent off to satisfy the old men's caprices and desires While their parents will bask in the glory of the crumbs That the Diner's bloated overflowing greed could not contain. And the clan says we all should be quiet and toe the line, There's nothing you can do they say, everyon...