Bafoussam; Media Persons Schooled on Peace Journalism

Media Persons Schooled on Peace Journalism in Baffoussam

Media practioners drawn from the West and North West regions of Cameroon have rounded up a three days workshop on Peace Journalism from Wednesday 25th to Friday 27th July at Sekem Hotel, Bafoussam. Meeting under the umbrella of the Cameroon Community Media Network, an innovation of the  Communication Department of the P.C.C that was created two years ago in Buea to continuously school media actors on peace journalism and elections reporting, the close to 50 journalists were schooled by Professor Steven Youngblood from Park University, U.S.A and Director of the Centre for Global Peace Journalism on crisis reporting.

"Given the crisis we are facing in the two English speaking regions of the country, we should do a lot of reports aimed at building peace and reinstating confidence between the population and the government because in the absence of peace, even we the journalist can't practice." Mbuh Stella, a reporter for Equinox TV said as lesson learnt.


Social media nowadays has gained grounds in the communication world as one of the fastest means of spreading news but whose credibility is often found wanting. For this reason attendees were drilled on social media tips such as avoiding the use of inflammatory language, hate speech, sensationalism and striving to report facts than report first. After all before social media, there was good journalism.

Gilbert Nyongamsen and Muma Jude are radio journalists from Bamenda. On challenges peace journalism practitioners go through in reporting on the current Anglophone crisis in Cameroon, to the former, "The journalist is caught between two guns; the government forces and the separatist fighters" while to the latter, "When the malpractices of politicians are uncovered, they'll want to sue the journalist"

However, in the midst of these challenges, there's a way out as proposed by Roseline Obah, Station Manager of C.B.S Radio Bamenda, Chapter President of the Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists, North West and also President of the Cameroon Community Media Network, CCMN for the West and North West Regions. She says "Journalists should stay away from advocacy, from leaning unto the elitist class and actually go down to the common man especially the Internally Displaced Persons thereby giving room for all voices to be heard (mostly on the way forward)".

Group Photo

The holding of peace journalism and elections reporting workshops in Cameroon has been recurrent of recent yet the current crisis are seemingly rather escalating. To Steven Youngblood, a Peace Journalism professor and main facilitator at the workshop, such can better be addressed by a security expert, sociologist or political scientist because anytime there's a conflict in a country, there are many contributive factors. "I don't particularly think  Cameroonian journalists are to be blamed for these issues. I think that there are a lot of other factors. There's always room for journalism to lead discussions that can help societies to avoid conflicts, to heal and certainly journalists can play that role but I must definitely wouldn't blame journalists for the situation in Cameroon." he said.

When asked if it's OK for journalists to continue  taking cover behind peace reporting, impartiality, credibility to escape from joining the rest of the citizens of their country in fighting for justice, human rights and better living standards, issues that affect all irrespective of profession, his response was "When journalists abandon their objectivity, when journalists become advocates, they're no longer journalists. They're protesters, separatists, advocates. My message will be simple. Make a decision. If you decide that you want to be a journalist, that you want to provide the public unbiased objective information or if that's not what you want to do, then quite journalism and become an advocate."

It is now hoped that after all the knowledge gained, participants will return to their media organs better fortified on peace journalism and elections reporting technics and contribute their quota to deescalate the crisis through their reports.

C.Y.F Wumnebit Admits New Members

C.Y.F Wumnebit Admits New Members

Christened the "Batch of Rebuilders", the Christian Youth Fellowship of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, Wumnebit Congregation of the Meta Presbytery in Mbengwi Central Sub Division has admitted sixteen new members. This was during a church service that took place in the congregation, officiated by the Reverend Mujem John who drawing his sermon from Philippians 1:6-11 called on the newly admitted to shun the challenges of youthfulness like promiscuity, drunkenness, alcoholism and be ambassadors of the Good News. 

Following the norms of the fellowship, the admission process was conducted by the Meta Presbytery president of the C.Y.F Munya Ephraim and Teghen Godlove, the Lower Medig Zonal Coordinator after which the new members upon taking oath of service to the Lord were decorated with C.Y.F gadgets.

Muyang Eucharia is one of the newly admitted. She said her satisfaction after the dedication couldn't be underrated. " Throughout the doctrine till now I've really seen that things of the world are of no benefit to us. My life has really changed positively. I encourage other youths to join this movement not only to evangelise but also to  build our morals"_ she concluded.

To the officiating minister, the Reverend Mujem John, it was an occasion to show an addition in the number of Christians of the congregation and prove that young people today love following God especially as faced with the current sociopolitical crisis, it's not easy to find youths who dedicate their lives to follow Christ.

Other new members and backsliders were admitted and readmitted into the church while some received confirmation

Momo S D.O Rewarms His Seat

Momo S.D.O Rewarms his Seat

The population of Momo Division has heaved a sigh of relief following the return of "their son" to office. Barely weeks after recording a huge success in the organisation of an ecumenical service on June 7th 2018 to sing and pray for peace in his division, the region and nation as a whole, during which civilians and top ranking military and government officials alike converged in P.C Station Congregation to listen to inter denominational men of God pray for peace,  Absalom W. Monono, Momo's S.D.O went "missing". His disappearance from office set tongues wagging in the quarters. Propagators of unfounded information convincingly spread rumours that the S.D.O has escaped because of the current sociopolitical stalemate affecting the two English speaking regions of the country with Momo Division being one of the hardest hit areas. And so his admirers, uncountable in number became worried that if the shepherd could abandon the sheep in the advent of danger, then the worst was underway.

During this vacuum period, the local press noosed around the S.D.O's office and got reliable information that the seasoned administrator was on a well deserved sick leave in the United States but was to be back soon. And so contrary to already widely spread rumours that Monono absconded office, tipped on his return, the local media again went snooping around the office for confirmation and on seat to welcome them was  the S.D.O, looking fresher and healthier with a beaming smile.

"The first thing is that I am very happy to know that my population were preoccupied about the whereabout of their Senior Divisional Officer. This shows that there is a synergy between their S.D.O and them and that they are very concerned about his welfare. I was given a sick leave by hierarchy to go for  medical check up in the United States. Thank God all went well and I'm back. I know that we are still having challenges in our division and I trust in this very population who were very worried and who wanted to be with their S.D.O that together we are going to work and see how to meet up with some of those challenges in order for us to continue to live  normally.

Monono also used the opportunity to pass across a special message to his people. "I want to thank them for their steadfastness in standing up to all the challenges we have and to tell them that we are going to do everything possible for them to have the security that they deserve. We will also make sure that things come back to normalcy so that the economy that has been well hit should bounce back so that before September comes, parents will have the means to send back their children to school. I want to congratulate our students who made it in the end of year examinations. We realised that in B.E.P.C in G.B.H.S Mbengwi, they had 100%. For G.C.E Advanced Level they had close to 70% which shows that for the time that teachers taught students who decided to go to school, they grabbed something positive and they were able to make it. We are looking forward to a very effective 2018/2019 school year. To all stakeholders, I urge them to do their best to maintain and why not improve on the good performance Momo Division has always been noted for." He ended.