Some people say: Feminism is no longer necessary, if at all it ever was. They say we no longer need the concept and women are now the ones abusing men’s rights. Sounds a lot like those who claim Reverse Racism to me, but all the same, here are some reminders of why I still need feminism and feel we all do too: I need feminism because just off recent; a girl was gang raped by 6 men in Kenya and when she succeeded to recognize 3 of them, the police told these rapists to clear/cut grass surrounding the police station. I wonder when cutting grass become equivalent to the crime of defiling someone’s body, soul and mind? And why the grass at the police station, rather than let’s say the victims home? Do those men have daughters? Would they have done same if she were any of their daughters? http://www.makeeverywomancount.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6492:kenya-kenyans-protest-after-suspects-in-teens-gang-rape-sentenced-to-cut-grass&catid=37:violence-against-women&Itemid=63 I need feminism because more recently news spread of a woman who was successfully sued by her husband for giving birth to what he called “an extremely ugly children” supposedly resulting from her lying about her physical beauty. Since when did women owe beauty to men? Is it an obligation? What does it say about the man that he married his wife simply for her looks? What does it say about him that he could condemn his children for not being attractive? Let’s forget the fact that the media purports unreachable standards of beauty to young girls every day. Or that young girls now are more concerned with the brightness of their skin than the brightness of their futures, after all that is just pop culture right? But when did pop culture and its definition of beauty enter the legal system allowing a judge to pass such a judgment? http://couplesandco.blogspot.com/2013/11/man-successfully-sues-wife-for-ugly.html I need feminism because local news reports state last week a woman took her own life in Bamenda claiming her husband had not slept with her for over a year. When will we stop attaching our value to men husband or not? What of our own self worth? I need feminism because presently policemen stand along the streets in Buea threatening young girls on their dressing, but they cannot be called upon if there is a robbery or domestic abuse in any quarter… I need feminism because when a man cheats he is called a man and men a woman does same she is called a slut… I need feminism because this weekend when RUMORS circulated claiming that a “Sugar daddy” had preyed upon a young girl at a hotel in Molyko, the majority of people sought to condemn the young girl (who is believe to be dead) as though she were the criminal. More attention and outcry was given to young girls and their “langaa money” than to the part of the rumor involving the man and his evil. Some even went so far as saying the young girl deserved to die for wanting to sleep with the man for money. What about the man who was offering the money? I need feminism because the prostitute is still insulted but her customer who pays for the act has no flaws… I need feminism because young girls are taught to avoid rape by dressing “better” (which contradicts with media images of being “hot and sexy” mind you) but young boys are never taught the meaning of consent… I need feminism because no matter how many opportunities are open to women today, the mindset of the majority has changed little. Most are still reared to think they are second class, and the most important achievement for them is still their marriage certificate… And for those who don’t know… Feminism is simply the movement based on the belief that men and women should have equal rights, opportunities and choices open to them…It is simply believing a woman is as human and thus just as worthy as any man… More simply put to be feminist is to be humane… and I think we can all agree the world needs more humaneness.
So What Is Cameroon Famous For?
So I was wondering what to blog about when a facebook chat with a new East African friend inspired this. She asked me what Cameroon was famous for and though the automatic response as per the popular joke is: “Football, drinks and corruption- in that order”, I really wanted to give her something to say wow! I mean I wanted to brag on my fellow paysans the way I imagine Kenyans do when saying “You know Obama right? I pass by his grandma’s place every day, she’s so motherly!” But I didn’t have any big time bragging details after all I don’t know if Eto’os grandma is even alive not to talk of where her house would be! Anyways the chat session sent me on a joy ride to find us some braggerly details. I have a previous post on a few Cameroonians worth noting “We Need New Heroes” so this one comes up different in that; I’m not going to restrict myself to people- every who, where and what that could be traced to Cameroon and in my knowledge will be listed. Also, those people who are listed here are not necessarily all heroes/heroines, just all famous! Some of these are common knowledge but some I hope you can use sometime when you are in dire need of bragging about your homeland, you can say “You know….” PEOPLE 1. Paul Biya Well to start with, His Excellency Paul Biya. I said I was going to write what we were famous for I never said it had to be a good thing right? Cameroon is famous for having the 3rd longest reigning president in Africa. If you are ever comparing “who has it worse” with another African (for those who don’t know this would be equivalent to MTV’s Yo’ Momma but rather than bashing each other’s moms you’ll be bashing each other’s countries, hmmm or your own). Well you could play this as a trump card “My president has been there so long, If you tell someone ‘I wish you Paul Biya’s reign’, you have wished them eternal life!” There you have it folks! Unless one of Mugabe’s people are in that group you will be crowned winner J 2. Manu Dibango Now for something you can beat your chest over. While the Kenyan’s may “you know Obama…” at us, we can easily come back with “ You know The guy who sued Michael Jackson and Rihanna over music copyright? Yeah well he’s a Cameroonian and he used to live in my neighborhood” Well the last part might be an exaggeration but how would they know? Manu Dibango aka the Godfather of Makossa transcends borders and though all may currently lay claim to his music, he is proudly famously Cameroonian, thank God! 3. Roger Milla & Samuel Eto’o Ok here come the footballers, I just grouped the most famous together. At any point in time, anywhere in the world, you have automatic bragging rights you the names of the “Legendary Football Striker” and the “World Best Paid Football Player” Milla and Eto’o. If you want to go overboard and risk coming across as obnoxious you may go on to list Alex Song, Patrick Mboma, and Thomas Nkono. 4. Therese Kuoh Moukouri Who was the first woman to publish a novel in all of Francophone Africa? A Cameroonian!!!! All Camer feminist please beat your chests proud over our very own Therese Kuoh the feminist author who wrote essential encounters, the first novel to be written by a woman in francophone Africa. Another first for us to call our own! 5. Issa Hayatou If you still need more big names to prove Cameroon is not a small country (as though the names change geographical borders), here is Issa. The Cameroonian former athlete and sports executive has been the president of the Confederation of African Football since 1987. In 2002, he ran for president of FIFA but was defeated by current president Sepp Blatter, (you don’t need to mention the defeat part lol!). He is still Vice president of FIFA World Soccer body. 6. Bonus Now to the average youth who likens popularity with Hollywood, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian etc the above Famous might not cut it. So this sectionis for all the teen and tweens in age or just in mind who need someone en vogue to brag about. To my young camers in the diasporas who are usually looked at with a queer eye after saying “I’m Cameroonian”, you can drop wide hints with the following braggerlylines: “Did you know David Guetta’s wife is Cameroonian?” Catherine Lobe, now Cathy Guetta was born on the 27th of March 1963 of a Cameroonian father and a French mother. She is an entrepreneur and actress. She got married to the international celebrity David Guetta in 1992 and has two kids Tim Elvis and Angie. You could also mention world famous musicians; Charlotte Dipanda, and Richard Bona… And if that doesn’t get you far, there is also Josh Blue of the NBC’s Comedy Central and winner of Last Comic Standing (season 4) who proudly lists Cameroon as his place of birth… There is also Cameroonian supermodel, Marion Gako who has been on the cover of Vogue… And of course if you are really desperate to brag you can mention Hollywood personalities Quincy Jones and Blair Underwood who have supposedly traced their roots back to Cameroon. Well that’s enough names for a bonus right? PLACES 1. Mount Cameroon Cameroon is geographically famous for having the highest point in West Africa; Mt. Cameroon. Which is also an active Volcano with the most recent explosion haven occurred 13years ago 2. Waza National Park Waza which is located in the far north province of the country Is a site which also sets us on the map. The park is flooded with lions, elephants, giraffe, birdlife and antelope in and is said to have some of the richest fauna and flora found in Africa. 3. Bakassi Cameroon is widely
The Arm-chair Activists
We see them everyday, at least if you frequent Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter and the like. Calls to action reports about how bad the government is and how “Enough is enough” and “Paul Biya Must Go”. There are multitudes of Facebook pages and yahoo groups with Cameroonians ever increasing to serve as forums for what? Internet activism or Virtual Advocacy as it’s called. I first took notice of them in 2011, in the hubbub of the pre- presidential election period, maybe these forums had always been there but at that time they just went into noticeable frenzy. Either way, they cropped up sending out messages every day, and the messages would read like mission statements or manifestos or at best/worst Project proposals criticizing the “regime” or demanding that Cameroonians stand up march and demand that “power must change hands” . Cameroonian in diaspora appealing for aid in ousting President. Should They get it? At first when reading these, I would be enthralled by how impassioned the writers seemed, and it delighted me that Cameroonians wanted to act towards change, I would love to read all the details of how the “regime” is exploiting the nation and is at the root of all our problems.With time however like a song that has remained on replay too long I began to not only to “listen/read but analyzes the words of each of these message, and they got on my nerves! You may ask me why? Let me tell you · It occurred to me that these calls to action were written mostly by those out of the country. Out of “marching and demanding distance” so to speak. So here is the image I have of them. Someone sitting back in a plush office chair their Victorian home in Virginia or apartment in New York or even on night duty at work writing and spreading info as to how their fellow Cameroonians who are back at home should march up to Unity Palace and demand that the President should step down, or something to that effect. And of course I wonder why this fellow who has all these brilliant ideas isn’t here or doesn’t come and lead that marching band t o Etoudi It also occurred to me that the people writing these “Drive the Dictator” articles are actually less oppressed than the average Cameroonian in a rural area in Cameroon who will not have access to that article. So hell, who are you to demand action from the person on the ground, when you are comfortably online? · In another turn of events, those who write all the calls to action, our internet activists or virtual advocates, what do they do other than write the long winded manifestos and critiques against the “regime” Do they vote? Do they attempt at social work in their communities as their own contribution towards improving the country? What change do they make? And so while it’s the norm of our time to discuss A-Z online, and while tweets can effect our state of mind and facebook posts can carry news faster than cable tv, When next you receive (or think to share) a “Paul Biya Must Go” manifesto, ask the sender how he suggests the change should occur? And if the nation will change with him in his arm-chair.
We Need New Heroes
News of Georges Bwelle the Cameroonian Doctor nominated for the CNN Heroes awards spurred me to think of our heroes. If someone was to ask me who my heroes or role models are I would name a bevy with no difficulty. · Eleanor Roosevelt for her diplomacy, her leadership skills, succeeding in NOT being overshadowed by her husband despite his being President! · Maya Angelou, her writing style her palpable dignity and self confidence · Chimamanda Adichie for her bringing fresh air to African writing and as a contemporary feminist · Helen Keller for overcoming disability and inspiring so many · Ghandi for his stance for peace · Mandela, for his strength of character and perseverance… the list goes on Even as I list them I notice that none of my heroes are Cameroonian. None of them had similar heritage similar cultural oppressions or starting point from which they began their dream. And none of them can inspire me to believe in my own nation and the ability of my own people (well maybe my mother for making it from scratch with only what she had?) The more I thought about it, the more I realized that our history, our schools our culture doesn’t really celebrate our own. We don’t make our heroes known, our patriarchs Um Nyobe, Duala Manga-Bell, are only known in history books and their names only limited in our memory for as long as we need them to write the GCE. Our Matriachs like Therese Sita-Bella are only known if you research them. Our elites like Bernard Fonlon, Calixthe Beyala are known only to those who had to study their work. Our celebrities Petit Pays, Lady Ponce etc. are more infamous than famous. Where are the role models the people who inspire and make us want to be like them when we grow up? Where are the heroes who show us it can be done- you can live your dream? Where are those who would give us hope in our own talent, ability and people? Well I saw that we needed new heroes and I looked for them. People of today, who are doing what they love, making it with what they have. People who are living the CAMEROONIAN DREAM! Most of all though, people who are making a difference in their own way for their people or the world in general on their own volition, and putting the Cameroonian name on the map for something other than football, corruption and drinking! So here are just a few really noteworthy Cameroonians I found …. 1. Georges Bwelle; General Surgeon, Founder of ASCOVIME Let’s start with him since he inspired this blog post. Dr. Bwelle is a surgeon at Hopital Central, Yaounde. Because of his experience with his father and the medical system in Cameroon, he was inspired to make a difference in this field. On weekends he assembles a team of medical volunteers, buys medications, equipment, and surgical supplies and goes on missions to rural areas offering free medical services, setting up temporary field clinics, operating rooms, and pharmacies for the villagers and neighboring people. At these clinics he provides free consultations, examinations, medications, and operations if necessary. He plans out the entire year with specially selected destinations where he and his team. I respect this man beyond what words can express because most Cameroonians with his experience would condemn the system that they had suffered through and leave the country at the first possibility or just keep grumbling about it. But he is DOING something!!! We are just grateful CNN is bringing his effort to the spotlight. Find out more about Dr. Bwelle @ ascovime.org/ascovime/about-dr-georges 2. The Patcha’s of the Patcha Foundation What happens when one family loses members to cancer? Do they go on a rampage seeking out all the gifted prophets or all night crusades? They could have, but this is a family with a difference. Mauritia Patcha a social worker in Cameroon and once cancer survivor who finally succumbed to the disease founded the Michael and Mauritia Patcha Foundation before her demise. Her children took the cause to heart, and today the foundation has become a beacon of cancer awareness, education, and treatment in Cameroon. This is what we call making lemonade out of lemons! Mrs. Stella Patcha Adamu; President of the Patcha Foundation 3. Ebenezer Essoka, CEO, Standard Chartered South Africa Ebenezer Essoka is currently the CEO of Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) South Africa, and area general manager in Southern Africa. This born and bred Cameroonian worked as a waiter at a restaurant while going to school but has climbed up the banking ladder to one of the most influential bankers in Africa. He joined SCB in 1986 and has managed several of the Group’s core subsidiaries in Southern, East, Central, and West Africa. Every banking students dream…. 4. **** 5. Kibonen Nfi, Designer Kibonen New York Nfi was formerly a co- designer of the ground breaking clothing line KiRette Couture, but when Nfi decided to focus on bringing intrinsic Camer-Couture (Cameroon Couture) to the world’s fashion capital, it was under a fresh new brand, Kib onen New York. This brand has put the Grassland traditional established as a force to be reckoned with in the fashion industry. 6. Dr. Joyce Ashuntantang We can’t mention Cameroonians putting the nation on the map without mentioning Dr. Joyce Ashuntantang who has garnered several titles in her time; actress, screenwriter, film producer, poet, non-fiction author, short story writer, University Professor, etc. Dr. Joyce as she is fondly called exemplifies the Cameroonian who made it on from the ground up
A Woman’s Might and Yet Her Plight
I was helping a friend’s daughter with her homework the other day, and she all of nine years was defining the word apartheid. I had the notebook, with the teacher’s definition on it which this little girl is expected to memorize and reproduce, whether she understands it or not! (let me not get into that just yet). Well as was to be expected the little darling forgot some words, the latter part of the definition which linked it to South Africa. But what she stated “Apartheid refers to a discriminatory system which gives privileges to and allows the minority to control the majority…” Now lets not concentrate on whether or not this definition is correct text-book wise but it gives the idea, and it gave me an idea too, that apartheid as per that definition was not secluded to South African and still prevails. It could even be said, the original apartheid was men’s control of women- and it still goes on. If genetics is understood we see that with the crossing of the female XX chromosome and the male XY there is a 2:1 likelihood of having a girl than a boy. IF this serves, women have ALWAYS outnumbered men. Why then does this ever increasing majority remain the underprivileged, plight-stricken and pitied image we see every day? A befitting issue to ponder on don’t you think? Looking back at that definition let me support the claim that gender inequality was the original apartheid. It has already been biologically proven that women have and probably always will be the majority, now about privileges? From culture to culture men have through norms and values of their time reserved certain things from themselves, be it the right to eat eggs, to wear trousers, to drive, to vote, to marry more than one spouse, to flirt- without being scorned-, the right to education, a particular type of education, and the right to be religiously ordained. These privileges prevail, some hold strong till date. Gender inequality is a universally accepted fact and some people would say it is rightly so “men and women can never be the same” they say; they only expressing their ignorance. Equality does not mean sameness; we can never be and shouldn’t even try to be the same, yet we should agree that a kilogram in feathers and a kilogram of rocks though so different are still equal in weight. So if it is agreed that discriminatory system exists as a result of gender inequality, and also that though women have always surpassed men in numbers, the men enjoy privileges by this system, then fitting the definition above, women have been victims of an apartheid for ages. That proven; a modern mind would wonder why? I mean we are of a time when we have heard enough of women’s feats to know that women are not “weak” The feminist movement has done enough to show just how much women toil and extol their might. What a man can do a woman can do better is a modern day idiom extolling a woman’s might. They feed the masses care for the elderly, the sick, they carry heavy burdens emotionally, psychologically and physically, she can endure where a man cannot- we have been told this. We have been convinced that woman is indeed mighty. Yet ironically no matter how mighty woman is she has yet to overcome her apartheid, despite the majority she holds, despite her endurance (or perhaps because of it) she has yet to free herself. She is still pitied, with e quarters of the poorest of the poor being women, with ever increasing reports of sexual abuse, violence and are still denied privileges entrance into holy orders, say in state policies, even a right to wear certain clothes and drive in some countries. Why I wonder, despite the woman’s might is such discrimination, suffering and abuse her plight? Here’s a theory: one can only be as strong as their mind. As such women can never be that strong. Our minds you see are controlled by men. From the way we dress, to the jobs we should do in one way or the other, indirectly or directly, men control us. Now someone may say here that I’m tooting the feminist horn and women have come far from the old days, I would agree yet say that is limiting, I am doing that and more. Feminist may say women are controlled by men as to the opportunities given, but the thing is feminist themselves have begun being controlled by men in the opportunities they are hunting for. In the quest for equality some have veered off to seek to prove sameness that they too can be “men” and thus imitating them we fall indirectly to the old trap of following the path set by men being what they are rather than what they want us to be, yes, but still not being who we are meant to be. Our society from time immemorial has called on the female to be attractive to the male, whether it is by being able to cook and run a home as in the olden days or look like a playboy pin-up as is today, women have been reared with the idea that they are only as good as men think they are. You are only sexy enough if when you pass a guy lets out a wolf whistle. And you are only brainy enough if you can outsmart the guys in your class as well. It goes to prove the saying that when you belong to a minority you have to be better in order to have the right to be equal. Women are further reared with the idea of what would be ladylike, what they should or should not do, we have so ingrained these ideas in us that though today you may not hear a man say that is unladylike, or that is not, we have
In The Name Of God
Hi to all reading this. I’m trying to revive my blog which was born, lived and died (temporarily) with one post. My lack of posting does not equal to lack of writing, so I’m going to be posting some musings I had a while back. This piece for instance is almost a year old but I just had to share… Remember what ever I write is my opinion.. we all have a right to our own, but its pretty nice when shared. I woke up this morning to the news of more killings in Gaza. I went online first thing to distract myself, hoping to see some good jokes on Facebook, anything to remove the image children lying dead on sidewalks they had probably skipped on. But turning to Facebook didn’t help. A friend had shared a post on my wall, you see, about a woman dying the night before- in a hospital this time not a sidewalk, in Nigeria and not because of any attack. This woman died because her husband, a Jehovah’s Witness refused to sign the consent form for a blood transfusion that could save her life, it was against his faith. God would condemn them he said. That was the second such murder I have heard this week- yes, I call it what it is, murder. The last one was of a Hindu woman in Ireland, a dentist moreover, dying in the hospital because the baby was dying in her and yet the law – a law passed by men on women’s reproductive rights- refused her the option of medical abortion. Ireland is Catholic, they told her, as if she hadn’t known that before settling there. They sound more or less like the husband mentioned above don’t they? Another incident comes to mind, a story narrated to us in 3rd year of undergraduate studies. Of a young girl gang raped in Somalia some years ago, then when discovered lying on the floor sobbing, her clothes torn. She was promptly dragged to the village square and stoned to death as it is believed she had brought “a curse” upon the village and God would condemn them if they didn’t do away with her. I remember our class cried outrage simultaneously upon hearing this story as we were no doubt expected to. In retrospect I see that as a classic example of seeing the log in another’s eye and forgetting the splinter in one’s own. You see, just that week, the a female pastor of a local church was being condemned over the radio and subsequently by all the lips which seek to pass on juicy gossip- her guilt was haven filed for divorce against a philandering husband. Yes we could see the obvious evil in stoning-to-death a girl who had just been gang raped, but our visions blurred, or perspectives differed at the right of a woman and a pastor for that matter to free herself from an emotionally abusive and given this era of AIDS- a very risky union with a philandering husband. At the root of it all is religion. Religion, wonder of wonders, has become a silent, justified killer. And I wonder what has God got to do with it? Let’s look back at the cases of the two women who died in the hospital within reach of treatment. I recall a parable often retold during Sunday sermons of a man who was an “ardent” believer in God was upright and full of faith. As happens, a flood warning had been given to the locality where that man lived. And as an “ardent” believer he went straight for his bible and recited his psalms; Hundreds may fall besides me, tens of thousands all around me but I will know no harm, Thou shall protect and save me… Well as he finished praying neighbor happened by and offered assistance to help this man to safety along with his family, The man replied “do not bother about me, my God shall save me”, another neighbor passed by now the water was getting high and this neighbor had a small raft and told the man to join him in the raft so they could get across safely, this man gave the same reply- “God is on the way to save me”. Finally relief helicopters had been dispatched to save those still in those flood regions and this man now standing on the roof of his sunken house denied the ladder thrown down by the helicopters. “God is coming to save me” he said once more… well this man drowned and when he arrived the pearly gates, it is said he asked the Lord “Why did you not save me?” It is at this point of the sermon that we all- the congregation- shake our heads or snicker or just laugh outright at the ludicrous statement. Obviously the man expected a divine manifestation to swoop down and save him majestically. After all Elijah went up in a chariot of fire right? I recall this story now, because like this foolish man, people today in this “modern” day. When blood transfusion was discovered, medical abortion taught to prevent unnecessary loss of lives, hospitals established, was that not God appearing much like the neighbors of the man in this parable to offer a way out? Yet we cling to our own interpretation our own ideologies of just how we ought to be saved jeopardizing the lives of others. Where is God in that? What does He have to do with that? It is a wonder if Christians read the same bible? The interpretations are so different, you see. A Christian for instance will see it as an abomination to criticize a “Man of God” who lives like an Ancient Roman statesman of his poor followers but that same Christian feels it is their right , nay duty to condemn others because their gay or Muslim, have stolen etc. I thought the bible verse read “judge no one” obviously there
I Could have been learned, but I went to school….
Can you imagine it? A university graduate unable to address a job application! What is more there are those who can’t tell you the day Cameroon gained independence or the date of our country’s annexation! It makes you want to ask them: “Did you go to school?” But they did! The problem is; all they did was go! The Story of the Cameroonian Child…. Nobel laureate W.B Yeats is remembered for stating “Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire!” Sadly that’s is not the way we Cameroonians see. We go through school by the process of memorizing and forgetting facts (we should very well have stretch marks on the sides of our brains), filling the pail of our minds, but arousing our intellect enough to learn, failing to light the fire! Our system doesn’t teach us what we should know to pass entrance exams, General Certificate exams etc. but it fails to teach us why we need to know these things. A student would be by far more driven if they had that sense of purpose that intellectual interest in learning. As Ian Russell states “ Give people facts and you feed their minds for an hour, Awaken their curiosity and they will feed their own minds for a lifetime”. Curiosity is a inherent to humanity. When we stifle this curiosity in children from as early an age as 4, Giving them only what we want them to know we are destroying what or who may have been Africa’s Einstein, Marie-Curie, Da Vinci, Karl Marx, you name it! We give education a fixed end, walking under the misconception that education ends when one finishes school. But are we not educated every day? In and out of school, it is an on-going, never-ending process! Why don’t Africans formulate their own theories invent their own gadgets and to the greater extent govern themselves? Because we don’t think for ourselves! Our thoughts are those of others that have been drilled into us. We study what another has said and never get a chance to say ours! In the words of Descartes, I think therefore I am! The day we stop thinking, we stop being! A Ugandan proverb goes “If you feel Education is expensive, try ignorance!” Yet in this day and age were education is accessible to all and sundry we are still ignorant! Ignorant of our rights, duties, even ignorant on how to live! You find we have become so accustomed to having the information we need given to us that a university graduate can be found sitting in his parents complaining that he can’t find a job, simply because he knows not where to look! More shameful would be the experience where while chatting online a girl could not reply to a question she was asked because she could not fathom that H2O represented water! She simply told her chatting partner “ I did but Arts in High school ya”, which was excuse enough for her! The literacy rate in Cameroon as of 2005 was estimated as 81% (UNESCO Database), yet with that level of literacy what percentage of the country reads? Not merely studying in school because you have to, but really reading to find out what you have not been told, to feed your mind or even just for fun! A new form of illiteracy is coming up; the illiterates of tomorrow won’t be those who cannot read and write, but those who do not read nor write! No matter the level of education, if we’re not learned, having a mind of our own and the ability and will to use it we will never go far. Cameroon best illustrates this; We have an unemployment rate as low as 7.5%, however it’s the under-employment rate that leaves us speechless with a third the population of working age being under employed. What does that imply? A graduate of Environmental Sciences with a diploma in Geology working at the local MTN office, or a Master’s degree holder driving a Taxi cab! That is the state of Cameroon, and Africa as a whole because we refuse to think. For if only we would think about it, eventually those thought would spur us to act and after thinking we may act greater reason. But we are so passive that development is seems far out of reach. When we teach our youth to rewrite history, but fail to teach them to question the future, we’re missing the point. History is not meant o be merely studied, but learned from. Our leaders today repeat the mistakes of those in the past because they failed to learn the history lessons (they probably “crammed”). Education is meant to be used not stored! Africa stands today with PhD. holders ever increasing, but no inventions nor developments can be seen from them.