First Lady Michelle Obama Calls for Equality for African Women

The Politics of Boko Haram in Cameroon and Nigeria

While in much of Western media Boko Haram seems to be spoken of simply as a terrorist Islamic group, the perception of the group in Cameroon and Nigeria is quite complicated. This explains why Western responses to the group seems to be different from what governments in Cameroon and Nigeria do. In Cameroon and Nigeria, Boko Haram is spoken of in terms of groups that are dissatisfied with the politics of the countries rather than as terrorist groups. Thus, in Cameroon and Nigeria, Boko Haram is seen more as an opposition movement than a terrorist group. That explains why the first response of the government of Nigeria to the worldwide news of the abducted girls was located within the politics of the opposition in the country. The First Lady of Nigeria's initial claim that the abduction was a ploy of the opposition to smear her husband was an honest statement of this position.

The same could be said of the perception of Boko Haram in Cameroon. While the government of the country seems to be fortifying porous northern borders to stave the incursion of Boko Haram, potential opposition figures in the Far North of the country are seen as supporters of Boko Haram. Recently, a newspaper in Cameroon came up with a list of persons, mostly people in the Far North of the country who are seen as opposition figures, described as backers of Boko Haram. Incidentally, the name of the vice prime minister of Cameroon, Amadou Ali, was on the list. Now that Amadou Ali's wife has been abducted by Boko Haram, many in the country would see not the action of a sinister terrorist group but the machination of a shrewd politician who wanted to raise the profile of Boko Haram in Cameroon. The abduction of his wife would therefore be read as a hoax. This makes the problem of Boko Haram in Cameroon and Nigeria quite complex.

La Nouvelle, a Cameroon newspaper, claims to have a list of mostly northern Cameroonians who are seen as supporters of Boko Haram. Amadou Ali's name appeared in the list.

The Boko Haram Girls: A Twitter Campaign that Went Burst

So much is often made of the power of social media to galvanize people for a cause - and this has sometimes been the case. However, in the case of the Nigerian girls abducted by Boko Haram, the social media campaign to effect their rescue seems to have ended in a stalemate - like the war in Syria. This case demonstrates a significant shortcoming of social media campaigns - it is easy to tweet from afar. To effect change in status quo bodies are often needed. In the case of the Boko Haram girls, bodies have been few in coming and the political has overwhelmed the humanitarian. Thus, over one hundred days after the abduction of these girls, the social media and political campaigns to bring back the girls seem to have gone cold. Where do we go from here?

Tax Scams at Douala International Airport in Cameroon

There are two forms of scams currently going on at the Douala international airport in Cameroon and both of them involves payments, apparently to the government of Cameroon. The first scam is what is called airport stamp fee of 10,000frs CFA by each passenger traveling from that airport. Now, when one buys a plane ticket, it is stated that taxes are included in the payment. However, this is not the case in Cameroon. Even though taxes are included when one buys a ticket to and from Cameroon or vice versa, the government of the country still charges additional tax at the airport. When this money is paid, one's boarding pass is stamped, as in the image below. This tax is not publicized and one only discovers it at the airport. What is the purpose of this tax and why is the tax not included in the air ticket? I have travelled through many airports around the world but it is only in Cameroon that this tax is levied. Why is this so? Is this not a scam?

Airport Stamp Tax at the Douala Airport

The second of these scams is actually the first in the order of traveling from Cameroon at the Douala international airport. Stationed at a point just before one enters the area where luggage is checked in, is a group of people who are said to be from the Ministry of Forestry. Their purpose, apparently, is to check the agricultural products one is taking out of the country. However, they do not actually check anything. They simply ask one to pay money. In my case, they asked me to pay 6,000frs CFA and I was given three sheets of papers, none of which showed how much I had paid. What is the purpose of this group of people and does the government know about the money they collect? Is one supposed to pay fees if they are leaving with an agricultural product, such as plantain or dried fish, from Cameroon? And why do these people not actually check the bags but only ask for money? Why do they not give receipts for the money they charge? This is another scam that happens at the Douala international airport in Cameroon.

Three sheets of papers given to me at the Douala Airport; none is a receipt

 

Wishing "Happy Ramadan" Is Smart Business Practice in Cameroon

In Cameroon wishing "happy Ramadan", as seen in the banner below, is smart and quite uncontroversial business practice. The banner wishing happy Ramadan to all below is an advertisement of the Orange phone company.

The banner wishing happy Ramadan to all is found at a street in Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé. Photo by flourishingafrica

The Sacred Mountain of the Vengo (Babungo) People of Cameroon

The Vengo or Babungo people of North West Cameroon believe that their origin can be located in the mountain pictured below. In the mountain is a waterfall from which the first Vengo people are believed to have sprung. The area is known as Forghai in the Vengo language. In the past the waterfall could be seen from a distance but today it seems to be drying up so that it is difficult to see it from a distance. The picture was taken by yours truly.

Nigerian Committed to Asylum for Being an Atheist

A Nigerian who said he is an atheist was committed to an asylum in northern Nigeria. He was released only because doctors went on strike for an unrelated reason. His relatives put him there because they apparently thought that a person who declares atheism is probably suffering from a mental problem. Tough!

Condoning Genocide in Africa

African leaders have various ways of extricating themselves from any harm they may cause their peoples while in power. Sometimes they concoct constitutions that explicitly says that they would not be held responsible for any action they took while in office, like Paul Biya has done in Cameroon. At other times, they just hang on to power until they die, making the whole question of answering for their actions moot. This time, however, it is the African Union that has taken a sweeping action intended to ensure the irresponsibility of leadership in Africa. The Assembly of the African Union (AU) has decreed that all sitting African leaders have immunity from prosecution against any genocide or war crimes they might commit. A group like the AU assembly that is made up of people of suspect political activities such as Paul Kagame, Omar al-Bashir, Paul Biya, Blaise Compaore, Yahya Jammeh, and Robert Mugabe, among others, can only come up with such convenient extrication for their crimes.