The first meeting was held the last Wednesday, 8^th March 2013. It took origin from the need felt by the youth group to tackle controversial issues concerning human rights and religion. Often human rights in Cameroon are considered evil by religious communities, because they are seen as being in contrast with fundamental religious dogmas. A common belief in some denominations in Cameroon is that any Christian is bounded by what the bible provides – considering all the rest forbidden, irrespective of what the rest is. It doesn’t matter if a new trend is established, if it was not provided within the holy scriptures, it means it was meant to be forbidden. This attitude is reflected in any aspect of their lives. Therefore, human rights is seen as an enemy. One of the most common examples is the condemnation of homosexuality, which runs against the freedom of sexual orientation. GCI’s staff will start a series of meetings for discussing such issues and teaching basic notions about human rights. The future workshops aim to approach such issues in a critical way, providing the chance to listen to different voices and make up our own ideas in a peaceful and well-informed environment. Sometimes religion seems in conflict with human rights and sometimes it is possible to find an adaptive reading which allows religion to fit in with the new situation of a changing world. This is possible only by approaching our personal beliefs critically.

The first meeting aimed to test the knowledge on human rights of the participants in order to better prepare the future workshops and to give a brief introduction on these concepts. The seminar was divided into 3 parts. During the first part, the movie “pray the devil back to hell” was projected to show what great changes can brought by the union between religion and human rights. In fact, this film documents a peace movement called Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace and testifies the cohesion between Christian and Muslim women, who, for the first time, join their strength together to pray for peace and to organize nonviolent protests. Their movement led to the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first female president in an African country. The second part was  a quiz that tested the awareness of the audience by asking them to identify different human rights. The third and final part was a lecture giving examples of several human rights provided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Future workshops will be held on more specific issues affecting young people in their every-day lives.

International Interns (from top left to bottom right) Jessica Russell, Max Perry-Wilson, Lea Barbezat, and Giorgia Testoni interviewing council members in Bombe Bakundu.

On the 3^rd April, CAM’s team visited Mofako Bekondo to hold a sensitisation workshop on responsibility and participation. This workshop was part of the second component of the CAM project, the sensitisation series, which aims to introduce or refresh participants on various topics in a one-off workshop. Several members of the Traditional Council attended the workshop, many of whom were active participants, asking a large variety of questions and making many suggestions.

CAM’s staff doing an icebreaker with Mofako traditional council

The workshop was broken down into three topics: the importance of participation for all members of society, the benefits that an increase in participation can bring (in terms of problem-solving and solidarity), and the important relationship between participation and responsibility, particularly for those in positions of authority.

Once these theoretical issues had been explained, CAM’s team gave advice on the ways to translate these ideas into actions. These simple practical steps included giving more space to community members to join the decision-making process, and giving fair consideration to all ideas and opinions, regardless of gender, tribe, age, etc. The group then finished by discussing the specific benefits that Mofako Bekondo could take from higher participation.

Participation and Responsibility in Mofako Bekondo

In addition to this the project has also been joined by two new interns: Lea Barbezat from Switzerland, and Giorgia Testoni from Italy. Both Giorgia and Lea took part in the Mofako workshop and are actively involved in our work in Bombe Bakundu. In the coming months CAM’s team will expand the sensitisation series to further communities around Kumba, while continuing to monitor its success in communities like Mofako, where the project is already established.

GCI is really thankful to Bombe Bakundu’s Women Group for the invitation!

About the Mbonge Tribe:

The Mbonge Tribe is spread over Mbonge land in 44 villages across Konye and Mbonge sub-divisions of the Meme Division in the Southwest region of Cameroon.

Subsistence and cash crop farming are the predominant economic activities of the people making the Mbonge land the “Bread Basket” of Meme Division in particular and the Southwest Region in general. The Mbonge tribe is the most populous indigenous tribe in Meme Division.

To learn more about the Mbonge Tribe or about GCI’s activities in Mofako Bekondo send us an email at info@gci-cameroon.org, or leave a comment below.

If you are interested in either of these events and want more information please contact us on info@gci-cameroon.org or call us at (237) 33 75 56 27

Amnesty International Cameroon Report

Over the past week GCI has been busy promoting and celebrating International Human Rights Day. In collaboration with other human rights promoters from around Kumba, GCI organised a large, activity-filled programme spread across three days.
On Friday (7^th Dec) GCI hosted a ‘drinks ‘n discuss’ session, attended by local activists and members of the public. In two separate groups lively discussion ensued, which centred on this years theme of equal participation in public and political life.

Witchcraft foiled Saturday’s (8^th Dec) plans for a move night and discussion session where the group was planning to watch the movie Pray the Devil Back to Hell. Unfortunately a power outage throughout Kumba rendered our projector unusable and our plans unworkable and so the film was rescheduled for Monday (10^th), D-Day.

After a brief rest on Sunday, all the Human Rights promoters from around Kumba came together to host an event on Monday at the Kumba City Hall. From noon onwards there was a series of informative talks and presentations, some very inspirational poems and performances from local high school human rights group, and the belated movie, all watched and listened to intently by an audience from across Kumba. The event also welcomed the presence of the Senior-Divisional Officer for Meme Sub-Division (the local big man, for those that don’t speak bureaucracy) as well as other members of the local administration. GCI hopes to develop these links with the administration further to create a new, healthy relationship that can benefit all of Kumba.

In the evening GCI rounded things off with a Radio Show on Lake Site Radio recapping on the weekends events and activities and promoting the importance of the day and of human rights in general.

Special thanks should be given to everyone who took part in the event, and to some generous sponsors around Kumba, whom without which our events would not have been possible.  

 CAM’s team with Mofako Bekondo’s Traditional Council

 The workshops were part of the new CAM series of ‘Sensitisation Workshops’ that aim to summarise the key themes that GCI promotes across a two hour period, and introduce or refresh communities to the larger CAM’s curriculum.Coinciding with our new arrivals is the opening of the new intern flat! Watch this space for photos.

The CAM project has also been undergoing a period of renewal and restructuring before a planned expansion next year. Everything is now set up to enter 2013, and GCI is optimistic that it can achieve its goals.Finally GCI would like to apologise for the technical difficulties that have occurred on the website over the past month. We hope that this issue is now behind us and we can continue to keep you updated with all of our work.

For the past two weeks, Global conscience Initiative welcomed the presence of 08 interns from the University of Buea. The said students are from the Faculty of Social and Management sciences and from the department of Sociology and Anthropology/the department of Women and gender studies/Law. They are Mebune Glory, Emade Ivis, Ebude Gwen, Morfaw Olive, Iranus Emeka, Ogork Maglinette, Tienang Carine and Mbi Pauline Egbe.

On their first week of internship, they did read over all works carried out in the office. That is the past and present programs of Global Conscience Initiative. They also received complaints from those whose rights have been violated and reported to our office. Video teaching on Human Rights like the film “Rabbit proof fence” was projected for them to become aware when Rights as humans have been violated. “Pray the devil back to hell”, is a gender based violence video about Liberian women who fought for their rights. Their first week was characterized with the interns writing their motivation letters to the Executive Director of GCI, expressing why and how they chose to intern in GCI, including also their expectations for the internship in GCI.

To begin with the progress made by both Traditional Councils as of now one could but give them a passed mark and much encouragement particularly with the in flock of cases before their Councils. They have both prevent to have understood what was deliver to them concerning the treatment of issues table before them par tending to Human Rights. They follow almost all the various steeps to be applicable during a mediation process between parties. There are some clear indications of transparency and equal participation in the mediation process by both the complainant and the respondent. Equal opportunity is given to each individual to air out his/her views as concerning the matter between them where appropriate solutions are often given by the Councilors of both Councils.

As concern the composition of both councils, one as of now can comment to an extern only on that of Mbalangi Traditional Council. We discover that out of about eighteen councilors that makes up the Council, one could fine the presence of persons of different tribal groups such as a Bangwa Indigent and the presence of a Francophone and maybe some other persons from other tribal groups that did not come to our notice. With regard to the composition of the Traditional Council of Mofako-Bekondo, all we notice is an increase in the presence of women as Councilors from one to least three. As to whether it comprises people of different tribes, we claim our ignorant but put as a challenge to the staffs of GCI or any other intern after us to open an investigation for that since it will also be of great help to us when writing. We must also testify that we have not been opportune to witness a case put before this Council which is treated in its entirety and the verdict pass. Most of their maters within the two trips we made there were often adjourned for one reason or the other (Mofako-Bekondo). That not withstanding, it always commence on a good footing with the putting in place of the appropriate rules guiding mediation.

Keeping apart the positive commence identify in the progress of the both Traditional Councils, we however identify certain lapses which call for more emphases to be laid on for adjustment or rectification. The first of which is the nature of the environment in which courts seating often takes place. Most of the time is too noisy not exactly by passerby but by people who come to follow up the mediation process. We challenge the Councilors to keep their messengers alert and why not some little sanctions given to those found disturbing. This goes particularly to the Mbalangi Traditional Council where a true environment for mediation is still lacking. We are all aware that courts environments are expected to be as calm as graves yard talk less of a mediation process.

Furthermore the treatment given to the parties (complainant and respondent) before the council is not humanlike. Keeping a person up for the whole mediation process does not show any signs for the respect of human rights. We are commenting here with regard to what we saw at the Mbalangi Traditional council on the very first Council seating we attended. The provision of a seat at times only to one person goes again some of the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Section 7 of this document talk of the equality of all before the law without any discrimination. Providing a seat only for one party is already an indication of impartiality at the beginning of the process and maybe this will go right up to the final to be pronounced be the mediators. As such we recommend that seats should be provided for both parties seeking for good solutions before our local councils.

Another point of attraction is the exorbitant amounts often ask to pay by the defaulting party at the end of the mediation proceedings brought before these Traditional Councils. It should be moderate so that any person paying will do it with even a smile in his or her face and to be able to maintain a friendly relation with the person who leaves the Council shudders high.

Also the idea of forcing people to join this or that Association is against the free liberty given each person even by nature to do what pleases him or her and maybe face the consequences later. Consider the wordings of section 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which almost every State as of today is applying. Freedom to associate is one of the fundamental rights of every human being to choose who or which Association to associate with.

To crown it all, youth’s participation or presence amongst the over eighteen Councilors that makes up the Mofako-Bekondo traditional Council is not encouraging. Aren’t they the people to take over from their elders when they must have been of age? if that be the case, then they should be involve in the whole process from its early stage of conception else it might be too late.

Further Recommendations

The teaching of the different generations of human rights as categorized by the two Conventions that immediately followed the UNDHR is of great importance. That is the UN Convention on Civil and Political rights, Economic, Social and Cultural rights not forgetting the Solidarity rights which was later on added. Does the appellation today of the First, second and third generations of Human Rights rights. This later generation talks of the rights to a clean environment, development etc. With this known to all the members of the different community, any topic to elaborate on be it on corruption, good governance, gender equality, prisoner’s rights or on transparency and accountability, we will be able to link it to which category of rights is exactly in question.

More emphasis should also be laid on the issue of bail which as of today is free in Cameroon. What might be disturbing is getting some one who could accept to stand as a surety even though money at times maybe demanded or collateral security which is supposed to be refunded to the surety immediately he or she presents the person in question before the examining magistrate, state counsel or any other judicial authority when required. This could be verified under Section 224(1) reading along side with Sec. 232 of the criminal procedure Code. However, it shall not be granted to any person charge with a felony punishable with life imprisonment or death penalty Sec.224 (2) of the very code.

A talk should also be elaborated on abortion which is permitted given the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy or the health situation of the lady in question. You could see this under Sec.339 of the Cameroonian Penal Code or where the woman in question is rape and does not want such an illegitimate child. It should however be noted that the Roman Catholic Church is totally against such a provision and is like requesting for its revision saying that it is the Almighty alone who has the powers to do away with once life and no other person no matter the condition.

Without thinking of haven exhausted everything, I rest my commences at this level while extending much gratitude to the entire staff of Global Conscience Initiative for given me the chance to carry on my internship program under their Organization and for all they are doing in the promotion and protection of Human Rights in and around Kumba. I will be back God willing.

ASABA Cornelius N.
Master student in Law
(Uni. Dschang)