Thoughts on Nelson N. Mokum's "The Cameroon of Tomorrow " - inspired by Christopher Fomunyoh

By Innocent Chia

Over the last couple of months Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh has been crisscrossing the globe answering questions on his vision and presidential ambitions for Cameroon as contained in a publication that compiles his interview extracts with the local and international press. The bilingual publication, with English and French versions to reflect Cameroon's colonial bilingual heritage, combine for 212 pages of sometimes complementary reading. Published in 2013 by Editions Veritas in Douala, Cameroon, the compilation is a first by Nelson Mokun, a national journalist who gained the permission of Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh to publish. Christopher Fomunyoh (PhD) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) for International Affairs, at which he is the Regional Director for West and Central Africa, became household names in Cameroon after the contentious presidential election results in Cameroon in 1992. The following are highlights of the thoughts harped on by Christopher Fomunyoh and the publication itself.

1) Cameroonian youth must not despair, however short the current leadership comes up. This recurrent theme in his interviews not only endears him to this segment of voters, it is a clear delineation from the current regime and its policies that are tilted towards preserving power for a generation that would rather bury the future before it hands over power.

2) Christopher is a consummate retail politician with a great understanding of the needs of different target groups. It is made clear as he effortlessly addresses issues in both official languages - English and French in Cameroon - so as to not affect (as in watering down or misrepresenting), his message from one language to another. This quality is also made manifest in his love for town hall meetings with Cameroonians of all political and linguistic leanings in cities across Africa, Europe and the United States of America. At these venues, he typically has an open exchange with the audience and learns as much from his audience as he is willing to share his thoughts.

3) He is a practical person who is ready to work with other stakeholders across the board to bring solutions to the myriad of problems that Cameroon is facing. This is both evident in the category of politicians he bedevils and particularly those in the civil society that he embraces. Among those he distances without equivocation are the Biya zealots who have a proven track record of mismanagement over the last four and half decades.

4) While recognizing the huge Cameroonian human resource pool at home, there is recognition on the power of the Cameroonian Diaspora and how its collective experience must be leveraged in the rebuilding of Cameroon according to Dr Fomunyoh. It is perhaps the reason why his message is meeting with such popularity in town hall meetings across the United States, and in African and European capitals.

5) Quite naturally, "The man in his words" is comfortable in his skin when navigating issues of diplomacy and Cameroon's relationships with international, regional and non-regional partners. It is a comfort that is explained by his longevity at the National Democratic Institute and in his capacity as in charge of Central and West African issues. It is a position that gives him access to the jurisdiction and authority to explain away, to US lawmakers and other international bodies, what is going on in Central and West Africa and why that may be so.

Shortcomings?
While this book is a collective of Christopher Fomunyoh's thoughts expressed at one point or another on a range of issues, they are far from policy prescriptions and more of a segmented compilation of criticisms against a regime with an abysmal record of failure in just about every area of human governance. Critics of the endeavor may therefore feel emboldened in asking in what ways the book fundamentally adds to a wry political discourse that is replete with vitriol and wantonly lacking in impactful substance.

There is also a question about the French section of the publication. Is it a true translation of the original texts from English into French or is it an independent version of interviews conducted by French speaking news outlets with Christopher Fomunyoh? This is especially the case when one considers that the last two interviews (Pages 91 - 109) on the trial and imprisonment of the former Secretary General at the Presidency, Marafa Hamidou Yaya. Both interviews in French are not contained in the English version of the publication. Even more important, are these innocent discrepancies symptomatic of the larger cultural and historic arguments bolstering clamors for secession by an informed and ever increasing number of Southern Cameroonians?

Without a doubt, "The Cameroon of tomorrow - The man in his words" - successively captures and capsules the thoughts of a concerned citizen of Cameroon who envisions a path for his motherland that is a volte-face from the current route. Whether or not it is sufficient to overcome the isms that the interviewee points out are instituted by suppressive regimes to keep his likes out of contention is a question for another day. It could also certainly constitute fodder for a debate on whether a leader like Christopher Fomunyoh is under any obligation to opine on a recourse to oust a dictatorship, other than by the ballot box.