Cameroon - Atomba Tewgi Titus - 2014 Graduate
by Atomba Tegwi Titus
submitted June 2019
Supporting Farmers in Times of Conflict
The sociopolitical crisis in Cameroon started in November 2016 with striking teachers and lawyers whose demands were not met by the government. The government was being accused of an attempt to assimilate the anglophones by gradually infiltrating the French culture and wiping off traces of the Englishman's culture. The government responded to the protests with a heavy hand by massive arrests of people carrying out peaceful demonstrations.
https://gyazo.com/e74a77d077a8835e494f4390875b5a90
Farmer's cooperative meeting
French Cameroon gained their independence in 1960 and English Cameroon got theirs in 1961 on the condition that they would either join the federal republic of Nigeria or the republic of Cameroon as two federated states with equal status. In a 1961 referendum, the English voted to join with French Cameroon because a third option was not given to them by the United Nations, which was the supervisory authority. The union of French and English Cameroon was a probationary union that would be confirmed after 25 years; however, before the 25 years ended, the French violated many things agreed to in the federal constitution.
Since the government took military action against English speaking regions of Cameroon in September 2017, many people have been killed, children raped, houses burnt, people fleeing to neighboring Nigeria, others are internally displaced, and children not going to school.
The English separatists have also murdered military persons as they make advances towards civilians in villages. Several roadblocks have made movement very difficult even for farmers who are struggling to feed the nation. The government sometimes institutes a curfew in the North West Region, which has crumbled several business initiatives and made tax recovery a very difficult exercise for the state revenue collectors. It is not my wish to show horrible images of casualties of the crisis but rather to say that after everything, God is in control of our situation.
https://gyazo.com/51327eeb12a3910387511d65ebed3d02
Widikum oil press project
The Widikum Oil Press Project initiated by the pig cooperative and sponsored by some Dutch partners in the heart of the Dinku forest has now been deserted because of the crisis. Several similar projects have crumbled like this one as people escape to find refuge elsewhere.
https://gyazo.com/99ef3075042b2f9c0d3c83a069bee548
Farmer's recieving pig feed in Bawock
As a rural community leader, my first role was to identify what was not working and to see how we can push forward with what is available. The village community of Bawock (which is the heart of the pig cooperative) was deserted, allowing the burden of feeding the pigs to a few die-hard farmers. A Dutch girl named Djouke led a project called "A Pig From Djouke" that gave 10 bags of feed to the few farmers who could bare the risk of coming to collect the feed. These farmers prayed for journey mercies before departure, as they feared they were not safe traveling back to Bawock. With these few bags of feed, we could support the lives of many people.
https://gyazo.com/d24eccfeeed8f1161beb4352034f82fa
Farmers returning safely with the feed
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