Making Mus'Art Gallery ecologically sound environment

Before Mus'Art Gallery was set up in December 1996, the yard was bare. There were no plants. Thanks to the sacrifices put in by Mrs. Paulina Muba Musa (1938 - 2010) Founder of Mus'Art Gallery, who passed away in February 2010. She embarked on ensuring that the yard had some beauty. She enjoyed gardening and horticulture so she actually went around looking for the plants, planting them herself and thereafter looking after the plants. Her effort was meant to make Mus'Art Gallery an ecological sound environment in its small location. She actually succeeded thus was able to grow the plants featured on this page at the museum's premises.

Mrs. Paulina Muba Musa 

Birds, butterflies, bees enjoy the plants. The noise from birds, nice breeze when the atmosphere seems to be stiff especially in the dry season makes the small backyard a fantastic relaxation area for museum guests. The area is also used for museum events. That was the space Mus'Art Gallery used for the international photographic exhibition "1000 PeaceWomen Across the Globe" it hosted in March 2007, becoming the first museum in Africa to host the exhibition. Mus'Art Gallery no doubt is highly indebted to her for greatly creating  a sense of environmental consciousness at the museum.

                                                                                        

My little brothers of the Cameroon Grass-fields

I enjoy moving about discovering new places and people. My travels within the grass-fields has taken me to several localities. Children continue to play an important role in those communities. They help their parents at home and in the family farmlands, attend school, enjoy playing, developing their creativity. In some villages I found children who have their own farms. Proceeds are used to pay their fees, thus helping their parents, who may not be able to do so. Imagine a polygamous parent with three wives and about seventeen kids. It really becomes difficult for such a child to be able to attend school if he or she does not find a way to raise the needed finances.

The children continue to group under exceptional difficult conditions. Poor water conditions, inadequate health infrastructures, living on particular staple food, etc. However government has been doing the best it can to ensure that each Cameroonian child goes to school. Each year, a lot of new public schools are created by government. Unfortunately some kids are still unable to benefit as their parents cannot afford to send them to school. Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Mission bodies, the local councils, village development associations are also doing their best to ensure a brighter future for these kids. They are assisting with potable water installations, providing medicines, paying school fees especially for orphans.

As I move around what interests me most is that the kids are happy. Creative activities make up most of their day especially during holidays. These boys really do enjoy their childhood days. The photos taken on my trips remind me of my childhood days. I did similar things with my brothers and friends just like my small brothers of the Cameroon Grass-fields. That is our heritage. These photos will constitute a photographic exhibition "Growing up in the Grass-fields" being planned in the future by Mus'Art Gallery.

Photos by Peter Musa

CREATE Directory of Arts and Culture Organizations active within CEMAC countries

Are you based in any of the following countries - Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, or Gabon? Are you involved with the arts and culture? Make sure you get listed in the CREATE Directory of Arts and Culture Organizations Active within Central Africa 2011 edition coming out soon. Share this information with friends and networks that you know might be interested. No entries to be accepted after the 20th August 2010. 

Contact: Peter Musa, Editor

E-mail: musapeter@gmail.com or createartsorg@yahoo.com

CREATE www.createinfo.net.ms

Slackening of entry conditions into Cameroon

By Peter Musa

We recently witnesed the government applauding herself over the liberalisation of various aspects of life in the country when like a lizard that fell from a tree it nodded its head saying "yes, I have done it!" This was in reaction to the U.S. Embassy's press release on the democratisation process in Cameroon. The recent slackening conditions for entry into Cameroon is one action for which the government has not got to blow its trumpet. The rationale behind this action not withstanding, many questions are left unanswered.

Yes, tourists will definitely come in with a lot of foreign exchange but at what cost to the nation? What in the absence of correct infrastructure and personnel  for the handling of such a volume of tourists as it is envisaged? Kimbi Game Reserve in the North West Province, has only one staff who is the conservator and there are no lodging facilities for tourists. How do we expect this lone worker to receive a hundred tourists alone? We should equally consider the impact on the environment of heavy tourism. How many of these countries from where we expect our tourists will grant entry visas at their at their ports of entry to Cameroonians? How sure are we that some of such tourists would be financially viable to sustain their stay in Cameroon? What becomes of a tourist at the port of entry that is refused entry into the country? Are we going to test these visitors for HIV as is done in some of these countries? Are we not opening our borders to fleeing criminals and drug traffickers? In the light of the above considerations, I believe it will be more honourable for us to remain in our poverty if the only way out would be to sell our country cheap to tourists.

The Herald No. 180

Monday February 20 - 22, 1995

Dr. Helen Marie Schimdt It saddens to bid you farewell

Tribute by Peter Musa, Director Mus'Art Gallery

20th September 2003

It behoves me to address this occasion which has come to sadden the hearts of all who have known our Dear Missionary Doctor, Sister, and Queen Mother who has lived with us for over thirty years today.

As a young Christian Missionary Doctor, you dedicated your life to God and offered to come over to Banso Baptist Hospital to contribute to the spreading of the gospel through the healing ministry. In this act, you braved the harsh and very hard conditions in a bid to serve humanity in a country and continent which was looked upon as primitive and refered to as "dark continent."

You came when the church in Cameroon was still in its infancy and at a time when basic health services were not generally available in the country. For all these years, you tirelessly worked very hard to bring health services closer to the people of Kumbo in particular and to Cameroonians in general. You also greatly contributed to the spiritual growth of many Cameroonian Christians and their families.

In an age of capitalism without a human face, you sacrified the wealth of your country for us. Who again will render us these sacrifices when Gold and Silver have become the Gods we worship? Who again will remind us that God is the real healer and that doctors and nurses, medicines and health technology are his agents and tools?  Who again will readilly accept to come, work and stay with a people being ravaged by the HIV/AIDS pandemic? Who again will consider moral principles, professional norms and work as demanded by Christian teachings? Who?

Though we regret missing you as we witness you retire from medical practice, we strongly believe that with the knowledge gained over the years from your rich professional background by numerous young Cameroonian and expatriate medical doctors and medical students, another Dr. Schimdt is in the making somewhere? But, when shall that Dr. Schimdt come back to BBH to replace you? Will the quest for money, earthly riches and comfort bypass passion and committment to serve humanity?

Out of your professional functions, we will for sure miss you in many circles. Let me mention a few here; In our individual homes and families where you were already part we pray that the bonds that tied us together will continue to remain strong. In our Church and Christian groups you were such an active member and we all enjoyed your maturity and dedicated service to God and to humanity. You also helped to mould up a lot of Cameroonian youths who without you could have been very desperate. What you did will always remain fresh in our memories. In our municipality you gained a lot of respect and admiration.  As a prominent figure of reference for your good works you will be remembed in our town's history books and in health records of our country which you dedicated your life to serve .

Finally in Nso' Kingdom where you remain a Queen for life, you will never retire. We would have loved that you remain here with us in order to enjoy and fully execise your royal functions.

Thank you for your great sacrifice, we know things did not move on so smoothly the way you would have wished at times. That are human short comings and makeup life. We thank God for standing by your side and guiding you all through so that you could live to get a befitting retirement we are all witnessing today. We admire and love you. We will always remember and miss you. We will pray for you and wish you well. One thing I must tell you now is that your foot prints are visible and we shall strive to follow your steps in whatever we do.

Thank you oncemore for dedicating your life to come this long way to contribute to God's healing ministry in Cameroon. 

A paper presented by Peter Musa, Director of the Musa Heritage Gallery on the occasion of the awards of certificates of excellence to meritorious sons and daughters of Nso on the 14th January, 2003

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me first of all congratulate the Nso Voice for conceiving this excercise that is gradually becoming a huge annual event that is attracting people of all walks of life to Kumbo the capital of Bui. It is my humble opinion that you yourself more than deserve the award of the most illustrious son of Bui via your news medium not only to Cameroon but to the entire world community. May I also thank you for giving me this opportunity to address the meritorious laureates and to tell the entire Bui populace how I feel about the awards.

Ladies and Gentlemen when one attends an award ceremony, the first thing you want to know is what have the laureates done to deserve such an appraisal. We in Bui have always raised these questions and found it hard to determine who should receive what for what development project that has helped to advance Bui in the eyes of the national and international community.

From the list of candidates for the present awards though they merit it, it is becoming more and more elitists, which is what I want to dwell in this paper.

The Bui elite has been viewed for the longest time possible as self-seeking and as agents of under-development. I can see people wince and steer in their seats after this statement but you should be patient and you will understand where I am coming from.

The very hard core of our elites live and invest out of the division. The answer they readily give you when challenged for this is that there is no market or money in Bui. This is not true else the Ibos and Bamilikes would not be rushing here to invest. The Bui elite believes that he ceases to be such if he retires to his division of origin. Our elites own the best houses in different divisions where they have settled. The locals only have the inglorious business of burying them when they die and are brought back to the shacks they inherited from their parents or they fill the mission burial grounds. Those who have retired from active service are equally ashamed of their humble homes and find it difficult to bring their families for holidays for they do not have where to keep them. There is a joke that runs around here to this effect:- what is supposed to be a Nso Development Association (NSODA) is mockingly described here in Bui as Bamendada. The reason is not far to fetch. Those running the organisation are mainly elites who minimise the efforts of the locals who are responsible for the on-the-spot development of the division. The external elite regroup to fight for positions in government when they are appointed and only come home for endorsement.

I have deliberately painted a gloomy picture of the Bui elite not to besmear them but on the contrary to call on those who are still in active service to avoid the pitfalls of their forbears. Let us copy from the Bamilikes, they have learnt and are developing their region.

Permit me ladies and gentlemen to make a special comment on H.E. Christopher Nsahlai's "Common Platform for the Development of Bui", though viewed as a ploy to win votes for his C.P.D.M party, it is however a praiseworthy project that should be emulated by every political party and every son and daughter of Bui. Ours is still a nascent democracy and we should learn to throw our weight behind whorever while still in this dispensation for the sake of development of our division. We can trail Mr. Nsaihlai in every village in Bui for the little contributions he made. He is not the first son of Bui to be nominated as Minister but we can say without fear or favour that he will be remembered for a long time for his short stay in government. I would independently have nominated him for this award.

May I also say here to conclude that, The Nso Voice should look around Bui and he will find many laureates, amongst clergymen, teachers, businessmen, farmers, transporters, farmers, builders etc. The afore-mentioned through their daily endeavours keep on contributing to the development of Kumbo, Nso and Bui in general. let us look at a typical case: the up-springing buildings on the roadside from Squares to Mbve. This is a tireless struggle of our looked-low upon Kumbo based businessmen. It is they who in their collective initiatives to develope Kumbo go unnoticed. This is a heritage they are building for posterity. They and the others mentioned above have in my humble opinion made Bui what it is today and should not be forgotten.

Congratulations once more to the laureates who have truly merited their awards. It is our prayer that from your subsequent works for the development of our dear Bui Division, you should again figure as nominees for subsequent awards.

"Ask not what your country has done for you but what you have done for your country" Abraham Lincoln.

Tragedy Hits CBC Health Board

By Peter Musa

The Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) Health Board, one of Cameroon's oldest, most efficient and major provider of health services since the start of this year, has been hit by tragedies.

First Tragedies:

It all started when a CBC Health Board team returning from Bafoussam where the CBC recently established a health centre had a motor accident onthe 17th January 2000. The six health workers who were in the jeep transporting them sustained minor injuries and survived the mishap. Memories of this tragic event were still fresh in the minds of the hundreds of CBC Health Board workers while the wounds of those involved in the accident were yet to fully heal when not up to three weeks after, another CBC Health Board team got involved in another car accident. The team of four from Mbingo Baptist Hospital (MBH) survived the accident.  MBH founded as a leprosy hospital is today a public health facility with various departments and operates the CBC New Hope Leprosy resettlement village.

Two Pioneers Exit:

The month of April was the most tragic in the life of the CBC Health Board. First came news of the death of former Cameroon Baptist Mission (CBM), United States missionary sister Margaret Kittlitz as the month began. Kittlitz , a nurse worked with the CBM from 1944 to 1954. She was amongst the team of North American Baptist missionaries that took over control of the small health facility which has now grown up to be known as the Banso Baptist Hospital (BBH) from the British colonial administration in 1949. It is from this institution that celebrated its Golden Jubilee about a year ago that the CBC Health Board was established. Sister Kittlitz died at 94 in the United States.

April 2000 quenched life untimely for CBC Health Board veteran driver. Pa Numfor Josiah, driver to one of the CBC Health Board's oldest vehicles (a land rover acquired in the 1970's) fell into a stream while crossing on a poorly constructed bridge and died.

Sun-set for Missionary Doctors:

On the 13th April 2000 Dr. Carl Elden Sandberg who also served with the CBC Health Board died from a heart attack at the age of sixty nine. He served in MBH for fifteen years. During this period, Dr. Sandberg was Chief Medical Officer of the hospital and the representative of his home mission, the Baptist General Conference (BGC). Before coming to Cameroon he also served as missionary doctor in Alaska and Ethiopia. Prior to joining BGC he worked for the United States Public Health Service in Anchorage, Alaska. He retired from the CBC Health Board in 1995. Prof. Tih Pius Muffih, Director of Health Services CBC Health Board, described him as "an excellent and competent surgeon." Prof. Tih revealed how Dr. Sanberg became a missionary doctor. He said Dr. Sandberg's key bible verse was Isaiah 6:8 "Then I heard the voice saying, whom shall I send and who shall go for us?" The Dr. and Mrs. Sandberg said "Here we are, send us."

Dr. Laura and Dr. Ruby, Inseparable friends united in faith and service for Africa's Health Care die in ghastly accident

The major catastrophe, which has caused a big vacuum in the the CBC Health Board, is the motor car accident of Wednesday 19th April 2000, which took away the lives of two inseparable missionary doctors. Dr. Laura E. Edwards and Dr. Ruby N. Eliasion died in a ghastly motor car accident at the Rom rocks while going for a field supervision trip to Ngang LAP Post in Mbem, Nwa Sub Division. The CBC Health Board operates the Mbem Baptist Health Centre and some Life Abundant Programme (LAP) Posts in this area. The team was traveling in a land rover cited above.

According to one of the survivors, Pastor Ngoh David, who works with LAP in an eye-witness account revealed all he could remember was the shout by one of the doctors who was in front "Joe. Take care!" The driver responded "What can I do now. My steering is cut." After this the vehicle started rolling on the rocks and after two stumbling, Pastor Ngoh in his testimony said "It was as if the land rover was raised higher in the air, after this instance the vehicle continued on high speed and by God's grace it was halted by a tree. At this point, all the six occupants of the vehicle were flung out, as all the doors by this time were wide open. Unfortunately, doctors Laura and Ruby fell directly on the rocks." Pastor Ngoh, also a health worker injured his left arm with a fracture. He however did all he could, considering his physical shape, pains, trauma and lack of equipment and medicines to save the lives of the doctors. At the time of writing this article all four survivors of the accident are responding to treatment at BBH.

Both doctors had a particular interest in working both in Cameroon and India. During this final visit of theirs to Cameroon, they passed through Indiawhere they spent a week with their Indian friends and colleagues.

Dr. Laura was born on 31st January 1922 in India. She served in India for many years as a missionary doctor. She arrived to Cameroon on the 7th March 2000 and was to return home to Minnesota, USA on 2nd May 2000. Her interest to come to Cameroon was kindled in 1984 when Dr. Ruby Eliason with whom she worked in India invited her to come for a visit and to set-up a training programme for village birth attendants. She accepted and came. Since 1984, Dr. Laura has made fifteen trips to Cameroon and during this period trained over one hundred Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) for CBC health facilities. During this her last visit to Cameroon she showed a lot of interest in working towards the prevention of HIV transmission from mother to child and in conducting a refresher course for midwives. "She contributed greatly towards raising awareness and stimulating interest in many American doctors towards the work of the CBC Health Board," mentioned Prof. Tih. Dr Laura was a member of Helping Hands for Medical Missions (HHMM) an organisation which has been supporting the CBC Health Board LAP Programme to which Dr. Ruby and Dr. Laura were committed body and soul. Prof. Tih described her as "A teacher, a generous woman, and a loving mother. She loved village women and devoted all her last fifteen years helping to reduce maternal deaths and infant mortality."

Born on 10th April 1923 in Robsart, Canada, Dr. Ruby worked as Principal of Nursing School in India before joining LAP shortly after its establishment in 1982. Her major role recently was developing a curriculum for the training of health personnel using modules. She was chair of this curriculum committee and the course director. "The future of this programme for Cameroon and Central African region is bleak, very uncertain," Prof. Tih lamented. Her other interest of late was the development of rural communities using their own traditional believes and wisdom. Talking about Dr. Ruby, Prof. Tih stated that he was a member of his doctoral committee and was very helpful. He described Dr. Ruby as "A scholar and a teacher. Her loss is like a library set on fire."

On behalf of the CBC Health Board, Prof. Tih during a memorial service organised on Good Friday 21st April, 2000 for the three doctors started by expressing the grief and sorrow of the CBC Health Board. "We are mourning like soldiers whose colleagues are missing in action" he told hundreds of CBC Health Board personnel, CBC Christians and missionaries, government officials and friends of the CBC Health Board that turned out massively for the requiem.

What future for CBC Health Board?

The CBC Health Board with a total work force of more than five hundred with two hospitals, a separate central pharmacy department (to cater for the drug needs of the different health institutions run by the CBC), twenty health centres and with more than thirty four LAP Posts is a true health network covering all two Anglophone provinces and is building her presence in the Adamaoua, Centre, West and Littoral which are Francophone provinces. The challenges awaiting the CBC Health Board are enormous. There is the growing need for personnel increase and staff training, infrastructural development, medical equipment and drug supplies, the list inexhaustible. The CBC Health Board institutions scattered as illustrated above offer many challenges. The road network is poor in many areas so as lack of electricity/water which is unavailable and telephones do not connect all CBC Health Board services/institutions.

With the passing away of such dedicated CBC Health Board staff the challenges become much heavier. To this effect, a call for prayers for this health network in Cameroon was prime at the requiem.

The CBC Health Board can be contacted by writing to:

The Director of Health Services

CBC Health Board

P.O.B 9, Kumbo

NWP, Cameroon

4th May, 2000

Re: Human Rights Abuse: Shouldn't the Nwerong be banned?

By Peter Musa

After having read your editoria of Monday 17 - 18th July, 2000 issue no. 933, I was left in doubt about your knowledge of Nso traditional institutions. However, your editorial was no surprise to me as well as to the multitude Nso men and women who do not blame you for being ignorant of Nso traditional institutions but feel that you can, through your media organ, bring disrespect to a people, their beloved leader and institutions such as the Nwerong. In the said editorial, you made no distinction between the paramount ruler of the Nso people and the regulatory society Nwerong.

In Cameroon, Nso has remained one of the few places where, in the face of modernity, traditional values and institutions command respect within and outside the country.  No honest and law-abiding Nso man shall ever put the authority of Nwerong to question. D.K. Musa in "Nso Traditional Sculpture" indicates that the "The limitations to the omnipotent powers of the fon in Nso society are excercised by the Nwerong society".

The Fon cannot have his way in everything; his rule is therefore, only legitimate when it receives the endorsement of Nwerong, which is a regulatory society". To buttress this, Tamara Northern in the Royal Art of Cameroon - The Art of the Bamenda-Tikar states that "The regulatory society is the agency of social control and law enforcement in the the kingdom. Together with the fon, it guards and maintains the mores and values of the kingdom as they have been established by the ancestors. But while the fon embodies the traditional belief and values as an ideal exponent, the regulatory society implements and enforces them. It is therefore likened to the executive arm of government. Its purview includes all levels of civil and criminal justice, as well as the quotidian tasks of guiding and enforcing socially normative behaviour in the kingdom".

How then do you challenge and refer to Nwerong when it is carrying out its duties as terrorist? Could you kindly publish the namesof people to have dissapeared at the Nwerong premises as claimed in your editorial?

The Nwerong it should be noted knows no corruption or bad governance. Unfortunately, this traditional institution is a secret society, else I would have suggested that the Nso Nwerong organises seminars which would have benefitted other tribes in Cameroon and abroad especially Commonwealth and Francophonie countries to which our country belongs.

Is it the United States (world's modern democracy) that allows execution of the death penalty in many of the states or the fon of Nso (no record of having killed a single person) a human rights violator? Have you bothered to thin about the gross human rights violations meted out to our forbears by Europeans who took them away into slavery? What about Africa's chance of hosting the 2006 World Cup which was recently denied? Was it not a clear case of human rghts violation in modern times?

In a democracy, traditional institutions and practicies are not condemned but are happily accepted as part of the society. Nso traditional institutions have a lot of experience in maintaining social order within the Nso fondom.

Cameroon is a state of law and culprits of human rights abuse should be brought before the courts rather than pointing fingers at Nso traditional institutions, His Majesty the Fon of Nso and to the Nwerong.

The Herald No. 937
Wednesday 26 - 27 July, 2000

African IT Professionals form Pan-African Federation

By Peter Musa

African Information Technology (IT) professionals that attended the annual African IT forum at St. John's College, Cambridge, UK from throughout Africa have decided to co-operate in creating improved training and other IT standards in the region.

The main highlight of the conference was the repeated calls by three prominent IT professionals from Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya for the creation of the African Information Systems Federation. Delegates unanimously adopted the the proposal which states that the federation will be "chartered with the responsibility of promoting professionalism in the information systems industry throughout Africa." The Federation will also seek to link IT professionals throughout the continent, either via the national professional bodies or directly when such bodies do not exist. The Federation would also assist in the  establishment of such bodies wherever needed.

The proposal was sponsored by Dr. Adebayo Akinde, first Vice President of the Computer Association of Nigeria; Peter Davies, President of the Computer Society of South africa; and Dr. John Onunga, Chairman of the IT Standards Association of Kenya. Dr. Akinde while proposing the the formation of the federation, emphasised that it was vital to focus on achievable objectives so that Information Systems (IS) practioners throughout the region could immediately gain benefits from the the organisation. "For that reason it would concentrate initially on developing descriptive standards of various information systems job categories in Africa. These descriptive standards will cover the entry level knowledge, appropriate training, education and experience levels that are required for competence in a number of specific IS jobs." The three proposers will form the Federation's convening committee and are planning an initial open meeting next year to discuss the formulation of other achievable objectives. Representatives from professional associations in all African countries will be invited to attend. Meanwhile Dr. Akinde has been asked to co-ordinate the meeting.

The African IT Exhibitions & Conferences (AITEC), who hosted the IT forum has offered to act as a secretariat for the federation. Sean Moroney, AITEC's Chief Executive and Publisher of Computers & Communications in Africa said, "we are very pleased with this development." Moroney continued, "for a long time now we have been aware of the urgent need to develope regional co-operation in order to increase IT standards, lobby governments for better IT policies and promote IT education. It is very gratifying to have this initiative grow out of AITEC's annual IT forum and we will do our utmost to make our resources available for the effective growth of the federation. The fact that it is an initiative backed by key people from professional bodies in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa means that it already has Pan-African participation and commitment."

The theme for this year's African IT forum was, "IT for Sustained Development in Africa" and over20 presentations were made on management and strategy issues related to computing and telecommunications in Africa. The over 100 delegates that turned up for the conference came from Kenya, India, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zambia, the Netherlands, Gambia, Sweden, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Denmark, Sierra Leone, France the UK and the USA. The Forum was preceded by a one-day E-mail workshop attended by 50 practitioners from Africa and around the world who shared information on their local telephone tariffs with other African countries, and then had practical e-mail demonstrations. Managers attending this year's forum were thoroughly briefed by the UK's National Computing Centre.

IT professionals in Cameroon are yet to recognise the important role the annual event plays as none of them have so far participated in any of the Forums. In any case, it is hoped that they shall take advantage of this annual come together of Africa's top IT professionals by attending the 1995 conference scheduled for 20 - 22 September 1995 in Cambridge. "Feedback from the delegates was that Cambride was an ideal venue and that they would prefer to travel to the UK. In many cases it is cheaper to travel to the UK than from West to East Africa, for example," said Moroney.

It should be noted that AITEC is a driving force in the promotion of IT across Africa. Each year, it organises conferences and exhibitions on IT in many African countries. This year, there have been AITEC events in Namibia, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. As from 12 - 14 October 1994 it organised Africa's biggest ever computer networking exhibition and conference in Johannesburg. Over 8,000 visitors were expected to visit NetWorld Africa - the exhibition, while 400 delegates from throughout Africa were expected to attend LANdaba - the conference.

The Herald No. 151

Thursday October 27 - 30, 1994

The Internet welcomes Kumbo to the information super highway

By Peter Musa, Director Musa Heritage Gallery (Mus’Art Gallery)

Country correspondent (Cameroon) Computers + Telecommunications in Africa Magazine.

Now that Kumbo has gone into the information superhighway (information society) with the arrival of the Internet, it becomes very obvious for the inhabitants of this growing urban town to be informed on what the Internet is all about. As guest editor for this edition of Nso Voice, I bring to light what the Internet is all about and what opportunities are in store for the Kumbo inhabitants as they start acquainting themselves with the Internet.

Internet is about modern communication. We are living in an age of communication, an era where communication technology has developed with a lot of rapidity until we have finally arrived the age of digital communication. "Internet, among other services is the center of modern digital communication. In particular, the World Wide Web (WWW) has become one of the most popular ways of communication around the world" according to the Korea UNESCO Youth center.

Before I Proceed, there is one point, which I want to bring to light. Lots of names refer to the Internet and are being used over the world today. These include the information super highway, Cyber world, digital world, the net, World Wide Web, virtual world etc. these names all refer to the same thing. As Kumbo is getting set to receive the Internet, let us not get confused by these many names.

In actual fact that there are countless opportunities waiting to be explored on the Internet. "The digital world of information networks opens up many opportunities. There is every reason to be optimistic. The new technologies are eliminating borders between cultures" as expressed by H.E Ms Suvi Linden, minister of culture Finland during the Asia- Europe Forum on Culture in the Cyber age in Kwongju Korea.

With the emergence of modern communication and the wind of globalization blowing across frontiers, the world has come to be known as the global village. Internet has traveled the very long and hard way to arrive Kumbo (all of you who knew what it meant to Internet offers vast opportunities for everyone. Look at practical examples:

Students will have a lot of educational resources at their disposal; opportunities to obtain scholarships for further education; the chance to make friends abroad, e-pals (pen pals), thereby learning from new cultures and contributing to world peace, and promoting cultural diversity, etc.; teachers will be able to have additional material to make teaching interesting and rich curriculum wise as well as the possibility to communicate with colleagues, be part of electronic discussion groups, or participate in conferences online. Research and career advancements will be wide open for you. Businessmen will be able to search for new market opportunities while producers (artisans and farmers) will be able to find markets for their products in what is known today as electronic commerce (e-commerce.). Professionals such as doctors, nurses, clergy, accountants, engineers, journalists, jurists, etc. will be able to get access to vital information of interest, the possibility to communicate with colleagues, be part of electronic discussion groups or even participate in conferences online. The opportunities in store are numerous and fascinating. You will be marveled!

Researchers, holidaymakers and tourists will have reason to choose to spend some time out here in Kumbo with the availability of the Internet. Travelers passing through Kumbo will surely stop by to check and reply to mails from family members and friends and loved ones. Kumbo stands to derive economic benefits.

If we were to conduct a statistical survey of how many Kumbo residents travel out of this country each year, with the entry of the Internet into this town, you will be puzzled, as the present figure will double or triple and this trend will continue in an upward ladder. Kumbo is also bound to receive more and more visitors when residents of this growing town start using the Internet in developing personal friendships, business and professional contacts.

For instance, your community newspaper, The Nso Voice, shall be able to have an online presence. This means that readership of The Nso Voice shall in the near future not be limited to Kumbo or Cameroon in general, but with the creation of an Internet site (online or web presence) shall be opened up to a wider readership spanning the entire globe. At the moment, two of Kumbo based organizations OFFICE PRO, CIG (Information Technology) and Mus’Art Gallery (Arts and Culture NGO) already have Web sites of theirs. This implies that these organizations are already taking great advantage of the new information and Communications Technology (ICTs) of our times as provided by the Internet while promoting their activities and services to a global or international audience. As soon as organizations in Kumbo start developing websites of theirs, Kumbo will be positively contributing to the globalization process, which has become the order of the day. The people in this growing town have a commitment to work very hard to promote Kumbo-based organizations and our town to a wider audience for the common good of our community through the Internet.

To conclude, there is every reason for the people of Kumbo both young and old to embrace the coming of the Internet. What else could open up Kumbo to the rest of Cameroon and the world than the Internet? H.E president Paul Biya in recent times has talked on the importance of the Internet. Multimedia centers are being installed in some schools for Cameroonian children to take advantage of the countless opportunities the Internet offers. The head of state personally went out to inaugurate the first two of such centers in the nation’s capital. Who then says a modern satellite Internet facility is not a big development to a growing urban town like Kumbo with no tarred roads, an analog phone network (old), a cellular phone network which is quite expensive for the ordinary man, poor nature of roads linking Kumbo to Bamenda, Foumban, or Nkambe etc.

Internet is at your doorsteps. Inhabitants of Kumbo this is the time to exploit your potentials. Everyone should embrace the Internet. Once you take advantage of the Internet and use the services it offers, you will be amazed how you ever managed to live without it. The coming of the Internet into Kumbo is a big partner to the development process of our town. It will not be fair for me to end this Guest Editorial without stating that every one living in Kumbo should be grateful to Mr. Edwin Binfon, the promoter of this mammoth project which has linked our town to the information super highway.

New Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

Paper presented by Peter Musa, Director of the Musa Heritage Gallery and Country Correspondent Computers + Telecommunications in Africa magazine on the occasion of the National Orientation Day 14th November, 2003 at the Government High School (GHS) Jakiri.

My paper as you are aware will centre on the New Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The industrial age was an era of the past and today our present generation is living in an age of information. The world's development is highly influenced by the flow of information. The technologically advanced countries of the north continuously have an edge over their counterparts of the south, as this region remains the world's poor or the have nots.

What are these New Information and Communication Technologies?

During the last decade a lot of advances have been achieved in the area that is now known as the New Information and Communication Technologies. These new ICTs range from satellite radio and television to digital phone networks, mobile phones, digital cameras, sophisticated digital copying and printing to the internet (digital or cyber world) to mention a few.

With satellite technologies, radio and television listeners and viewers are able to capture sounds or images from a wide spectrum of stations at ease without struggling to tune or search. This is done by a simple touch on the desired channel.

The global telephone industry is developing at a very rapid speed. Today, digital technology is widely used by telephone networks worldwide. Digital phone networks make telephone communication a lot easier. Once you dial a number your line goes through immediately, except the receiving phone is busy. Today thanks to digital technology mobile phones using satellite or relay stations/terminals have been developed. Jakiri is now connected to the world by phone and this makes it possible for persons from all over the country and abroad to make calls to their families, friends and colleagues in this town. On the other hand, the people of Jakiri can equally make calls to family members, friends and colleagues elsewhere both nationally and internationally. This in short means that Jakiri is already benefitting and making use of the new ICTs. With a digital phone network, people living in Yaounde, Douala and Buea for instance are able to link up to the Internet by connecting their phones to their computers. (I will talk about the Internet later on).

Digital cameras make it possible to snap photos, which could in the future be stored and modified on a computer. Such photographs could be printed in a photo laboratory processing such digital images or on a computer printer using ordinary or photographic paper. Nowadays sophisticated digital copying and printing makes it possible to print large volumes of documents within record time with a simple button touch. Books and other printed material are a lot easier to realise at cheap rates also. With such new technology these machines can do printing, folding and binding thus eliminating a lot of human output.

Internet is about communication. Internet is at the at the centre of modern digital communication, in particular the world wide web (www) has become one of the most popular ways of communication today. Other common names which are used to refer to the Internet are the information super-highway, cyber world, digital world, the net, world wide web, virtual world etc.

Internet and globalisation have gone a way to make the phrase "global village" which refers to our modern world a reality. These are someof the ways that the Internet facilitates communication.

1. Everyone who is interested can now have an electronic mail address commonly known as an email address. With an email address you can communicate with your friends, relatives, colleagues and business partners instantly from a computer. The person at the receiving end could respond immediately if he is online or connected at the moment the mail was sent or transmitted.

2. With Internet, net phone is possible. Imagine talking to your friends and family from a computer turned a telephone at a very low cost. In Yaounde or Douala using net phone costs about 300 frs CFA per minute to talk to someone abroad such as in the U.S.A or Europe.

3. Internet makes possible for you to visit millions of web sites covering every imaginable human endeavour from people to organisations, educational institutions to employment opportunities, business openings to multi-national corporations etc. My organisation, the Musa Heritage Gallery has a website of its own with a lot of information on the organisation and its activities as well as over 100 photographs. In addition, the Musa Heritage Gallery has several links on the Internet, which makes it possible for us to reach a global audience.

4. Students can use the Internet to gain admission into universities, obtain scholarship and make friends with other students abroad just to mention a few examples.

5. Teachers use it to gain additional material to make teaching interesting and rich curriculum wise as well as the possibility to communicate and be part of electronic conferences on topics related to their profession. Research and career advancement opportunities are wide open also for teachers who embrace the Internet as a modern working tool.

In summary, the Internet is a very useful tool for everyone irrespective of what you do. I encourage everyone present here to take the first step in fully embracing the new ICTs by taking a course in computer studies. Our government has already started to implement measures in this direction with the introduction of computer education  in some of our schools. Government should ensure that all our high schools are equiped with the necessary equipment, our teachers trained on the new ICTs so as to make computer education a reality in the Cameroon educational system.

Cultural Awareness: A 21st Century Agenda

By Peter Musa*

The 21st century has been described by many as the century In which culture shall be at the forefront of human ddevelopment. In this context culture is poised in helping to shape our lives and what we do. HeLena Vaz Da Silva, President and Director General of Centro National de Cultura,Portugal in Discoveries 11, multilingual edition 2000 throws more light on this. "The tendencies are clear. It is clear for example that informatio will be the most transacted good. It is clear that knowledge will be the main source of power. It is clear that environmental awareness will be the mark of the century. Above all, it is clear that culture will be the essential antidote against normalisation global society engenders".

Helena Vaz Da Silva advances her point on the subject, "The tendency is that in the coming years information will reach people whether they do anything for it to happen or not, and access to education will be generalised as the choices it offers multiply. Ecological awareness will also be shared by everybody, who will view it as a question of self-defence.

These objective tendencies, which are foreseeable, can however develop in favour or to the detriment of a better quality life. What will permit people to select the right information or the right training, and, above all, to use one or the other to establish values, aims and ideals, is culture".

It was therefore very symbolic for the World Bank to organise a meeting in Florence under the banner "Culture Counts" in the month of October 1999, a few weeks into the start of the 21st century. The World Bank which for many years never considered culture as an integral part of any meaningful developmental strategy by organising the Florence meeting, served as a big lesson to the numerous nations worldwide who too have for long paid little or no attention to culture. This meeting was also an eye-opener for the hundreds of international and multinational corporations who have also in the past neglected culture or considered culture as a low-keyed issue, of no relevance which did not merit their attention, assistance or funding.

Paving the way for Cultural Awareness, Action and Development:

As the year 2000 draws to an end, the year shall be remembered for the numerous meetings held at the international level touching on culture. The meetings this year are unprecedented with all classes of people involved with cultural issues participating.

Four major events were organised during the course of the year which will no doubt pave the way for cultural awareness, action and development in the 21st century. These are;

1. Meeting of Experts on Cultural Diversity at UNESCO, Paris 21 - 22 September, 2000.

2. International Conference on the Artist, Culture and Globalisation and the International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD) founding meeting 24 - 26 September 2000, Santorini, Greece.

3. International Network for Cultural Policy (INCP) fourth annual meeting 27 - 29 September, 2000, Santorini, Greece.

4. The World Summit on the arts and Culture 20 November - 3 December 2000, Ottawa, Canada.

11th December 2000

* The writer participated in the International Conference on the Artist, Culture and Globalisation and in INCD's founding meeting.

SAFEGUARDING NATIONAL CULTURES (Cultural Diversity and the Challenges of Globalisation)

By Peter Musa

Culture makes the difference in peoples as one discovers the nations of our world. This is portrayed in way of life, language, dressing, food, customs or traditional practices, arts and crafts, music, drama etc and through their past, ancestral worship or heritage. Culture helps to identify people, and promotes national pride. Governments the world over are increasingly putting in a lot of attention to the cultural sector in their individual countries. Supra-national organisations are also paying greater attention to the sector. International networks such as the Culturelink Network, International Network for Cultural Policy (INCP), the International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD), and initiatives by UNESCO are all examples that reflect consciousness to the world's cultural issues of today, the need to promote cultural diversity as we embrace globalisation and its challenges.

At our national cultural arenas we think about state institutions, government services and local structures such as public libraries, museums, centres for the arts and culture, departments responsible for heritage as well as institutions of learning which are devoted to the training of cultural workers. The enormous contribution made by private organisations and individuals all aimed at promoting the culture of the nation in different forms cannot be underestimated, these include some or all of the above as well as individual artists (painters, sculptors, craftsmen, creators, musicians, dancers, actors and dramatists etc) who produce the cultural services or products.  Efforts put in daily by art administrators, exhibition or stage designers, art agents, film directors, musical and film promoters in a relentless effort at bringing the cultural service or product to the market place also greatly contribute in safeguarding national cultures at the local, national or international levels.   

For instance in my home country Cameroon, there are many ancestral shrines which needs government's protection like the Mbum of the Adamawa province in the mountains of Nganda, the Nyem-Nyem of Galim-Tignere still in the Adamawa province in the Jim mountain, the Oku people of the North West province in Lake Oku, the Nso of the North West province in Kov-vifem and the Douala people of the Littoral province in their Ngondo River Shrine just to name a few. State run heritage institutions are practically absent at the local level in most of the country. At the provincial and national levels administrative services responsible for culture are to be found.  The national museum, national archives, national linguistic services  are found in the capital city Yaounde.  Provincial and municipal libraries are found across the country but museums are generally absent except for provincial museums. Palace and private museums are to be found mainly in the North West and West provinces which constitute the western grassfields region of the country. This region is known internationally for having produced masterpieces of Cameroon's art, sadly these precious objects disappeared or were seized during the colonial era and now are to be found mostly in European and American museum collections.

Difficulty in Sustaining Cultural Services and Products makes them turn into Commercial Services and Goods

Faced with a myriad of difficulties, sustaining cultural services and products for organisations and persons involved in the sector in Cameroon is usually very difficult especially in the semi-urban or rural areas of the country. Let us look at two typical cases: A museum operator who does not allow local residents to visit his collection. The collection is mainly reserved for tourists or foreigners - Europeans and Americans. The second is the case of a musician who is not known in his home town but sells his music through a well known label in a European country.

Yes, these are examples of what we experience in our country. According to the International Council of Museums (ICOM) a museum should first of all seek to serve her local community rather than the tourist industry. How can the local community look at museums to be of any importance when there is practically no National Museumwhich is fully functional in the country? How can the owner of a private museum survive when the government does nothing to support their little contributions in safeguarding the cultural heritage of their community, region or nation as a whole? How does the tourist industry flourish when a lot still needs to be done in the area of infrastructures and manpower? How do the locals

get into the museums when they do not have the means - due to poverty? This is the situation - how then do we blame our museum operator. It is the rare foreign visitor who can pay a visiting fee that our museum operator normally attends to. The locals are considered dangerous to his collection since they are poor, he looks at them with suspicion for he fears they can instead snatch away his objects. In this case, the museum is longer of any cultural value but is relegated into a commercial service.

The same applies to the musician cited above. Unknown to his local public or community, region and country our musician is known widely in Europe by lovers of World  Music. The reason is that his music is being sold through a well established label in Europe. Once he works on a master recording, the material is sent immediately to Europe. He receives a lot of  royalties on which to live so he is happy. Back home, he is unknown as a musician. At times he moves about with a CD of his music. At times, he gets into a bar, orders a drink  and hand over the CD to the bar-man to play. He is very watchful to ensure that there is no dubbing of his music. When the CD is over he takes it and keeps securely. The reason for this musician's strange attitude is the fear of piracy of his music. It is the non-respect for copyright laws for musical  productions that has led him to hide his talents from his fellow countrymen and women. Our musician is using his talents mainly to generate an income. His music is therefore a very scarce commercial good which is   not even available in his own country or continent.

What could be done

Governments have a very crucial role to play inorder to effectively safeguard national cultures. Firstly, legislation be passed in all nations protecting cultural heritage and ensuring that its implementation is effected at the local, regional or provincial and national levels. Secondly, heritage institutions be set up at the three levels mentioned above. Thirdly, laws should be enacted by parliaments protecting works of arts. Fourthly, a method of recognition should be introduced maybe by way of education and training or by means of professional experience for the artists and all those involved in the cultural sector. Fiftly, financial allocations should be made to ensure the running of state cultural institutions and subsidies provided for private organisations and individuals managed by national arts councils or funding agencies.

22 May 2003