Cameroon’s National Commission for Bilingualism and Multiculturalism recently dispatched her members to regional headquarters for workshops on hate speech.
The commission which was created by the country’s President in 2017 as a move to appease disgruntled Anglophone Cameroonians has since been on multiple trips to the regions, public institutions and the diaspora.
For the second time after a fact-finding mission in 2018, they paid a visit to the regional capital of North West, Bamenda.
This time, their trip was to conduct a 3-day workshop on hate speech with region’s elite and leaders of socio-economic institutions.
Headed by former civil administrator, Abouem à Tchoyi David, commission members met with an avalanche of complaints from the Region’s inhabitants.Their frustrations they said are the cause of hate speech in the region.
How these commission members juggle their way in the region and back, NW dwellers said « the nature of the Bamenda-Babadjou road is hate in itself » and so, breathes « hate speech ».
People of different walks of life and groupings took to the stage to pour out their lamentations to a team that came to raise awareness on hate speech, encourage peace building as values that will strengthen the bond of living together.
While journalists decried the relegation of the private press in terms of information sharing, the youth clamoured for more inclusion in the management of state affairs.
In response to the numerous vexations of the people which they said are the causes of hate speech, a commission member, Bar Nico Halle accepted responsibility for failure “if we are where we are today, it is because we have not told the truth to the powers that be and we have never told the truth. This is the moment we should tell the truth”.
By Mokun Njouny Nelson
www.sillonpanafricain.net
