“Humanity Has Lost Its Soul” published on March 25th 2015 and now available for the readers is the new book of Leon Tuam who is the author of many other books. Mr. Tuam was born in one of the African provinces called Cameroon, and his originated from a very large family. He studied in the field of literature and languages (English, Spanish, and French) and theater communication. Besides being a lover of Word " I love to write, just as I love to talk when I feel it necessary", Leon Tuam is also a human right activist. Let hear what he has to say.

It’s a great pleasure to be interviewing Leon Tuam, author of “Humanity Has Lost Its Soul” published on March 25th 2015 and now available for the readers. Mr. Tuam, we thank you for accepting this interview. But before talking about this book and your writings, can you tell us a little about yourself? 

Thank you for your constant interest in what I do and love to do. Just like many other Social Media around the world, your group is doing an awesome job. I’ll always be indebted to you and all those whose great efforts and daily struggles bring the right information within publics’ reach. 
I was born in one of the African provinces called Cameroon, and am from a very large family. I studied in the field of literature and languages (English, Spanish, and French) and theater communication. I would like to precise that my Master’s degree thesis is based on it. I always was around theaters and at times had been stage actor, in high school as at the universities. Without playing any key role on stage during performances I was part of Gilbert Doho’s University Theater in Yaoundé from 1990 to 1992. 
I would like some of my readers and fans to know the following about me. I started buying and selling merchandises in various open air markets in the western region of Cameroon when I was nine years old. It was another way for my parents to get us ready for life struggles. At fourteen years of age, I bought my first bicycle and it boosted my business. I was secondhand bookstore’s holder for many years, farming our lands and breeding my own pigs, rabbits and sheep at the same time. This last activity helped me a lot to make ends meet when I left my family to study at the University of Yaoundé without government scholarship. 
I was student activist and I studied at the University of Yaoundé (Cameroon), then fled the country in 1993 and went to study at the University of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Expelled from it with a group of comrades in 1995 for activism, I went and studied at the University of Benin, Lomé (Togo). I have taught Spanish, French and English languages and am currently human rights activist.

Thanks. What genre(s) are your books and why?

Leon Tuam: I’ve written a lot of unpublished short stories, a play and am now working on a novel; but my books are collections of poems. I regard our epoch as one of senseless acts and total madness; a time full of hypocrisy, of blunders, of conspiracies, of greed and vile desire to be at war. Poetry in essence appears to be the appropriate genre through which writers can touch people’s hearts and try to save what we have left. We are sitting on many active Volcanoes, and we don’t know. 
We are a sunken people in joy. 
we are a sunken people, 
we keep living; we keep walking, 
walking sustained by the crutches of hope. 
We are a sunken people in joy. (p. 52)

Why do you write and when did you start writing books? 

I write because I love to write, just as I love to talk when I feel it necessary. To write or to speak up is like to take a broom to keep your house and its surroundings clean. To write or speak has a lot of benefits for us and our society. In my traditional society, it is said that those who keep their mouths constantly close can fatally wound a whole community once they open them. I also write because I cannot remain indifferent before all the things which are happening in the world (good and bad). Regarding when I chose to embrace the pen, in 1985 when I was high school student, I started writing sketches and short poems in French to be performed on stage during Culture Weeks at the end of each year.

What is “Humanity Has Lost Its Soul” about? 

The book is about human condition and all other challenges and issues of our time: Love, war, peace, hate, wisdom, treason, lies, nature, beauty, abuses, duplicity, freedom, human rights, greed, history, forgiveness, advices, etc. 
And be very careful; when frustration 
And anger devour us, with a machete 
We can mow our ears warding off a fly. 
…………………………………………
Be very careful! In the deep night, 
Our own hands can firmly grasp 
And press a mamba against our own body. 
…………………………………………... 
Like someone who dries the seawater 
To get at last the pure salt, 
O, dry your tears to collect the salt of life. 
(Beneath the tears) p.14-15

Can you talk a little bit about the choice of this title “Humanity Has lost Its Soul”?

The title of this book is borrowed from a poem of this collection. Some people might say that it is pessimistic; I think it’s just because they are distracted or would like to distract the others. Even those who continue to swim across the waters of optimism would not wait longer to give me credit for it. In this book through various texts and topics, I depict the abrupt fall of this apparently bright, attractive world which is turned extremely dark. Everywhere each year people are experiencing painful, disgusting changes. Vice, injustices and evil are openly or secretly celebrated while virtue, true justice and wisdom are thrown in the pit of scorn and mockery. 
Many filthy things; many conspiracies, 
Many, many wars; many useless wars. 
Nasty wars and bloodsheds here and there, 
They’re wars and bloodsheds driven by greed. 
……………………………………………… 
Here, there and over there, 
The story of nations remains the same. 
Here, there and over there, 
A handful of thugs smile and pile mounts of lies, 
They smile and pile lies and pile them high. 
They bite into people’s rights and lives, 
And smiling they pile lies and pile them higher, 
They smile and pile and pile them highest. 
They pile lies and pile lies and pile lies. 
And people believe, and believe them. 
Oh, against the weak works the world! 
Against the poor works the world. 
Oh humanity! 
Humanity has lost its soul. (p.31)

I would like to tell you that this poem (Humanity has lost its soul) is at the same time a song. There are parts of it that I love to sing often. 

What topics are recurrent in this book? 

The most recurrent topics in it are those of Love, Peace, War, Loss of good habits, duplicity, wisdom, and greed. For example, Hypocrisy has reached its peak in the world history. Everywhere people are talking of Democracy, but I say, no, wait a minute; let us serve justice first. Politic as economic leaders should not hide behind Democracy while people day by day are robbed of the basic needs which could have given them back confidence and their dignity. 
Every time I hear the word ‘Democracy’, 
I jump, I jump and jump with fright. 
Every time I hear the word ‘Democracy’, 
My heart beats fast, my heart beats faster. 
Democracy, democracy, democracy …

I have seen terrible things under democracy. 
I have seen dreadful poverties under democracy, 
I have seen haunting tragedies under democracy. 
Democracy’s a hollow word. 
Democracy’s a deceitful word. 
Democracy, democracy, democracy … 
…………………………………………………………………
O people! 
Let us talk less and less of democracy, 
Let us talk less and less of democracy, 
And take good care of justice, 
And take good care of justice.

When justice’s served, 
Debate about democracy’s useless. 
When justice’s served, 
Debate about democracy crumbles down. 
When justice’s served, 
Democracy’s useless. 
Democracy, democracy, democracy … 
(Talking of democracy today) P.16-18)

Is this book pure imagination or is based on daily life experiences? 

Leon Tuam: “Humanity Has Lost Its Soul” is a mixture of real experiences and imagination; imagination that must be understood as the poet’s way to say things in a particular way, without destroying the realities. Readers will notice it as they read (The sky turned brighter). It is the story of Jesus and Mohammed who come back to make the world a better place for all, but politicians convince the world population to head to the polls, and at the end of this operation, the two men lost them to our politicians. It shows how corrupt we are now; so corrupt that we don’t even care about what is good for us and the humankind. 
Very moving also are poems like (Under escort, at last it penetrated Abidjan) based on Ivory Coast’s bloody crisis, (Hundreds of years after those tragedies) reminisces about slavery and sufferings, and is an invitation and an appeal to Blacks people scattered all over the world to return to Africa where they’d be welcome, (My African saints and prophets), etc. From something somewhere, visible or not, each poet tells the world to the world his/her way.

How long does it usually take you to write a book?

My answer is going to surprise you: I don’t know, and I mean it. I say I don’t know. The reason is that I never worked on one book at the time. At times I find myself working on three or four books. 

Do you get people proofread your books or it’s done by yourself? 

Of course, I get people proofread them sometimes. I have had for instance people like Cheryl Toman, Ouabo Ouabo, Julia Diliberti, Nelson Ngoh, proofread some of my books. It is very important to get people say a word about your work before it becomes public.

This book obviously tells that you are not satisfied with what is going on around the world. Who is to blame? 

As human beings we have become a very dangerous species to ourselves and to Earth. We are to blame. The most imminent danger we face these days on earth is ourselves. We are completely blinded to our deep-rooted greed. And this explains why with all the world wealth, poverty keeps growing and reifying people. 
And this explains why rich nations become impoverished nations while a handful of thugs turn richer and richer amid their fellow citizens who cannot make ends meet despite their daily hard work. It happens everywhere. Of all causes of these wars and poverty and violence spread here and there around the world, greed and power hunting come first. And it might end so badly. 
True poets work for justice, peace and love, no matter they refuse at times to laugh, to be soft and become tough. They know that we’ll end up under the tree of Love after all our follies: 
When love hurts us, 
Solely love can heal and save us. 
When hate hurts us, 
Solely love will surely heal and save us.

At the end of the day, love will always 
Be at the center of everything, everywhere. 
Love is the heart and is at the heart of all. 
(At this segment of the journey) p. 138

Before closing this interview, is there anything you would like to say to your readers? 

I encourage everybody to go ahead and get a copy of this book, “Humanity Has Lost Its Soul” (138p.) published by AuthorHouse. It and can be purchased online at Amazon, at AuthorHouse, at Barnes and Noble or by contacting the author. It costs $14.95 USA. 
ISBN: 978-1-5049-0313-4 (sc) 
Or ISBN: 978-1-5049-0312-7 (e)