The Cameroon Patriotic Diaspora Forum is scheduled to take place in Munich – Germany from the 26th to 28th of july 2019, on the theme “The urgency of a national dialogue and a political transition for peace and reconciliation in Cameroon”. According to Dr Etah Ewane, the organization committee includes leaders and militants of some political parties, members of civil society organizations, intellectuals, media professionals, entrepreneurs, renowned artists, cultural promoters. Added to these are a group coined « Friends of Cameroon ». As President of the organizing committee, Dr. Etah Ewane accepted to receive us for an interview. Read more

Hello Dr. Etah Ewane: Five weeks remaining to the launching of the Cameroonian Diaspora Forum – Munich 2019. The Mobilization is not on the move. Why this ?

To ensure that the Forum records the highest participation rate and come out with meaningful solutions to the ongoing crisis in Cameroon, we have put in place an effective mobilization plan with a clear structure that is manned by people with unquestionable expertise and our team has been reaching out to various diaspora organizations to encourage their members to travel en masse to Munich come July 26, 2019. Our mobilization strategy will be a big red milestone that will enable us to achieve the clearly defined objectives of the forum. We have launched adverts on different social media outlets and last week I took part in the most watched TV programme “Views on the continent” on Afrique media TV to present the forum to the Cameroonian public. Our strategy aims to achieve visibility for the forum and that is why we are presenting our vision in short and easily digestible style so that common man in the street can understand our main message.
I am not saying everything has been perfect so far but we are doing our utmost to try to overcome some of the bottlenecks that may have a negative impact on the Forum. I can assure you that our message has been reaching the intended audience, but we still need the support of men and women of the media like yourself to take our message as wide as possible.

From the 26th to the 28th of July 2019, the participants will reflect on the theme “The urgency of a national dialogue and a political transition for peace and reconciliation in Cameroon”. How do you intend to convey the content of your reflections during the work to the Cameroonian authorities?

The Munich forum will take place within the context of the brutal and despicable civil war in the Northwest and Southwest regions with heavy human casualties. The prevailing situation back home makes the context of the forum quite complex and this is further compounded by the change in relationship between the different stakeholders. So, we have adopted a communication strategy that avoids to further isolate these different stakeholders.
Our invitees are essentially influential political and civil society actors in Cameroon. We understand government authorities in Cameroon cannot make decisions in isolation and they quite often rely on inputs from intermediaries with policy-related information. We will share resolutions from the Forum with political parties and civil society organizations in Cameroon who will hand copies to the heads of parliamentary groups. We equally hope to benefit from our strong connections with the media for wide dissemination of resolutions that will emanate from the forum. We will share our vision of a new Cameroon with international organizations, NGOs and well identified high profile and influential personalities that will take our message to the authorities in Yaounde.

What is Cameroon Patriotic Diaspora?

We are a non-partisan organization that brings together representatives from different Cameroonian diaspora organizations mainly from Europe, USA and Africa. We are an umbrella organization that welcomes every Cameroonian irrespective of political affiliation. Our goal is to help boost active participation in the building a solid democracy in Cameroon. Our steering committee is comprised of representatives of some political parties, media professionals, academics, members of civil society, private entrepreneurs and people we proudly call friends of Cameroon.

How to participate?

Participants are expected to buy a coupon for a symbolic price of 30 Euros to offset the costs coffee, snacks and food. However, charitable donations are most welcome as we need funds to cover transportation and accommodation of our invitees. Let me use your platform to appeal for goodwill donations from all those who wish to contribute towards the edification of a new Cameroon.

A last word to our readers?

Cameroon is at critical crossroads in shaping her political future and we can each be an important architect in building the new edifice. Most of what we inherited from our forefathers has been dilapidated by 37 years of incompetent leadership, but we now have a historic opportunity to rescue the little that is left. For this to be possible, our unflinching commitment to change must not slacken at this very critical moment. It is our collective responsibility to restore the dignity of our people by putting in place a system that is based on the rule of law, respect of human rights and democracy. We must stand up to defend our beliefs and I will want to end this exchange with a quote from Robert F. Kennedy during his 1966 visit to South Africa: “It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice. He sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance”. Thank you!

Another link to this event here