Cameroon: Land of Excessive Criticisms

Dr. Kijem, Joseph Yuh

In Cameroon, there are many cases of excesses. One of these excesses is exaggerated criticism, exaggerated criticism from individuals, institutions, etc. This criticism amounts to what is stated in the famous Biblical verse in the Book of John concerning Nazareth.^[1] It concerns the following: education, the media, sports, music, the rule of law, health, transport, labour, the Anglophone Crisis, youths, the forces of law and order, women, etc.

Many Cameroonians wrongly claim that the current government has not done anything in the domain of education. They fail to see that the current government in Cameroon has created a good number of secondary, high and university institutions. They downplay the glaring fact that this creation has taken education closer to the masses or population and has led to the recruitment of thousands of teachers. Education in Cameroon has achieved great results.^[2]

A good number of media houses in Cameroon indulge in excessive criticism, thereby abusing Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.^[3] They unfairly find faults almost everywhere as far as government action is concerned. In this connection, the majority of their journalists, debate participants, etc make a mockery of even laudable government efforts in the various domains of life. They spent a lot of time demolishing the little successes the New Deal Regime has obtained since its creation.

Many Cameroonians do not take into consideration the past glories of their country in the domain of sports when they are criticizing its sports performances. They, for instance, simply claim that Cameroon has completely failed in the domain of football; they do not take into account the glorious days and years of Cameroon football, days and years during which Cameroon won some trophies or titles, days and years during which some Cameroonian footballers excelled on football pitches.^[4]

A lot of lovers of music in Cameroon wrongly think that today’s generation of Cameroonian musicians is useless, useless in terms of lyrics, useless in terms of sounds, useless as far as dressing is concerned, etc. They do not see anything good in this generation. They do not acknowledge the fact that in this generation, there are many talented and upright musicians, musicians who strive for societal progress in various domains.

One of the domains suffering from excessive criticism in Cameroon is the one dealing with the rule of law. Many Cameroonians believe that nothing good can be obtained from their judicial system since it is very corrupt and inefficient. This is not true since there are many examples of good judges and fair verdicts in the said system. Not every aspect of this system is unacceptable. There are lots of good points concerning it, points which are amenable to Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.^[5]

Cameroon’s health system is a conspicuous victim of excessive criticism. A good number of ungrateful Cameroonians do not appreciate and believe in the laudable efforts of many health workers who toil (with derisory salaries) for the sake of their patients. They see only corruption, heartlessness, laxity and other vices whereas the said system has some good points. Though this system has problems, a good number of health workers transcend these problems for the sake of their patients’ health, etc.^[6]

The transport system in Cameroon is not as shattered as many Cameroonians claim. In this connection, there are many good roads in big towns such as Douala, Yaounde, Bafoussam and Garoua whereas the presence of these roads is ignored by these Cameroonians in media discussions, academic debates, informal discussions, etc. Furthermore, contrary to popular opinion, there are many good taxi or cab drivers in Cameroon, good in terms of driving, good in terms of morals, etc.

Cameroon’s labour framework is replete with cases of severe or excessive criticism. To this end, some Cameroonians have an exaggerated negative picture of Cameroon’s civil servants. They believe that all civil servants are lazy, inefficient, etc. They do not wish to acknowledge the glaring fact that there are many efficient and patriotic civil servants, civil servants who can sacrifice a lot of their time, energy, expertise, etc serving their State.

Many Cameroonians – especially those who hail from the English-speaking regions of Cameroon – have an exaggerated negative perception of the role of their government in the resolution or handling of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon. They claim that the government has not done and is not doing anything to salvage the gruesome situation caused by this crisis whereas it has been investing a lot of financial and other means in the resolution of the said crisis.

In Cameroon, there is a serious or worrisome inter-generational clash between the old and the young. In this vein, many elderly persons wrongly believe that all youths have failed in all aspects of life. Unfortunately, they do not wish to believe that many youths have excelled and are still excelling in many activities, domains, etc. Some of these activities, domains, etc concern start-ups, music, football, research, etc.

Cameroonian women are victims of excessive criticism in many aspects. Some Cameroonians who believe in male chauvinism and the inferiority of women vis-à-vis men claim that Cameroonian women do not have the capacity to handle top positions in the private and public sectors whereas many women now occupy such positions in the political, administrative, financial and other set-ups due to their competence. This competence has given them the prominence portrayed by Muam George in his article entitled ‘’Kom and Gender’’.^[7]

The forces of law and order in Cameroon are subjected to excessive criticism. Many Cameroonians wrongly claim that all gendarmes, policemen, policewomen, etc are corrupt. They do not believe that there are many gendarmes, policemen, policewomen, etc who work patriotically. This is completely wrong because in Cameroon’s gendarmerie and police stations, on Cameroonian roads, in Cameroonian stadiums, etc a good number of Cameroonians have experienced the praiseworthy work of many gendarmes, policemen, policewomen, etc.

It could be inferred that Cameroon is suffering from excessive criticism as far as many issues in daily human life are concerned. As regards this unfortunate phenomenon, the issues mentioned in this work are just the tip of the iceberg. There is need for those who indulge in excessive criticism to criticize objectively and constructively. Furthermore, they should also make helpful proposals alongside their objective and constructive criticism. Lastly, those who are criticized excessively should turn and stick to Rain’s reaction to criticism.^[8]

BIBIOGRAPHY

Books

Good News Bible (Deuterocanonical Books/Apocrypha), Kolkata, Swapna Printing Works Pvt. Ltd., 2009

Articles

BrainyQuote, ‘’Criticism Quotes’’

Available at: brainyquote.com/topics/criticism-quotes

Consulted on: 12/6/23

Eleonora Fallwickl and al, ‘’Education in Cameroon’’

Available at: wenr.wes.org/2021/04/education-in-cameroon

Consulted on: 24/4/23

Muam, G., ‘’Kom and Gender’, Voice of Bostas, Yaounde, Delight Ventures, 2018

Tandi, E. and al, ‘’Cameroon Public Health Sector: Shortage and Inequalities in Geographic Distribution of Health Personnel’’

Available at: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PMC/articles/PMC4440287

Consulted on: 24/4/23

Legal and Related Instruments

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948):

1. Good News Bible (Deuterocanonical Books/Apocrypha), Kolkata, Swapna Printing Works Pvt. Ltd., 2009, p.119

   In the aforementioned Bible, the following is mentioned in John 1:46: Can anything good come from Nazareth?

   This question was asked by Nathanael to show that Nazareth was useless. ↑

2. Eleonora Fallwickl and al, ‘’Education in Cameroon’’

   Available at: wenr.wes.org/2021/04/education-in-cameroon

   Consulted on: 24/4/23

   In the above-mentioned article, Eleonora Fallwickl states that Cameroon’s educational system has achieved impressive results since the end of the colonial era and has obtained increasing literacy rates. ↑

3. Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights stipulates as follows:

   Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.

   Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; … ↑

4. Some of these footballers are, namely, Eto’o Fils, Patrick Mboma, Milla Roger, Abega Theophile, Thomas Nkono, Bell Joseph Antoine, Ebongue Ernest, Djonkep Bonaventure and Omam Biyick. ↑
5. Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates as follows:

   All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of the Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination. ↑

6. Tinyami Erick Tandi and al, ‘’Cameroon Public Health Sector: Shortage and Inequalities in Geographic Distribution of Health Personnel’’

   Available at: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PMC/articles/PMC4440287

   Consulted on:24/4/23

   Tinyami Erick Tandi and al provide some of the problems of Cameroon’s health system in the following words:

   Our results show an absolute shortage of public health personnel in Cameroon that is further complicated by the geographic distributional inequalities across the regions of the nation. ↑

7. Muam George, ‘’Kom and Gender’, Voice of Bostas, Yaounde, Delight Ventures, 2018, p.2

   Muam George portrays the prominent place women now have in the world. He contends as follows:

   In recent years, women have made an aggressive appearance in public life in countries across the globe. From Liberia to South Korea, Germany to Brazil, France to America, the political weight of women has become conspicuous in all aspects of national life. ↑

8. BrainyQuote, ‘’Criticism Quotes’’

   Available at: brainyquote.com/topics/criticism-quotes

   Consulted on: 12/6/23

   Rain contends as follows:

   The more criticism I get, the more it gives me a stronger urge to win. So I try harder. ↑

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