By Bakah Derick
This national holiday in
Cameroon celebrates the country's young
people. Kids, pupils and youth groups
for the past 49 years participate in parades,
often accompanied by university students in public marching at various administrative levels in the country. Top Government functionaries sit for hours to
watch the processions,
along with many
other onlookers.
Businesses sell food and merchandise around
the event grounds. Many schools and
youth groups also
participate in art and sports
activities often organized by the ministry of youth affairs and
civic education and other related ministries.
Annually a theme is chosen for the Youth Day with the prime
objective being to encourage Cameroon's
young people to renounce
violence and other
irresponsible behaviors and to embrace education,
sports, and artistic
activities.
Finally
for the past 49years as part of activities to observe the day the president of the republic traditionally
makes a nationally broadcast speech on Youth
Day, commenting on the achievements of the
country's young people
and outlining the
government's plans to improve education and
youth employment opportunities.
In
a land mark address to the youths on the eve of the 2013 Youth Day, the Head of
State His Excellency Paul BIYA called on them to forge ahead in their various
walks of life so as to earn an honest living from their endeavours. The
President of the Republic appealed for our churches, temples and mosques to be
at the torch-bearers of moral rectitude, as it is of capital importance for the
youths of Cameroon to be morally upright.
In
2013 the theme was "Youth: Civic Responsibility and Participation in the
Development Process". According to president Paul biya this speech formed
the basis of the message of hope for the youth, especially those who were in
doubt, disillusioned and perhaps lost faith in their future.
Since 2013 things have almost gone worst as
concerns youth and civic responsibility. This is evident in government actions
taken to that effect. While many were expecting more efforts to be invested
here to achieve a more responsible Cameroon particularly when the feast is
50years old, the government has chosen to lay out innovations which some people
have quick describe meaningless. Of course there is nothing wrong in making a
50th anniversary celebration exceptional particularly for the
majority age group of the country’s population. The worry will the activities
chosen make the event truly exceptional particularly in a morally decayed
society like ours?
First is the Youth anthem which will be chanted
alongside the national anthem. How many Cameroonian youths can actually sing
talk less of understanding the national anthem. While they are still managing
to understand and act by the dictates of the number one song of the land, we
come with another deceiving ourselves that they will take. A few days to the
youth day proper many youths have not seen the lyrics worst off all heard the
melody. Well let’s see of what impact that will be. I will be observant of the
11 to see the value of such a concept event if it were to last for just a
day.
The Monument, this sounds great. But in a
country like ours where youthful heroism goes unnoticed every day the question
who will be represented with the monument.
Looking at the etymology of the word monument it
originates from the Latin moneo, monere, which means 'to remind',
'to advise' or 'to warn’ suggesting a monument allows us to see the past thus
helping us visualize what is to come in the future. In English the word
"monumental" is often used in reference to something of extraordinary
size and power, but also to mean simply anything made to commemorate the dead,
or other example of funerary art. Whatever the
monuments in all the Administrative head quarters of the ten Regions will
represent, hope it will be able to tell a story that can transform the lives of
the Cameroonian youth.
The decentralization; well it will be important
that every area within the triangle feels the Youth Day celebration at 50. But
with the limping decentralization in Cameroon hope the Youth Day at 50 does not
suffer the same fate.
Like women celebrate their
international day with their fabric, so too will youths from the nursery to the
university use a fabric designated for them. It was the same thing during the
arm forces 50th anniversary celebration in Bamenda and I guess it
was the same during the reunification celebration in Buea. But what I do not
get is why that for the youth is for sell since I did not hear anywhere that
the other ones were for sell. The prizes range at 6900frs for school
supervisors, 3450frs for universities and higher institutes and 2300frs for
nursery and primary pupils. Why sell that for the youths, where will the money
go to?
The ingenuity of the current
minister of youth affairs and civic education Bedung Mpkwat and his smartness
on youth matters cannot be underestimated. He might have genuinely wanted to
give the young people some attention on their 50th anniversary
before the business people and contractors came in because as the countdown to
the feast narrows we continue to question How will these innovations
impact the lives of the Cameroonian youth and many other questions can be asked
over and over?