Hilltopvoices Editorial: Take them seriously, they dared for Peace in Bamenda

According to Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and political activist, Aung San Suu Kyi  “Peace does not mean just putting an end to violence or to war, but to all other factors that threaten peace, such as discrimination, inequality, poverty.”

Partial view of women at Bamenda Peace Conference 

When women from all ten regions of Cameroon converge in Bamenda, a city synonymous with resistance, pain, and prolonged armed conflict, it is not a ceremony. It is a powerful act of defiance, hope, and responsibility. The just-ended Bamenda Peace Conference, hosted by the National Women’s Convention for Peace in Cameroon (NWCPC), is far more than a routine gathering; it is a national wake-up call.

For over eight years, the North West and South West regions of Cameroon have been at the heart of an armed crisis that has claimed lives, displaced families, and weakened the region’s social and economic fabric. Yet, amidst fear and paralysis, women from across Cameroon chose to gather in Bamenda to talk peace; not as an idea, but as a practical and pressing need.

Their decision to come to the very epicentre of the crisis speaks volumes. In a country where many shy away from even uttering the word “conflict” in public, these women stood tall, loud, and unshaken. They reminded us, as peace activist Leymah Gbowee, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, once said: “You can never leave footprints that last if you are always walking on tiptoe.”

Women’s leadership with NW Administration

The National Women’s Convention, now in its third edition following similar conferences in Limbe and Maroua, is emerging as Cameroon’s most consistent and community-rooted peacebuilding initiative. It is setting a national example on how to decentralise peace efforts, bringing them closer to the people and putting women at the centre of the solution.

The movement is aligned with well-established principles in peacebuilding scholarship. In his work “Building peace: sustainable reconciliation in divided societies,” renowned scholar John Paul Lederach argues that peacebuilding is most effective when it is locally owned and led by middle- and grassroots-level actors. These are often women, religious leaders, community organisers, and traditional authorities. This is exactly what the NWCPC is doing.

During the Bamenda peace conference, participants did not restrict themselves to the confines of a hotel or conference hall. They visited prisons, churches, the DDR center, markets, and even military installations. These interactions mirror what Elise Boulding, a key voice in peace education, described as “the 200-year present,” where people engage with both past pain and future possibilities in the now. These women are not just imagining peace; they are planting its seeds.

With a partner like the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), supporting their mission, the movement is both locally grounded and globally connected.

Women’s handing peace manual to government 

However, the biggest test now lies with the Cameroonian government, local authorities, and the media. Will they take these women seriously?

It is time for the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Ministry of Social Affairs, and even the Prime Minister’s Office to move beyond public statements of support. These women should be integrated into official peace and reconciliation processes. The National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (NCDDR), for instance, could leverage the Convention’s networks to reach communities that remain sceptical or traumatised.

Equally, local administrators must shift their posture from gatekeepers to collaborators. Community leaders, including traditional rulers, mayors, and regional officials, should stop treating women peacebuilders as optional players. 

The NWCPC’s approach also embodies the principles of positive peace, a concept introduced by Norwegian peace researcher Johan Galtung, which goes beyond the absence of violence to include justice, equality, and community cohesion. From their inclusive panels to trust-building visits and inclusive field dialogues, the Bamenda Peace Conference was a showcase of positive peace in action.

This is not the time for complacency. Cameroon stands at a crossroad. One road leads to further silence, tokenism, and inertia; the other to meaningful dialogue and action rooted in community leadership. The women of the National Women’s Convention for Peace in Cameroon have already chosen the second path. The rest of the nation must follow.

To ignore them is to delay healing. To support them is to co-author a future where peace is not imposed from above, but grows from below, strong, inclusive, and lasting.

They have dared. Now, Cameroon must decide: will we take them seriously?

Bakah Derick 

About the Author

Bakah Derick is a multi-award-winning journalist and human rights reporter based in Bamenda, Cameroon. He is the Administrator and Lead Strategist of Hilltopvoices Communications Group Ltd and a consistent voice on inclusion, peacebuilding, and development. He is also the winner of the 2024 Agbor Balla Humanitarian and Human Rights Reporter of the Year Award.

References & Further Reading:

Lederach, John Paul. Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies. United States Institute of Peace Press, 1997.

Galtung, Johan. Peace by Peaceful Means: Peace and Conflict, Development and Civilization. Sage Publications, 1996.

Gbowee, Leymah. Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War. Beast Books, 2011.

Pankhurst, Donna. Gendered Peace: Women’s Struggles for Post-War Justice and Reconciliation. Routledge, 2007.

Boulding, Elise. Cultures of Peace: The Hidden Side of History. Syracuse University Press, 2000.