OPINION: How do you say “Resilience” in Pidgin English?

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President Paul Biya has conjured a new “one-word slogan”. “Un seul mot: RESILIENCE”, the president let out last night (31 December 2015) only one of two speeches that the Cameroonian leader is literally forced (by a tradition established by his “illustrious predecessor”) to give in an entire year. His previous one-word slogan: "un seul mot: CONTINUEZ" – which was issued to the once Indomitable Lions – has had some staying power.
 
The New Year Eve speech was typical Biya: flat out boring; void of vision; lacking in substance; and heavily rigged in an effort to score the president very high in his 2015 annual report card of achievements. The speech reads, in part, like a “thank you” letter to Cameroonians and as an appeal to fellow citizens to prepare to endure even more years of economic misery, of worsening poverty, and of skyrocketing unemployment.
 
Mr. Biya applauded the “capacity” (resilience) of his fellow citizens to endure suffering: a losing effort to industrialize the country; the failure to even keep the lights on (including even during the speech) through reliable energy; and excessive spending on security.
 
Not included in the president’s quick roll call offered as part of the speech, fellow citizens deserve praise for their capacity (resilience) to endure more than three decades of the “Beer Regime” and their capacity to endure incidents of public treasury looting in the name of development. One such incident involves Yaounde’s green light to spend CFA 5.6 billion francs to refurbish the Buea Mountain Hotel at the exorbitant price tag of CFA 66 million francs per room for each of the 84-room facility meant to host delegations to the 2016 (Women’s) and 2019 (Men’s) Africa Cup of Nations extravaganzas.
 
Haunted by the Truth?
 
Mr. Biya proved that he is fully capable of speaking the truth. In 2015, he said, Cameroonians continued to endure some of the abysmal failures and inefficiency of his 33-year-old administration. In zones hardest-hit by insecurity, he said citizens are enduring a collapsed economy, even if he did not say what his administration is doing to offer relief assistance. Citizens, he said, are facing all manner of hardships, including the very worst forms of violence launched by the Boko Haram terrorists.
 
Cameroonians, the president said, are enduring the burden of making financial and material contributions to the fight against Boko Haram terrorists, including – in some cases - the ultimate sacrifice, serving in vigilante groups. The president saluted the memory of civilians lost to that fight, but for some strange reason, did not spare the same prayerful thought to the memory of soldiers killed in that battle.
 
As in the case of the "brilliant" student in the sketch by the late award-winning comedian, Jean Miche Kankan, who simply fabricates his report card in order to boost his grades, Mr. Biya skipped the most inconvenient truths. He did not mention the suffering families endure when (as Amnesty International reports), over 100 people are "disappeared" in the name of fighting Boko Haram. No mention is made about the financial pain inflicted on state and family budgets by corruption that has Cameroon unable to dig out of the bottom of the class when it comes to Transparency International rankings.
 
In five words, Mr. Biya's speech about resilience was dominated by one central theme best summarized by the five Pidgin English words: "Suffer Never Even Start Sef". Resilience is the president’s open invitation to Cameroonians to prepare to endure more of the same.
 
The Resilience of a Presidency for Life
 
Winning development partners over has proven a wining strategy and one Mr. Biya is not about to question. Development partners, the president says, bear witness to the extraordinary capacity of Cameroonians to endure numerous daily challenges and harsh punishment (including dictatorship and what looks like a presidency for life?) Citing the latest IMF Mission Report to agree with, Mr. Biya admits that Cameroon’s economic growth cannot significantly improve livelihoods.
 
So, what concretely is the president doing or planning to do about it?
 
Sadly – prepare not to be surprised - sadly, the presidents answer is “déjà vu”. Says he: “We can do better. We ought to do better”. How, exactly and when? Will it take another 33 years, for example? Just asking….
 
One thing is certain. A solution does not lie in drawing employment numbers out of a hat – like a true magician! The “Beer Regime”, we are told, created 1,175,358 jobs between 2011 and 2015. Like most other claims the president makes, these figures cannot be independently verified., forcing some – like me – to endure them as part of the voodoo economics made in Yaounde.
 
For several years, Cameroon offered little to no support to Nigeria in its fight against Boko Haram. It took the spreading into Cameroon of the fire that had been raging in our neighbor’s heart for Mr. Biya to revisit his so-called long=held belief that terrorism constitutes a global threat; and one that needs a global response. “A quelle heure!”
 
If you do not know that “Le Cameroun, c’est le Cameroun”, you would be forgiven for wondering if Cameroon is a republic, ruled by a president, or a kingdom ruled by a monarch. The speech made clear that part of the “resilience” campaign invites Cameroonians to understand that part of their capacity to take punishment is to surrender any right to hire or fire their “government by decree” ruler.
 
Deflecting or out-rightly rejecting blame and responsibility of any kind, the Monarch-President said – thrice in the speech - that he has instructed the Government (of which he is clearly not a part) to do “business unusual” – such as be more inventive, more engaging and more results-focused. The Monarch-President took immediate action. His Royal Highness issued two decrees: the first drops fuel prices – because the king said so – forget economists! Hail to the King? The second will hike family allowances.
 
Did I mention that the King’s word is Law immediately? The decrees became effective before the sun rose. It is called the power of the Legislature and the Judiciary combined in the three-in-one Monarch-President. By that same powerful signature, the Monarch-President last night decreed resilience as a strategy. My brother, Charly Ndi Chia, knew it. We have been invited by the Monarch-President and must all learn what it means to keep suffering and smiling.
 
Washington, DC, 1 January 2016

By Boh Herbert

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