Walter Wilson Nana
Buea, Cameroun
President Paul Biya, who arrived Buea, capital of the Southwest Region, Tuesday, February 18 2014 is working on an agenda that is secretly kept and managed by him and his closest collaborators. In one of his activities so far, made public only at the last minute to the press is the inauguration of the Reunification Monument. The brief ceremony took place Wednesday, February 19 2014 at the setting of the monument, which is in front of the office of the Southwest Governor.
The Reunification Monument just after its inaugural by President Paul Biya, Wednesday, February 19 2014
Reacting to the architectural piece and beauty, President Biya in a spontaneous interview with CRTV’s Director of Information, Televsion, Charles Ndongo said; “It is beautiful and represents the beauty of Cameroon. It is time to bring all Cameroonians together.”
The Director of the technical team that constructed the monument, Kisito Mboa explained that it took six months for the monument to be built and the architectural structure is a blend of Cameroon’s socio-economic features,
Martin Ntanjong, Mayor of Tubah Council came all the way from the Northwest Region to be part of the inaugural ceremony of the Reunification Monument in Buea
representing the country’s quest for growth, national unity and the verve to emerge even before 2035 as projected by the government.
Mboa will be corroborated by Marthe Darisca Medou, Director of Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Arts and Culture, who was in his team, saying, the ten pillars that make up part of the Reunification Monument is not about Cameroon’s ten regions but they signify the perpetual growth Cameroon is looking up to. “We are a country that is growing from nothing to something. We are moving forward to something and higher heights.”
An aerial view of the Reunification Monument in Buea
Senator Victor Mukete, Paramount Chief of the Bafaws in Kumba and one of the individuals who lived the Reunification processes and is still an actor in the current dispensation in Cameroon, described the Reunification Monument as wonderful, adding that it is a moment for Cameroon to reinforce her existing peace and harmony. “Let us support the President of the Republic and move towards emergence,” he noted.
The rear-view of the surrounding of the Reunification Monument
The Mayor of Tubah Council, Martin Ntanjong expressed delight with the architectural piece. “I am impressed with what has been built. It signifies the unitary nature of our state. Since 2014 began, this is one of my most exciting moments. If the meaning of the Reunification Monument is put into practice, Cameroon will be a greater nation. On the monument, I see the double hands of a boat, which is the unity
iCameroon's journalist, Walter Wilson Nana, takes a memorial pic in front of the Reunification Monument in Buea, Wednesday, Feb 19 2014 after the inaugual by President Biya
of Cameroon; the English and French speakers coming together. It is an indication that the state is one and indivisible. These are ideals that all of us have to embrace. The architect did a good job and our grand children will come to see what happened at this time of our history.”
A Law student at the University of Buea, Victoria Vefonge, mentioned that the Reunification Monument is an embodiment of peace and harmony for all Cameroonians. She found the ten pillars to be the ten regions of Cameroon that are unified, coming together to celebrate the Reunification and Independence of Cameroon. “In different ways we are united and peaceful,” she added.
In the structure of the Reunification Monument is the anniversary plaque that is inscribed; “50th Anniversaries of the Independence and Reunification of Cameroon.”
Another plaque carries the content of what the monument of the 50th anniversary is all about. It partly reads; “This monument is erected at a place called GOVERNOR OFFICE in Buea, within the framework of the celebrations of the 50th anniversaries of Cameroon’s Independence and Reunification. It includes a central piece, surrounded by 10 cylindrical columns of different heights, in symmetrical order, allowing for a clear view of the logo of the 50th anniversaries of Independence and Reunification of Cameroon. This logo, approved by the Head of State, is immortalised by the monument of the 50th anniversaries in Buea. The logo with a diameter of 5.4 metres and a total weight of 2 tons is an image produced in fiber glass, matching the shape of the globe. The map of Cameroon features at the centre of this globe, just above the national coat of arms. The logo of the 50th anniversaries shows Cameroon supported by two hands that are seemingly experts in maintaining our unity. They have also been able to build a country that lives in peace within its borders and with her neighbours by being open to one another. The ten belted columns, whose height varies from 1.3 metres, support the logo of the 50th anniversaries. These columns symbolise power, the dynamics of growth and emergence, which are fundamental to the economic, social and cultural development of Cameroon. Their total weight is 9.9 tons.”
Also present to witness the historic ceremony were government ministers, traditional authorities, Members of Parliament, Senators, the young, the old and militants of some political parties.
After spending two nights in Buea already, President Biya is expected to chair the highpoint of the 50th anniversaries of Cameroon Independence and Reunification celebrations in Buea, Thursday, February 20 2014 at the Mbongo Square. He will be joined by his wife, the cream of the nation and other guests.
Prior to Wednesday’s event a colourful drama piece dubbed The Forward March, written by Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Ismael Bidoung Mkpatt was performed at the Open Amphitheatre of the University of Buea, Tuesday, February 18 2014. The play reinforces the need for Cameroon’s unity in its cultural and linguistic diversity.
President Paul Biya speaks to a journalist after the inauguration of the 50th Anniversaries monument.
