Re: RE:Cameroon Journal offers no apologies on Ambassador Foe Atangana REPORT

Massa Greg Takor

I have been reading some of your writings here and I must confess that I admire and respect your credentials, your political parochialism not withstanding. Don't react to issues out of sentiments or with the lens of a partisan pundit. Think before you scribble anything destined for public consumption. Let us recalibrate. Cameroon Journal wrote an editorial in which they flashed a bombastic headline "Cameroon Ambassador to the US calls Southern/Anglophone Cameroonians; Nigerians". Many objective readers (like yours truly) observed that the incriminating article was not fair and balanced and no where did anyone find any quote from the Ambassador that could remotely be translated as such. The editor in chief of CJ was asked to politely apologize to the Diplomat and move on.

He comes back a few days later with a rebuttal (which you classify as VERY GOOD). Of course, you are entitled to your opinion but I beg to disagree; and here is where you are flat wrong in giving a "Pass Mark" to CJ.

As an artful dodger, instead of giving his readers an opportunity to "clear the air" of constant accusations of frivolous, vacuous Mickey Mouse Journalism a l'emporte piece, we are served with an avalanche of totally unrelated hodgepodge abracadabra facts.

Hear them: "As far as this particular story is concerned, we narrated the facts and concluded that Foe Atangana was actually "or probably" referring to Anglophone Cameroonians as Nigerians.

They continue their rebuttal with this line "When you are writing a piece for which sources that are supposed to furnish you with answers are uncooperative, you are left with no choice but to TRY (your garri???) to put into perspective what the source was actually trying (or supposed) to have said". No more No less.

Massa Greg; you will agree with me that this is a new LOW in Anglophone Journalism. This does not look good for us. I don't know Mr Chris Fobeneh but I admire him a lot for venturing into a domain that frankly makes him spend more of his own personal monies than the Journal can ever generate. In my humble opinion, the best way to keep the CJ alive and kicking is to tell him the truth (and probably support him financially...AND the truth is: He aggravated his case by coming out with this very lame and out of topic rebuttal.

The other "Fights" you injected in the debate are legitimate issues to "Fight" about but they have nothing to do with the subject matter in question. By the way, as a point of correction, the High Commissioner to the UK is an Anglophone, S.E Nkwelle Ekaney

Tah Mfar Mishe Fon

Subject: Re: [cameroon_politics] RE:Cameroon Journal offers no apologies on Ambassador Foe Atangana REPORT

Good rebuttal by Cameroon Journal. The blame also lies with the US Department of State for accepting the accreditation of this Foe guy as ambassador to the United States, when they had ample evidence and every right to reject his accreditation. Further, does anyone expect anything better from an incorrigible regime that thrives on mendacity, mediocrity, ethnic cleavage and is oblivious to criticism? The regime and its hirelings know that they are not answerable to the people, because the people did not elect it. So, they are not obligated to the people, except to their French masters who put them there. People can cry foul all they want. Nothing will change except there is insurrection that unseats the regime. People should take a peek at compartive revolutions, as well as Charles Tiley's qualifications for potential leaders of such revolutions.

ENOW TAKOR
--------------------------------------------
On Tue, 5/5/15, Greig Batey bateygreig20@yahoo.ca [cameroon_politics] <cameroon_politics@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Subject: [cameroon_politics] RE:Cameroon Journal offers no apologies on Ambassador Foe Atangana REPORT
To: "mincan@yahoogroups.com" <mincan@yahoogroups.com>, "Cameroon Politics" <cameroon_politics@yahoogroups.com>, "Cameroon Group" <cameroongroup@yahoogroups.com>, "Ambassybay@yahoogroups.com" <Ambassybay@yahoogroups.com>, "DISCUSSION LIST MANYU" <manyunet@aufoundation.org>, "Manyu Forum" <manyuforum@manyuvoice.org>
Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2015, 12:57 PM

EDITORIAL: That Cameroon Ambassador storyAdded
by Cameroon Daily
Journal on May 5, 2015.
Saved under BREAKING NEWS, EDITORIAL, NATIONAL NEWS
Tags: teaser, That Cameroon Ambassador
storyShare
the post "EDITORIAL: That Cameroon Ambassador
storyMay 05,
2015 Mr. President, Cameroon needs truly bilingual
diplomats if you still believe Cameroon is a bilingual
countryMay
5, 2015.
Cameroon
Journal, Washington DC – The other day, a
benevolent Cameroonian in the DCmetropolis
called here and suggested we change the headline of our
story "Cameroon Ambassador refers to Anglophones as
Nigerians." In his opinion, the facts in the body of the
story were presented very accurately, but for the
headline.Many
in social media have also questioned the astuteness of
theJoseph B.F. Atangana – Cameroon Ambassador to
the U.S.Aheadline.
We appreciate their right to holding us accountable for what
we do here. However,
at the Cameroon Journal, we do not arrive at headlines for
mere sensational purposes. As Ntemfac Ofege and Fon Lucas
have commented elsewhere, today's news isn't all about
presentation of raw facts – it's also about making the
facts have perspective. And of course, perspective always
lies in the eyes/face of the beholder. As
far as that particular story is concerned, we narrated the
facts – actually quoting most of them. We equally
presented a raw video clip of the Ambassador's comments
from the event and in our own volition; we concluded in the
headline that Ambassador Foe Atangana was actually referring
to Anglophone Cameroonians as Nigerians.When
you are writing a piece for which sources that are supposed
to furnish you with answers are uncooperative as in the case
with the Cameroon Embassy in Washington DC, you are left
with no choice but to try to put into perspective what the
source was actually trying to say.We
arrived at that headline because there exist no evidence;
– it cannot be true that six million Nigerians live in
Cameroon. The Ambassador was entirely wrong. We do not have
to try proving it here. But the Cameroon gov't to which
the Ambassador is an integral part has the benefit of the
facts as obtained in yearly censuses. Let them present
it.Playing
the devil's advocate for a moment, if indeed six million
Nigerians live in Cameroon, then combined with the
population of the Northwest and Southwest regions, won't
we have more English speaking Cameroonians than
Francophones? But that isn't and has never been the case.
And that is the reason we stated in the story that the
ambassador either "wittingly or unwittingly," referred
to Southern Cameroonians as Nigerians.However,
whether he did so deliberately or not, our headline was
informed by the fact that it wasn't the first time a high
ranking official in the Biya administration will be
referring to Southern Cameroonians as Nigerians? That label
has been used before and we all know that. Anglophones have
been told before that they are Biafrans – remember when
the opposition SDF was launched? The Yaounde regime told the
world it was Nigerians not Anglophones who launched the
party. They said they saw Nigerian flags flying in Bamenda
etc.Still,
in the early 90s, Anglophone students in the University of
Yaounde were told if they didn't like the system and the
way they were being treated they could go to Nigeria –
where they came from? Remember the phrase "Les Biafra
la?" (Excuse the French)!The
point is that Ambassador Foe made a very ill informed
insensitive statement and since the embassy will not respond
to our request for clarifications, we gave it the
perspective that the Cameroon gov't has promoted in the
past. We have no apology for that.The
problem isn't really with our reporting. The real problem
lies with the Cameroon gov't's choice of diplomats to
exclusively English speaking countries and of course,
Ambassador Foe.The
Ambassador has never in any occasion demonstrated that he is
capable of elaborating a good point in comprehensible
English in spite of the fact that he served in Calabar,
Nigeria, a predominantly English country before his posting
to the U.S mission. And things are made worse with his
strong French accent, yet, he will not abstain or keep to
himself when circumstances demand he does.Some
Cameroonians who were present in that Capitol Hill chamber
when the Ambassador spoke have said they covered their heads
in shame of what the ambassador did. So incoherent and
unable to express himself that so many questioned what he
was exactly trying to say. But again, the Ambassador is only
part of a bigger problem.The
regime in Yaounde is the real problem. How can a country
that preaches bilingualism as a doctrine continue to post
ambassadors to countries they cannot communicate effectively
with? In London, USA, Nigeria, among others you have only
French speaking ambassadors – and none is bilingual. If
President Biya doesn't have the wisdom of appointing real
bilingual diplomats to such important countries, why can't
he, at least, for once, appoint Anglophones to those
positions knowing that they represent the country better
with their ability to communicate with the host country? Why
is the President afraid of appointing Anglophones as
ambassadors to the U.S or Britain – even
Nigeria?Besides
gov't policy as it appears – not appointing truly
bilingual diplomats to our embassies, another thing killing
the embassies in general is their inability to work with the
press or see the press as partners of
progress.We
called the embassy on Monday April 27 requesting
clarifications on Ambassador Foe's remarks. We were
promised a swift response by a communication centre
personnel who deliberately won't disclose his name. He
told us he was going to forward our request to the
Ambassador and would get back to us before we go to press.
However, we waited three days after and there came no reply
by email or phone. We made a second attempt to reach the
ambassador's office and the phones rang straight to the
answering machine all the times. Since they will not respond
to us, we gave the story the headline we did because it
wasn't the first time a gov't official will refer to
Anglophone Cameroonians as Nigerians. Maybe
we would have had a different perspective had the embassy
responded to our request – whatever the case, let the
Ambassador or the Cameroon gov't proof that there are six
million Nigerians in Cameroon first.

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__._,_.___

Posted by: Greg Takor <takorgreg@yahoo.com>

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