Religious Groups Mobilise Against Tribalism

Panafrican News Agency (Dakar), 6 April 2001

Dakar, Senegal—The Catholic, Protestant and Muslim communities of Cameroon are mobilising against tribalism and corruption from Easter Sunday on 15 April to Pentecost Sunday on 3 June 2001.

The theme of the fourth campaign of its kind will be let's fight tribalism and corruption for a transparent management, the religious groups said in a news release to PANA in Dakar.

During seven weeks, these groups would try to get deeper, to understand, to denounce and to fight effectively the two related and omnipresent phenomena of African society.

One just has to look around himself on the road, in the administration or in schools to see the omnipresent corruption. Tribalism is never far away: in administration, in services, in exam results, in treating files, in the promotion of staff in hierarchy, reads part of the release.

All this is deeply determined by ethnic origin, bribe, ‘beer’ or ‘motivation.’ None of the religious communities is spared, it added.

For the first time the head organisation of the Islamic community in Cameroon will take part in organising this event capable of braking ethnic, ideological and religious barriers.

In the previous editions, besides Cameroon, activities were also organised in Benin. This year's campaign will also take place in Togo.

His Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi, Archbishop of Douala, Rev. Pastor Dr. Emmanuel Mbangue Eboa, President of FEMEC, Imam Amadou Bello, President of ACIC, Dr. Adamou Ndam Njoya, President of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, and His Majesty Jean-Philippe Rameau Sokoudjou, Paramount Chief of Bamendjou are the patrons.

The campaign focussed on corruption in 1998, debt in 1999 and tribalism in 2000.