Meet the Cameroonian Women Who have been Making the Difference

H.E Ama Tutu Muna: The Woman Emancipator

If there is any area in Cameroon where the African woman can be assessed after 50 years, it is the Ministry of Culture headed by Mafor Ama Tutu Muna. This woman has shown that women in leadership could mean a lot to Cameroon. Ever since this daughter of the great statesman, late Solomon Tandeng Muna became the Minister of Culture, the ever first woman to lead that Ministry, she ignited the hope that women in leadership position could mean a lot to Cameroon. Hitherto considered a no go zone for women, Ama Tutu has not only dismantled the male barriers constructed round that Ministry but has more importantly handed some key positions to women. Another key innovation has been the transfer of authority from the tortuous and rugged CMC to SOCAM with a woman at the head. Since her appointment, Ama Tutu Muna had helped a great deal in transforming President Biya’s policy of greater ambitions to greater achievements. Even though a cabinet minister, Ama Tutu remains approachable. She talks and acts with untiring sociability.

Yet, it is this quality which immensely complements her multifarious roles. That she now occupies that seat of culture Minister is not fortuitous. Before her appointment as Minister of Culture, she had already learned to cope with the cultural demands of such positions. Hard work and efficiency have continued to be the qualities that define her. When you call at her office, you are taken to a waiting room where you need to be patient as she is on an important or some of those critical files that demands a lot of concentration. Take it as arrogance and you are right for this is positive arrogance that enables that job for which she was appointed to be done effectively. It is this positive arrogance that always determines the quality of ideas and projects that comes out of that ministry and which tells you that she is not a woman who takes task lightly.

Notwithstanding, she has the drive and dedication that defies any facile explanations. Born into a politician’s family, Mafor Ama Tutu Muna was brought up in close knit family where as the only girl she was never allowed to idle while others work. In later life she could not escape to be a workaholic or become a politician par excellence reasons why she formed the Abi Fall Sub Section of the CPDM and is continuing from where the father left with a lot of dexterity. Mafor Ama Tutu is also on record to have initiated the Mbengwi Women Cooperative to combat the plight of the rural woman and besides, she is also the brain behind the creation North West Women’s Forum.

 

Hon. Esther Ngala Ntala: Self Motivated Sparkling Politician

To be a female political giant in Cameroon is just like driving along the Bamenda Ring Road where you need to withstand all the odds against you. And trying to change the mentality of a society that was purely male dominated is also an up hill task that only dynamic women can overcome.

Yet, Hon. Esther Ngala Ntala, SDF Member of Parliament for Ndu in Donga Mantung Division of the Northwest region is one of those exemplary female politicians who has dismantled these barriers. Before becoming a career politician, her hard work, determination and involvement in community work and sound education shaped and influenced her life to where she is today.

This good nature, self-motivated and sparkling political icon has had a distinguished career as a teacher before a jump-start in politics where she is going into records in great names. Conscientiously speaking she has been rated as the agrarian political messiah who continues to stimulate the woman that “what a man can do in politics, a woman can likely do it twice”. This is great motivation because she is and continues to make a difference in the lives of the rural woman. From Taku to Ntundip through Ndu, Ntumbaw, right down to Luh, Ngarum, Talla, Mbipgo, she moves from women of little and no education to learned ones. Her success story as a politician is the beginning of a new page for women. Skilled with political strategies, Hon. Esther Ngala Ntala remains a force to reckon with in Mbumland. Despite her prestigious position as MP, Hon. Esther Ngala still believes in the African root concept because she remains a mother and a home maker. As an educationist, she has a soft spot for the education of the girl child. Before going to Parliament, she was the President of the (Wimbum) Mbum Women in Bamenda with a membership of over 7.000. She helped set up a micro credit for woen in Ndu where more than 500 women have changed their lives.  She recently embarked in a giant tree planting programme with women in Ndu.

Besides, she was also a member of the Steering Committee of the Grassfeild Participatory and Decentralized Rural Development Project-GP DERUDEP. All these positions were not handed to her on a platter of gold but were as a result of hard work and merit. At the National Assembly, she is the Chairperson of the Social Committee. Yet, Hon. Esther Ngala moves along with innovation, meet her on her political trips and you would have met a politician of great magnitude. Furthermore, she is also one of those MPs that have continued to caution farmers and grazers on the phenomenon of climate change.

 

 

Prof. Uphie Melo Chinje: The Role Model

Prof. Uphie Melo Chinje is a frontline researcher, like other result oriented researchers, she is transforming theory into practice. Moving research results from the laboratory into the field of production has been one of her major achievements. In the past, accusations have been more compounded by the fact that research results never go beyond the laboratory. Reasons being that majority of the research results never tie with local realities because most of the researchers prefer to think globally and act globally. Welcome Prof. Uphie Melo Chinje who is a mark departure from the madding crowd because she thinks globally and act locally. As a woman she has shown proof of being a systematically thought out of the box. As a researcher and a woman for that matter, she has always been worried why there are practical problems to be solved in society and researchers spend time in abstract things. She is one of those rare researchers who believe in the value of work. Far from being an academic exercise, she is of the school of thought of Beacon who saw research and the acquisition of knowledge as planned work. Knowing that everything in the world is purchased by labour, Prof. Uphie Melo Chinje put herself to education and learning that would make her useful in the field of work. And being a God fearing person, her inspiration has often come from Genesis 1:28 which states that: “replenish and subdue it”.  It is therefore a noble sentiment that she has not only replenished the earth but has been subduing it.

As General Manager of the Local Material Production Authority-MIPROMALO, she has been redefining the use of the earth especially it soil. Through her meritorious research work, she demonstrated that local materials are more resistant and she succeeded in putting local construction materials at the front stage in Cameron. That is how she is transforming President Biya’s greater ambition program.

While others in her position will certainly wear arrogance and snobbishness, she remains down to earth and accommodative. Back in her Constituency, Prof. Uphie Melo initiated and established the Creative Women Center, which is a model in empowering the rural woman. Yet Prof. Melo still goes beyond that to make work the divine with humanity as she believes God makes Himself in all the things. Her successes in politics, development work, research and empowerment has earned her countless awards and merits. She is therefore one of those celebrities that Cameroonians continue to admire during the Month of the woman and look up to as a role model. Meet her in the field discussing politics and you understand she is perfect.

Hon. Rose Abunaw: Symbol of Hard Work

 

Hon. Rose Abunaw is CPDM Member of Parliament for Manyu in the Southwest region. Her rise to fame in the field of politics can easily be justified by the statement that life is a journey. In fact, John Bungam’s pilgrim progress is a classical expression of this truth that clearly portrays her as a political genius. To start with, she is a multi talented woman and describing her as a genius is to use one of the weakest dictions to illustrate a genius. She is smart and has the thoroughness that is hard to come by.  Anyone who comes across her for the first time is attracted by her cultured manners which have made her a career politician.

She is always exceptional everywhere she goes. She started her political progress in the UNDP party where she got her first ticket to Parliament. Pregnant with political maturity and strategies, her desire to express her political ideas freely and pragmatically made her to move to the CPDM party from the UNDP. Prophets of doom who were quick to predict her down-fall but were shocked when she trashed canned her opponents’ majority of them men to emerge victorious in her new garment. It is that mastery in grassroot politics and doing little things that matter in a common way that has raised her to be cherished by all and sundry in Manyu. She later became the 3rd Vice President at the National Assembly and a pragmatic climate change campaigner. To understand that she has the God given magnet that attracts people and that she is a career politician, meet her in the field and you would agree with me that she is a celebrity.

While she has been transforming lives through micro projects, and doing the same like Mother Teresa, Hon. Mafor Rose Abunaw is also an advocate against female genital mutilation. She has always been apt to stand up against people in society that keep others in abject poverty for the sake of a few who have wealth and power. To her, the door of success only opens those who value hard work. Hon. Rose Abunaw is on record for having opened the road that links Batibo to Manyu, reasons why where she is succeeding some men have tried and failed woefully.

Madame Achidi Achu Judith Yaah Sunde: Pictogram of Fame

Madame Achidi Achu Judith Yaah Sunde is a woman of additional qualities. Voted Woman of The Year 2011 by readers of The Eye Newspaper, this is a woman who unlike others is busy round the clock. As a seasoned administrator, she believes like Immanuel Kant that “the more we are busy, the more we feel we are alive and contributing for the welfare of others”. Her educational background coupled with her devotion to be perfect has made her to transform the principle of education for work into the principle of education through work. Reasons why she puts youths ahead in all her actions and also believes that by empowering the rural women and youths she would be an avenue par excellence to change lives through work. As a Christian, she believes like Martin Luther King that “working is praying”. One prelate once said that every human natured person is made up of the human and the divine and that when the divine overrides, the human one becomes closer to God. Yet, Madame Achidi Achu Judith goes beyond that by making work the divine with the human as a pairs.

Last year, she donated a football trophy worth a million FCFA for youths in Donga Mantung Division to celebrate the 50 Anniversary of Cameroon’s independence in grand style with over 20.000 man crowds in attendance during the finals reasons why couple with all what had done for the welfare of rural women, Donga Mantung Fons honoured and coroneted her Senior Ma-Yaah of Donga Mantung division.

Accompanying rural women through support has been her line of action in fostering women empowerment. What makes her dissimilar from others is that she does uncommon things in a very common manner. 

In the Littoral and South West regions where she served as Regional Director of CAMTEL, she left an indelible mark of greatness that speaks positively and confirms the aptitude of women in leadership positions. In the Southwest Region she succeeded in putting in place the optic fiber. In the North West, she is also noted to have transformed the entire service into a bee hive of activities. Notwithstanding, Madame Achidi Achu Judith Yaah Sunde is also a great supporter of the CPDM. In the political arena her presence in Donga Mantung Division is often described as a booster to youths and the woman folk. If you have never met a cheese full of prominence, get closer to Sr Ma Yaah Achidi Achu Judith to rediscover her role as a woman emancipator.

 

Kah Walla: The Woman with Presidential Ambitions

 

The most comfortable act on earth they say is to fulfill ones dream. Mss Kah Walla, the Coordinator of Cameroon O’Bosso and founder of a not for profit making known as Strategy is not a woman to pigeon hole with. Even though some people are of the opinion that far away hills always look very green, female Presidential candidate for 2011, Kah Walla when looked closer she is as green as green pepper. To begin with, Kah Walla is a very brilliant woman. The chair lady of CCP is not someone to pigeon-hole with.

With Strategy, a not for profit organization she was able to move mountains reasons why the World Bank selected her among the most brilliant enterprising African women. In fact, Kah Walla has an International reputation that makes a great difference with her peers. The truth about Kah Walla is that she is first of all very courageous and result-oriented. While in the Social Democratic Front where she occupied the privileged position of head of the Strategic Committee she was as excellent and accurate as a mathematics teacher. Being a woman did not hinder her from performing the most demanding and strategic role for the SDF party. Yet, Kah Walla decided to quit the SDF to be record holder as the ever first Cameroonian woman to declare her ambitions to rule Cameroon. Waoo, a woman with Presidential ambitions is not just any Jack, Dick or Harry but someone who knows she has the potentials. However, Kah has become a force to reckon with in Cameroon and one of the few politicians that creates panic when she addresses burning issues.

Kah Walla is a good orator and a perfect public speaker from the agglomeration of her education. As a graduate from Howard, she is not just a product of fineness but also she is smart and proactive.  She has the God-given knack that she is clicked by the charm that easily convinces people. When she launched her Presidential race to the Unity Palace, the Kahwallamania syndrome took Cameroonians like the hike in the prices of coffee and cocoa took farmers unaware last February.

As a trainer, Kah Walla holds record for setting up a structure that is recognized worldwide. In Cameroon, she has empowered hundreds of youths. From Europe to America, she has left a mark of greatness as a leader. Get her from sleep and challenge her to a debate and you would realize that she is all Cameroon need to effect change. To any body who wants to enjoy Kah Walla do not go to challenge her, go to discuss with her and you will not regret for having met such a super intelligent woman. She is of the school of thought that holds the conviction that Africa is rich but the problem is with it leadership. The range of her level hardheadedness has attracted the world not just because she is a woman for that matter rather because she appears to come from a rare breed of woman

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