To Step Up Campaign Against Trafficking of Cameroonian Girls in the Middle East:A Common Future Launches ‘Mister Bamenda 2015’ contest, Confronts NW Senators.

Bamenda-Cameroon: July 14, 2015-

A Common Future staff protest against enslavement of Cmr girls in Kuwait

A Common Future, the Bamenda-based Civil Society organization that works to transform lives and build common frontiers by proposing alternative models of masculinity that are not in opposition to models of femininity and that allow men and women as well as boys and girls to share love, reproductive health responsibilities and decision–making, is announcing a male pageant title and contest code-named ‘Mister Bamenda 2015’, to take place next August 22, 2015 at Jua Hotel situated off the slopes of the Bamenda Up Station Hill. The theme of the event shall be: ‘Ending all Forms of Contemporary Slavery and Bringing Back our Girls Trapped in Kuwait’.

The winner of the Mister Bamenda 2015 title shall have as mission to articulate Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UDHR, which states that ‘No one shall be held in slavery or servitude: slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms’.

The pageant who shall be A Common Future 2015 advocate youth speaker shall have as objective, to bring to the forefront of public consciousness the inhumane and degrading forms of treatment our Cameroonian girls suffer in the Middle East for no fault of theirs. The Mister Bamenda platform shall give the winner an opportunity to liaise with victims and families whose children are trapped out there in Kuwait and Lebanon and bring the attention of government and the international community to their plight and the need for urgent action. He shall also work to identify the slave trade market agents here in Cameroon and do well to name and shame them. The youth advocate speaker shall work to educate and sensitize youths on the necessity of having full knowledge of the host country and family before ever leaving Cameroon.

The pageant shall work to improve access to information and general internet access so girls and boys who want to travel do enough online research on the human rights situation in the host countries before travelling so as to spare themselves and their families the embarrassment we have had these past weeks on the inhumane treatment of Cameroonians in the Middle East.

Since the ‘majority of those who suffer are the poorest, most vulnerable and marginalized social groups in society and since it is fear, ignorance of one’s rights and the need to survive that does not encourage them to speak out,’ the youth advocate speaker shall work to reinsert victims into society by liaising with entrepreneurial mentoring agencies like SEED Cameroon and the National Employment Fund to make them gainfully employed. Through such programmes, they would be brought to understand that ‘grass is greenest where it is watered’. Mister Bamenda 2015 pageant shall have to work closely with the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery to reverse this situation and fulfill the principle enshrined in Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The peculiarity of this year’s Mister Bamenda handsome pageant event is the fact that it shall showcase an uprising of fresh and fearless comics poking fun and changing people’s mindset and society at large, one joke at a time. It shall also be an epic journey of discovery to find the freshest comic voices in the most unlikely places. We do this with the understanding that: “No matter where you live or what your beliefs are, our love of laughter is something we all have in common.’’ Nobody ignores the fact that: “Laughter opens our ears and our hearts—and once people are listening, who knows what they might be inspired to do?” Our hope also, is that since all the returning victims from Kuwait complain of having cried off all their tears out there, they comedy will revitalize them and also spark conversation and inspire participants to take action around these issues.

Who Can be the pageant?

Unlike other fashion contests that target physical beauty and handsomeness, A Common Future believes that the real handsomeness today lies in character and will-power. Beyond physical appearance, we are looking for somebody between the ages of 18-30 who is bold and committed enough to articulate issues of human rights and slavery within the next 12 months. Although preference would be given to a returning victims from the Middle East, the winner must be somebody who is outgoing with good public relations qualities that can enable him raise funds for the ‘slave effort’ just as Cameroonians have been raising same for Boko Haram, so as to #Bring Back Our Girls who, like the Chibok girls, are in captivity in the Middle East.

Calling on Sponsors, Vendors and Volunteers

Mister Bamenda 2015 Pageant has great sponsorship and vendor opportunities to fit all budgets. Sponsoring Mister Bamenda 2015 has great benefits, get your brand visible within the community and reach a highly targeted audience. In the days ahead, tickets would be available both online and offline. Watch out for early bird tickets this month. Tickets will cost more in August.
For more information on sponsorship and vendor opportunities please contact us as soon as possible through acommonfuture1@yahoo.com or call [237]. 677 85 24 76

If you want to be a contestant, sponsor, vendor or volunteer for the Mister Bamenda 2015 event, contact any of the following addresses:
Bamenda: Philo Happi [Eden Newspaper-Chemist, Bamenda], Stella [STV Metta Quarters-Bamenda], Wancha Cynthia [Radio Hot Cocoa], Press & Associates [Ndefcam Radio, Ghana Street-Bamenda]
Limbe: Tembang Solomon [Eden Newspaper-Limbe]
Kumba: Talla Christopher [The Sun Newspaper-Kumba
Douala: Peter Nsoesie [STV Douala]
Yaoundé: Kini Nsom [The Post Newspaper Yaoundé]  
For any further details on sponsorship and vendor opportunities please contact Gwain Colbert, Co-Founder, Executive Director of A Common Future, as soon as possible through acommonfuture1@yahoo.com or call [237]. 677 85 24 76

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