SUMMIT MAGAZINE HOISTS BATE BESONG TO THE SUMMIT

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By Tikum Mbah

Recently, the University of Buea served as the venue for a twin-event that marked the fifth anniversary of Summit Magazine and a memorial service in honour of the late poet and playwright, Bate Besong. This took place qt the University’s Amphi 750 in the presence of and under the patronage of the newly installed Vice Chancellor of the university, Dr Nalova Lyonga:

As a parallel event, the magazine launched a special edition of its publication which it also devoted to the internationally acclaimed literary icon.

Tikum Mbah Azonga leafed through the magazine and sent the following report from Buea.

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Long before the event, Summit Magazine had set the tone for the special edition by producing a beautiful four-page invitation card which it then sent out to invitees. On the cover of the card is a cheerful and exuberant Bate Besong, or “BB”, as he was fondly called, clutching a file whose contents we the onlookers may never know.

The back cover of the invitation card carries four covers of previous editions of the magazine, one featuring the retired Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC), the Rt. Rev. Nyansako-Ni-Nku over whom is the headline, “My place is reserved in heaven”. Another cover portrays the late renowned Professor of Medicine, Victor Anomah Ngu with the caption, “Vanhivax has cured AIDS patients”. The third shows Social Democratic Front (SDF) Chairman Ni John Fru Ndi relaxed in jeans, sporting a cowboy hat and carrying a bunch of plantains on his left shoulder as he walks. The headline on him reads, “I am also a farmer”.

The special edition is a 48-page publication whose main cover page story is understandably: “Remember Bate Besong: Five years after, he lives on”. On the cover, Bate Besong is seen flanked to the bottom by Professor Ndiva Kofele Kale whom the magazine describes as “Marafa`s lawyer”. The latter is of course, the former Territorial Administration Minister who was previously and for years Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic. Marafa, it will be recalled, is one of several cabinet ministers today awaiting trial in jail on charges of corruption.

At the top right hand corner of the cover is an irresistible photograph of the charming Francisca Biaka who is said to be taking over command of the St. Veronica Medical Centre in Buea. Two other smaller cover stories capture the two newly appointed bosses of the Douala Port Authority, the Board Chairman Shey Jones Yembe, and the General Manager Etoundi Oyono. Inside the magazine, the “Young Celebrities” page features Ernest Sumelong who is Editor of the Buea-based The Post newspaper on the one hand and on the other hand, Derica Nkuh Nfor, Service Head for the Budget at the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife in Yaounde.

Of course, the bulk of the publication examines Bate Besong from various angles including his being a legend as portrayed in the foreword by Veteran Journalist Peter Esoka. Summit Magazine`s Publisher Kange Williams Wasaloko recounts his encounters with Bate Besong whom he describes as “the tiger that never bites”. The late poet and dramatist`s comrade-in-arms, Dr. Babila Mutia, who is also a writer and lecturer at the Higher Teacher`s Training College (ENS) in Yaounde, pens down his views of Bate Besong from the angle of his ideas, vision and life. Other contributors include Bole Butake, professor of literature and drama, Literary giant Canute Tangwa, as well as Francis Wache who is Executive Editor of The Post newspaper and who acted as moderator during the ceremony. Also participating were the journalists Douglas Achinagle and Azore Opio, as well as U.S.-based University don Dr. Joyce Ashuntantang.

Anyone who picks up the special edition can not fail to be moved by the lengthy interview the wife of the late Bate Besong, Christina, gives the publication. In it, she talks at length about B.B. the man, the critic, the husband, the father, the lover and man of her dreams. She, of course, recalls the moment she learned of her husband`s death.

Summit Magazine announces that it will take a break from July to September of this year, to bounce back in October with another special edition, this time on Cameroon`s forthcoming reunification celebration.

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This paper was first broadcast on Foundation Radio, Ngomgham-Bamenda on Friday the 13^th of July 2012. The Radio is an offshoot of the Fomunyoh Foundation. Dr Chris Fomunyoh recently appointed me Executive Station Manager of Foundation Radio. I am handling this alongside my full time job as Head of the Communication Division of the University of Bamenda.