FLASHBACK: SUMMIT MAGAZINE HONOURS BATE BESONG

(First published in July 2012)

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

SUMMIT MAGAZINE, has just celebrated its fifth anniversary. This was marked by a memorial conference devoted to the late poet and dramatist, Bate Besong.

The jamboree was held at the University of Buea`s sumptuous Amphi 750, under the patronage of the newly appointed Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Nalova Lyonga.

Tikum Mbah Azonga sat through the ceremony and put together this report.

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The show was a crowd puller bringing together personalities such as Bole Butake, professor of Literature and Drama and to boot, a playwright in his own right. Also present were Francis Wache, Executive Editor of The Post newspaper who served as moderator, Rumpi Project boss Bisong Ntui Ogork who was the chief launcher, the former parliamentarian for Santa there  were Dr Rose Jua who is Dean of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Buea, and the former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, the Rt. Rev.  Nyansako-ni-Nku.

One high point was the award ceremony in which Summit Magazine Publisher Kange Williams Wasaloko recognized some personalities for services rendered to the community.

The aspect that stole the show, though, was the screening of an interview which Bate Besong accorded CRTV`s production and programmes Manager, Robert Ekukole, incidentally, shortly before the poet perished in a car crash along the Douala-Yaounde road. He died alongside two long time friends and associates: Kwasen Gwanngwa`a, a television producer at CRTV Yaounde, and Dr Hilarius Ambe, an upcoming dramatist who was Bate Besong`s “professional son”. Ambe was a university lecturer.

The screening of the Bate Besong interview at some point held the audience spellbound and at other times  caught the audience reeling with laughter. After all, that was “BB”,  as Bate Besong was fondly called, true to form: firebrand critique, trouble rouser, agitator, hothead and stirrer. But he was also eloquent, intelligent, knowledgeable, uncompromising, hardnosed and categorical.

Funds were raised generously with assurances from the publisher of Summit magazine that the Bate Besong family would benefit from them. The late poet and playwright’s wife, Christina and children as well as parents were there to see and hear it all for themselves.

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This paper was first broadcast on Foundation Radio, Ngomgham-Bamenda on Monday the 9^th of July 2012. The Radio is an offshoot of the Fomunyoh Foundation.