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TWENTY FIRST CENTURY YOUTH IN CAMEROON
AT THE MERCIES OF TIME
INTRODUCTION:
The youths’ participation in nation building in African countries have made great contribution
to the Socioeconomic and Political life of these nations. With this fact changing world of ours, the
aftermath of colonialism and its ills still pursue African countries like the dark terrorizing demon for
decades now. Many youths stood at the forefront for the fight for independence and in this light, we
still have fresh memories of contributions from Nkrumah, Azikiwe, Lumumba, Sekou Toure,
Thomas Sankara, Felix Moumie, Um Nyobe, Mandela’s etc. The nation-states that we have today
in Cameroon as it is the case elsewhere in Africa has hardly got to the dept. of problems chopping
in the bone marrow of the country. Poverty, disease, criminality, unemployment, famine, etc., rock the
government which is still under heavy debt burden. The health and educational statistic of Cameroon
is getting worse. The educational policy is not oriented towards job creation or end to itself and swarm
of graduates leave the Universities with the mentality of soaking something out from the bone-like
coffers of the state if at all they join the public service. Many of them scramble at entrance
examinations organized by the public service and once in the system (always through bribery and
corruption) they collect twice, or three folds what they have invested to join their others senior corrupt
colleagues. The less unfortunate are dumped back in the street with hopelessness and frustration
ensuing. No where to turn to for rescue. The private sector is hard to join since there is too much
tax on them. Since every human living must survive, many invest in odd jobs while some thrive in
criminality and other societal ills. Males are seen in gangs as females are getting used to
prostitution or last resorts. Urban centers swells day in day out with jobless youths. Deadly
diseases like AIDS keep on marking high percentage on the chart of deaths in Cameroon. Conflicts
within families communities have led to lost of lives. Some youths will get arms and attack civilians
in the fragile society which is breaking away. The bash of economic weather still rock the nation and
corruption is a norm than an exception.
Elections in Cameroon since 1990 are always contested and the 56% of the 15 million inhabitants in
Cameroon are less interested in any other electoral process in Cameroon. Abuse of state powers by
state officials take away inalienable rights of the secret humans whom they are called to protect.
Youth have become like tolls in the hands of politicians who pay them lip services for the former to
vote them and soon afterward they are dumped. We cannot undermined the undereducated youth
especially young girls and the handicapped why not the less privileged. Rural population suffer
from essential needs as some farmers their proceeds from farms rotten due to unavailability of farm
roads, ready markets or lack of finance to market these goods. The day break in Cameroon is far from
the horizon and many will remain under wet blankets due to hash poverty snatching their teeth for a long
time. The world has been globalised and many doors opened yet Cameroonian youths remain uninformed.
The question that took Cameroon Dynamic Youth Forum (CADYF) to embark on this fight against these
ills was that if the future is now abandoned in the hands to these weak youths to whom do they hand to?
These ills waxing the socioeconomic and political environment of Cameroon leave many youths
unwanted and have just one solution; that of setting the pace for their own destiny.
The obvious answer was that these youth have to be the catalyst of their destiny through Cameroon
Dynamic Youth Forum (CADYF) trying everyday to weed these evils out of Cameroon and
making it conducive for the present and the future generations. There is no doubt that this generation
has been sacrificed at the shrine of political strife, corruption and social hazards yet there is no tunings
point for the youths who are the guarantors of the future they cherish. Cameroon Dynamic Youth
Forum (CADYF) after the single responses by empowering youth economically socially and politically
for them to complement the governmental efforts in this fight to make Cameroon a better country for all.
Postponing this move from 1995 would have meant postponing evil days and the time is now for all
youth from nooks and corner to have hands on deck in order to move Cameroon out of these
socioeconomic and political branches rocking the country. The pacesetter non-governmental
organizations with identifiable and viable projects is Cameroon Dynamic Youth Forum
(CADYF). Cameroon Dynamic Youth Forum (CADYF) is a forum for social
dialogue, cultural exchange and empowerment.
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