Scribbles From The Den

This collection consists of 49 insightful essays by leading Cameroonian blogger Dibussi Tande, which originally appeared on his award-winning blog Scribbles from the Den. These essays tackle some of the most pressing and complex issues facing Cameroon today such as the stalled democratization process, the perennial Anglophone problem, the crisis of higher education, the absence of the rule of law, the lack of leadership renewal, a stifled collective memory, and a continued inability to harness technology for purposes of national development, among others. Scribbles from the Den goes beyond the news headlines to dispassionately analyze and unravel the complexities of Cameroonian politics and society.

Bate Besong was Cameroons most vocal and controversial poet, playwright and scholar, who died in March 2007.

This book seeks to make an intervention into the ongoing debate about the scope and intensity of global copyright laws. While mapping out the primary actors in the context of globalization and the modern political economy of information ownership, the argument is made that alternatives to further expansion of copyright are necessary. By examining the multiple and competing interests in creating the legal regime of copyright law, this books attempts to map the political economy of copyright in the information age, critique the concentration of ownership that is intrinsic in the status quo, and provide an assessment of the state of the contemporary global copyright landscape and its futures. It draws upon the current narratives of copyright as produced by corporate, government, and political actors and frames these narratives as language games within a global political project to define how information and culture will be shared and exchanged in the future. The text problematizes the relationship of the state to culture, comments on the global flows of culture, and critiques the regulatory apparatus that is in place to commodify culture and align it with the contemporary nation-state. In the end, the possibility of non-commodified and more open futures are explored. The State of Copyright will be of particular interest for students and scholars of international political economy, law, political science, anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, library sciences, and communication studies. It also will appeal to a growing popular audience that has taken an interest in the issues of copyright.

Society of Illustrators, Dilys Evans Founder's Award Winner A New York Times Best Book of 2020 A Wall Street Journal Best Book of 2020 PRAISE "Electrifying. Extraordinary. Enigmatic and gorgeous." —The Wall Street Journal "An epic dream captured in superbly meticulous detail." —Shaun Tan "Danger, magic, surprise and awe abound in this masterly, wordless debut." —The New York Times "I love Van den Ende's passion." —Brian Selznick, New York Times Book Review STARRED REVIEWS ★ "Marvelously engrossing—a triumph." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review ★ "Remarkable. Absolutely sui generis." —Booklist, starred review Without a word, The Wanderer presents one little paper boat's journey across the ocean, past reefs and between icebergs, through schools of fish, swaying water plants, and terrifying sea monsters. The little boat is all alone, and while its aloneness gives it the chance to wonder at the fairy-tale world above and below the waves, that also means it must save itself when it storms. And so it does. Readers young and old will find the strength and inspiration in this quietly powerful story about growing, learning, and life's ups and downs.

Emmanuel Neba-Fuh in this comprehensive chronological compilation and thorough narrative of the history of white supremacy in Africa provide an unflinching fresh case that African poverty - a central tenet of the “shithole” demonization, is not a natural feature of geography or a consequence of culture, but a direct product of imperial extraction from the continent – a practice that continues into the present. A brutal and nefarious tale of slave trade, genocides, massacres, dictators supported, progressive leaders murdered, weapon-smuggling, cloak-and-dagger secret services, corruption, international conspiracy, and spectacular military operations, he raised the most basic and fundamental question - how was Africa (the world’s richest continent) raped and reduced to what Donald J. Trump called “shithole?” (V. Mbanwie )

Based on previously unused primary sources including extensive interviews in Cameroon, personal journals, diaries, responses to questionnaires, and a variety of secondary sources, this study is a critical analysis of US study abroad programs in Africa. Using the University of Dayton Cameroon Immersion program as a case study, the work examines different aspects of experiential learning including selection, orientation, activities of US college students in Cameroon, post-immersion meetings, and impact of program. The nation of Cameroon and University of Dayton are uniquely ideal for the study as Cameroon is considered “Africa in miniature” and serves as a window to understanding many of Africa’s political, economic, cultural, and social complexities. Located in the American Midwest, the University of Dayton, while unique, shares many similarities with other American universities. The study expands the boundaries of scholarship on study abroad. By comparing the impact of the African experience on students to that of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who served in that continent, the study opens up avenues for comparative analyses. Africa is vital to the global community and, with its complex political, economic, cultural, and social systems, offers important lessons to understanding students’ ability to adapt to change in a rapidly changing global environment.

There is an emerging consensus that what is projected as democratic governance and justice in Africa requires a re-calibration, in particular, in relation to the constitutive demos, human rights, the realisation of commitments at various governance levels and the convergence between these ideations. The post-colonial narrative on democracy has unveiled some crevices in rule of law, political equality, political participation, political culture and freedom of the press. Aside from the fact that these notions are threatened by some existing institutional structures, these notions are increasingly being negotiated across political spaces. Evident in the prevalent narrative is an imperative for Africa to assert its place on the global scene of democratic governance and justice. However, if this will be accomplished, it is important to understand some of the issues that need to be worked through in this transition.

The Cameroons is in the grips of a perpetual tailspin. The confusion and lack of clarity in the nation threaten everyone's sanity. The Absurd and the Cameroonian Tragedy at Decolonization dissects these ills and tries to isolate what has caused them: emotional bankruptcy. Family life cannot survive in such an environment; which has been split down the middle since 1961. Political reality and slipshod behavior underlie the dystopian snare in which British Southern Cameroons finds itself within La Rpublique du Cameroun. Doh's narrative points to confusion and La Rpublique du Cameroun's bad faith dealings with British Southern Cameroons. This orphan in the storm quality extends to a far reach with The Absurd ... looking at the storm clouds that create such misery. Doh's characters have no control in a Francophone majority dominated world. This helplessness creates emotional stress and a severe breakdown requiring professional help. The social, political, and economic deficits are consequences of colonialism and the complicity of Francophone abettors of imperial exploitation. Africa is a marionette dancing on someone else's string. This book looks at theft, and the way in which kleptocracy at the governmental level has ripped the heart, spirit, and energy out of The Cameroons and shows how Doh's literature deals with the inability to count on anything and or observe a direct connection between the cause and the effect. Despite the negativity that permeates Doh's literature, he views The Cameroons as resilient.