Hon Wirba Joseph Mbiydzenyuy – The Pride of West Cameroon
At a time when the world is faced with what the UN calls “the greatest humanitarian emergency of our era”, with more people displaced by unspeakable conflicts than at any time since World War II, Africa-in-miniature’s fifty-five years modus Vivendi of crystallizing a sense of nationhood is teetering on the brink of collapse and remain a test case for a nation that has Camouflaged itself domestically and internationally as a heaven of peace in a sub-region surrounded by unbridled turbulence.
As the international community appeals to the government of La République du Cameroun to swiftly negotiate with genuine West Cameroon leaders, and strategically build camaraderie with the Anglophone community, The Wirba Resistance takes a closer look at the Pride of West Cameroon – Hon Wirba Joseph Mbiydzenyuy MP,
Believe it or not, Hon WIRBA Joseph Mbiydzenyuy does not possess superhuman attributes, and most likely wasn’t destined to emerge as one of the most influential leaders of the West Cameroon liberation struggle.
What makes him different, special and one of a kind is something we all have, an inner strength.
Unfortunately, for many of us, that inner strength has laid dormant all our lives, buried by the constant daily obstacles and negative influences that keep us grounded.
Hon Wirba is known for speaking the truth, politically astute and confident addressing sensitive conversations with a broad spectrum of audiences – from the highest levels of Government to ordinary members of the public.
He does not let others define who he is. He never let limitations others have placed on him deter him from standing up for what he believes in with passion, fearlessness, and cogency.
He never let the fact that what he wants to accomplish had never been accomplished before frighten him from giving it a try.
Hon Wirba’s greatness lies in the fact that he is a visionary, a democrat and international political leader who exercises his influence and leadership with humility and respect for his colleagues and opponents alike. He is, above all, a man who is stubborn in his resolve to fight all forms of discrimination, injustice and inequality.
A graduate of the University of Yaoundé, Ecole Normale Superieur, Annexe Bambili, Joe majored in English Literature and the teaching of English Language as a Second Language.
His teaching career spans over twenty years from 1982 and took him through various secondary schools and high schools in Cameroon. While teaching, he found time to work with the American Peace Corps in Batie and Bamenda where he worked as a Language Trainer and Coordinator for Cross-Cultural Affairs from 1988-1990.
Hon Wirba always had profound interest in politics and became actively involved in the Social Democratic Front (SDF) Revolution of 1990. Alongside the National Chairman, Ni John Fru Ndi, he formed the hard core of the resistance to government brutal determination to kill the SDF at its inception. As a key member of what was referred to as “Hunting Dogs”, Joe fought in the streets standing up for the SDF and got arrested several times. He was amongst the SDF Militants who were hunted down like animals during the state of emergency that followed the 1992 stolen victory of the SDF Candidate.
He worked relentlessly on the All Anglophone Conference I &II in seeking peaceful and sustainable solutions to the Anglophone minority problem in Cameroon.
His Pan-Africanist political stance and love for humanitarianism led him to bigger things when in 1994, alongside internationally renowned personalities like Kenneth Kaunda (Ex-President of Zambia), Ide Umarou (Former Secretary General of the OAU) and Barrister Bernard A Muna (Former Deputy Prosecutor for the United Nations Special Criminal Court for Rwanda), created an International Pan African Organization: the United Africa Association (UNAFAS). On its Board of Directors, Joe Wirba was Executive Assistant to the President of UNAFAS. His major duties were overseeing the Department of Political Affairs Democratic Progress and Humanitarian work in Africa.
As a rural farm boy who struggled for a better life, Joe developed his own sets of values which were purely human. His human values led him to create and run a Non-Governmental Organization; Care Organization for Rural Assistance, CORA whose work focusses on assisting and uplifting the poor and the downtrodden in rural communities. His hands – on approach in running CORA has earned him respect and acclaim in desperate hard to reach villages.
Hon Wirba is Member of Parliament for Jakiri Special Constituency since September 2013. His critical approach and his uncompromising stands on injustice, corruption and the lack of a functional democracy in Cameroon are well recorded. To him, politics should be about what works for the voiceless and helpless, rather than what works for the political elite.
In December 2016, the Honourable Member of Parliament was strident in his criticism of the government for atrocities committed by soldiers in Buea and Bamenda – following the non-violent Common Law Lawyers protest which was later energised by the sit-in strike action by Anglophone teachers.
His pain could be felt as he articulated his dissatisfaction with the way West Cameroonians were (are) being treated (as second class citizens).
Hon Wirba’s unprecedented, defiant speech at the National Assembly of Cameroon about Anglophone marginalization conspicuously inspired even the most hardened of cynics and galvanised Anglophone Cameroonians to resist Francophone suppression, take hold of their destiny and bend history in the direction of justice.
At a time when our people are being extra-judicially killed, raped, tortured, unlawfully arrested, and with internet blackout and plans by the colonial government of La Republique to further cut off telephone lines and stop communication entirely in West Cameroon, The Wirba Resistance is a Defiance Campaign against the colonial dictatorial government of La République du Cameroun and against its collaborationists
The campaign falls in line with the Cameroon Civil Society Consortium’s strike action
6 comments
Hon Wirba showed us what real fearlessness means.
He used the stage to let the whole world know what is going on in Cameroon.
He reminded me of the statement “No one can make you inferior without your consent” Eleanor Rosevelt.
Nonviolent resistance , coupled with strong diplomacy is going to bring freedom. Ghandhi did it, Martin Luther King did it. We shall overcome soon.
We do love you Wirba Joseph. You opened our eyes. You gave the speechless and surpressed a voice. But most of all you gave us hope. A true leader of a nation. May god guide and protect you. Friday and Saturday Ghosttown shall be 200%. No more fake Youth day. Instead 11th of February 2017 shall be our liberation day.
I agreed completely and giving that we cannot keep doing ghost town forever, these are my propositions for a step forward;
1. let create an annual celebration day called for example : Memorial day wich can be held the day our leaders were arrested to mark our struggle and make sure next generation will not forget about this struggle, a mistake done by others before and we should avoid doing the same, history needs facts.
2. Enter the political area with the next coming elections by electing our own people for a start therefore let ask the population to register for next coming elections.
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3. Start a tax desobidience campaign by stop paying taxes to authorities of La Republic.
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4 Last and extreme one: Self proclaim ourselves free and independent then create our own government giving that we got our independance before joining them. Others did it before and it worked, we just need courage.
Dear Jahjaman,
I agree that we won’t continue doing ghost towns forever and I believe we are progressing diplomatically to win more international allies to our side so that the struggle will soon come to a positive conclusion.
Until we actually gain autonomy it would be extremely difficult to implement the ideas you have proposed.
It is important that before we take any action we must foresee how the government is going to react or respond and devise strategies to counter that.
The Cameroonian government has decided to completely push aside the law and respect of human rights and labeling the anglophone leaders as terrorists.
For this reason they will look for every opportunity to kill, torture, imprison and carry out any form of attrocity on our people.
1.Memorial Day can only be celebrated openly when we finally gain our autonomy. I’m very sure we will overcome very soon if we remain persistent.
2. the Biya government has the power to rig all elections. There’s never been a free and fair election since 1992, so as long as biya controls elecam we would be wasting time going into elections.
3. How will the government respond if business people refuse to pay taxes? Arrest the traders, lock down their shops, and imprison them if they keep persisting. Arrest in civil disobedience is not always necessary unless it will result in what the people want.
4. Judge Ebong Frederick Alobwede proclaimed independence on December 31. 1999 and was arrested together with many other southern Cameroonian activists.
We need the backing of the international community to succeed in this approach.
So far, the educational boycotts through strikes and ghost towns has been most effective because it is also going to affect schools all over Cameroon. UNESCO will refuse to recognize all certificates in schools throughout Cameroon, not just the anglophone regions. That is the biggest blow and if we can continue this for 2 years then the government will have to negotiate.
The strikes have been most successful this time because the teachers joined. So this is the strongest point and that is why Biya’s government is working very hard to see schools reopen. They don’t really care about the lawyers or any other group.
Thank God that parents have also discovered that schools are the biggest area through which we can force the government to negotiate. The government has threatened to cut teachers’ salaries but because parents are refusing to send their children to schools the ghost towns and strikes are still successful
so we have to make sure that teachers are our allies all the time.
I agree to Emmanuel. But we need to find further non-violent strategies which pains the gov a lot. They live on our wealth. Thus lets make it more difficult for them to grab our wealth. As Example. We should boycott to send / export food for two weeks to Eastern Cameroon. Let us sabatoge, peacefully, the lodging in our forests.
Guys,
Just to remind you that they are already killing, rapping and torturing people and that tendency will keep on increasing. At some points, people will react because of the atrocies they can witness, some of them won’t hold it anymore.. learn from others struggles.
For example: Who will hold himself forever when his or her daughter is rapped like in Kumba…..There is already a price paid even in these ghost towns because they are non violents for us but Biya is using violence. We should not blind ourselves, how many killings and rapes must happen before the international community shall react? We saw theirs reactions in others places.
I am not at all against what all you guys are saying and I had never said that we should take guns neither to go in the streets but you cannot go to any war even in the Bible with only one strategy and mustly when you know that they are traitors amongst us: Some teachers called off the strike and were paid for a mouvement of less than six months and you are talking of two years ghost towns ! Please let wake up: War is about mixing strategies not about using only one strategy and that is my point because the main skill of leadership is to anticipate mostly the worst and prepare a plan B.
Before counting on the international community, we should first count on us because that same community works according to interests which Biya can highly satisfy by sharing the french cake ( Oil) with others.
As far as for now, we have an advantage with the ghost town working well but for two years, I doubt that people will hold without a price to be paid… Hence I insist of having a non-violent strategy that will hit the government economically like no tax paid except if you have a better solution in the same direction because we provide 45% ( With Oil that only interests French ) of Cameroon budget: Think seriously about this advantage we have over them because right now those people in Yaoundé need cash to fight Bokom Haram…..
Also, I think that you give Biya a lot of credits, he is not GOD and when you have faith put GOD first no matter what; Could he jail all bussiness men and women in the two regions if collectively they strongly refuse to pay taxes? I doubt that by seeing how for example the mayor of Buea were obliging shops to open during ghost towns; Think about these brethren because if these people start loosing money, they will react, trust me…. It is mostly small busineeses which pay taxes in Cameroon hence if they stop paying the government will not like it ….Trust me
Also, just imagine they arrest all business men or women, how will they meet the daily needs of people? The state vaults are empty with the Boko Haram war…
Concerning elections, I still believe we can make a change by participating because if we have at least ten parlamenterian like Wirba, it is a huge strength
GOD is also wisdom…….let the eyes hear me……….