As phenomenon on rise: Bilingualism Commission engages civil society to combat hate speech, xenophobia.

Authorities of the Commission yesterday reached separate Memoranda of Understanding, MoUs, with some 14 CSOs, which have been battling hate speech and related menaces in the country.

While the body merely renewed its engagement with 10 of the CSOs, four others were doing so for the first time.

It was the President of the Commission, His Excellency Peter Mafany Musonge, who signed the agreement on behalf of the state-run institution while representatives of the various civil society groups took turns to put pen to paper.

It was the second time running that the organisations were approaching the Bilingualism Commission for the partnership. The initiative was flagged off in May 2022 with 14 CSOs carefully selected from across the country.

When the President of the Commission took the floor at yesterday’s meeting, he first stated that the fight against hate speech and xenophobia is collective. Musonge insisted that his Commission cannot succeed in the combat without support from across the board.

The former Prime Minister recalled that “…on the 24th of May 2022, in this very hall, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU with 14 civil society organisations, CSOs to assist the NCPBM in the fight against hate speech and xenophobia in our country”.

Speaking further on the issue, Musonge explained that: “Point Six of the MoU, which concerns ‘duration’ stipulates that the ‘MoU’ shall be binding for one year, renewable, where applicable”.

“We are therefore meeting today to renew the MoU with ten CSOs. I am sure some of you will be asking the question: why ten instead of fourteen? The simple reason is that we were forced to drop some of the CSOs that failed to comply with the terms of our agreement. They have consequently been replaced by others that were on the waiting list, from the onset,” he immediately clarified.

Musonge was blunt that: “We are aware that today’s ceremony is taking place in a peculiar context”.

He regretted that: “Since we signed the MoU one year ago, it is common knowledge that hate speech and xenophobia are on the rise, instead of taking a nosedive. They have reached such an alarming proportion that the President of the Republic…has once again, given firm instructions that the fight against these scourges be intensified so as to bring them to their barest expression”.

The Bilingualism Commission boss stated that the recent upsurge of hate speech and hate actions at a period when the country just celebrated the feast of National Unity, is a serious cause for concern. 

“It puts to jeopardy all the efforts made by the founding fathers of our dear fatherland, to make Cameroon a haven of peace where every individual or tribe can live and work unperturbed , anywhere within the national territory,” he said. 

Musonge recounted that: “When in February 2021, the President of the Republic instructed the Commission to carry out the new communication campaign against hate speech and xenophobia in Cameroon, one of the strategies adopted by the Commission to implement the Head of State’s very high instructions, was to form a collaborative platform with Civil Society Organisations, CSOs. This was done to take the fight to the remotest corners of the national territory”.

He noted that the reason for adopting the said strategy is due to the fact that the Commission alone cannot fight hate speech and xenophobia in the country. 

“State and non-state actors have been engaged in this fight in varying degrees and while congratulating them for their efforts, I will also seize this opportunity to call on them not to relent in the fight,” he concluded.

What the MoU entails

Meanwhile, taking the cue at yesterday’s ceremony, the Secretary General of the Bilingualism Commission, Dr Chi Asafor Cornelius, said through the MoU, his institution “gives the mandate to the partners within the framework of conducting multi-stakeholder approach in the fight against hate speech and Xenophobia in Cameroon. This they will do especially through awareness raising campaign at the grassroots on the danger the scourges pose to national unity and harmonious living together”. 

He said through the agreement, “the NCPBM shall design the messages and any other type of information to be disseminated to the public”.

The Commission will also “organise training workshops to build the capacities of partners…produce communication gadgets; flyers, banners and posters to be used in the campaign where applicable,” he added.

For the partners, Dr Chi Asafor said: “They shall provide proof of legal existence as a registered civil society nongovernmental organisation operating within Cameroon. They will also be expected to provide us any document requested by the NCPBM, present their annual action plan at the beginning of each year and organise activities in the fight against hate speech and Xenophobia at the level of the grassroots.”

Frustration breeds hate speech

Speaking to newsmen shortly after signing yesterday’s agreement, the founder of Civic Watch, the organisation implementing DefyHateNow project in Cameroon, Ngala Desmond Ngala, linked hate speech to political and economic frustrations of the citizenry.

“Hate speech, I should say, comes as a result of social, political, economic and even psychological frustrations,” he said, disclosing that his organisation is “addressing first and foremost the very causes of hate speech. That is why at the national level, we are asking policy makers to take measures that can reduce hate speech”.

He said: “Practically and operationally, we are sensitising people on the dangers of hate speech. This project limits us to the North West Region, that is the seven Divisions of the Region. We hope that before the year runs out, we will be able to get to all the Divisions”.