University of Bamenda: Journalist, Emmanuel Woloko, awarded excellent grade in PhD defense.

The defense took place on Friday November 17, on the campus of the University of Bamenda. It was chaired by the Registrar of UBa, Prof Patrick Kongyuy. 

Other members of the jury included Prof Primus Fonkeng, external examiner from the University of Buea; Prof Cheo Victor, Director of Academic Affairs, UBa; Prof Tem Protus, and his supervisors, Prof Richard Talla and Prof Muluh Henry.

It took Emmanuel Woloko about three hours to present his work, respond to questions and convince the jury of learned professors to award him the grade of Excellent.

Dr Emmanuel Woloko's thesis focused on how the print media, through its qualities of neutrality, objectivity and fairness, contributed to the history of Anglophone Cameroon.

According to Dr Emmanuel Woloko, his work falls in a new area wherein, his aim was to combine the work of journalists and that of historians to document the history of Southern Cameroons.

"I was trying to bring in what journalists are doing in the area of historiography. This is because quite often, historians feel that they are the ones who reconstructed history, forgetting to know that they depend on the works of journalists," Dr Emmanuel Woloko said.

Dr Emmanuel Woloko brandishing PhD work

Contributions of work to education

Dr Emmanuel Woloko added that his research will also help journalists and historians to work together, because both are historiographers.

Questioned about what gap his work will fill in the education sector, Dr Woloko said the work also advocates that newspapers should be archived and not dumped after publication, because they will be used as source for history in the future.

Dr Woloko hailed for innovative, multidisciplinary piece

Before pronouncing the candidate’s excellent grade, the chair of the jury, Prof Patrick Kongyuy, said they were very satisfied with the originality of the piece of work and the time taken in carrying out the research.

On his part Prof Muluh Henry, one of the candidate’s superiors, said the work adds a lot to the literature of mass communication in Cameroon.

"It's a well innovative piece that was well handled by Woloko. This is the beginning of putting together literature that will help the students of mass communication see where we are coming from and where we are heading to as far as the evolution of mass communication is concerned in this country," Prof Muluh said.

Dr Emmanuel Woloko is the Manager of Communication and Archives at the Cameroon Baptist Church. He was previously the Station Manager of CBC Radio, Bamenda. 

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Buea, Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Buea, Masters of Arts in History and now PhD History.