Maroua varsity pays homage to academic, Prof Thierno Mouctar Bah.

The scientific banquet, which brought together a number of lecturers from Cameroon and foreign universities, was organised by the Rector of the University of Maroua, Prof Idrissou Alioum. 

The two-day reflection to celebrate the great works of the patriarch, held under the theme: “Research and teaching of history for the culture of peace, living together and development in Africa”.

According to Prof Idrissou Alioum, the symposium was an opportunity to revisit the rich career of Prof Thierno Mouctar Bah, to highlight his contribution to science and to present his most recent publications.

He equally noted that the symposium was to celebrate the works of his mentor and his role in the teaching in the domains of historiography, issues of peace and security, traditional and modern military history, migration and settlement, violent extremism, religions and ideologies, traditions and cultures, systems of exploitation, slavery, endogenous knowledge, tangible and intangible heritage at the level of Cameroon and African. 

During the symposium, Prof Bah was presented as a living heritage that has played an essential role in the training of many historians and has made a significant contribution to the field of historical research. 

It was a privilege to celebrate him

According to Prof Idrissou Alioum, Prof Bah has been a source of inspiration to many generations, as such it was normal for them to celebrate him while he is alive. 

“This is an important moment, first and foremost for scientific reflection. But I think that alongside this scientific reflection, we wanted to celebrate a man, a teacher, a master and a precursor of research in Cameroon,” Prof Alioum said.

He went on to add that the University of Maroua is extremely proud to have brought together friends and colleagues from Cameroon and elsewhere, as well as students who came out in their numbers to testify and celebrate Prof Thierno Mouctar Bah

The gesture, Prof Idrissou Alioum added, was aimed at making him feel that “he has done a gigantic job in training several generations of historians and researchers in Cameroon and elsewhere”. 

Prof Bah as an encyclopedia 

According to a participant from Niger, Apsatou Bagaya, Prof Bah is an encyclopedia and it was therefore important for them to celebrate their mentor, and even more important, to do it when he is alive.

“It was important for him to hear from us that he has done wonders and that was what happened. I saw him in tears and it really touched me. They always say that an old man leaving is like a library burning down. Prof Thierno Bah is an encyclopedia. He is rich in everything. Thank God he didn’t keep the riches for himself, but he has also made others rich. He has informed, transformed, produced and he continues to do so,” Apsatou Bagaya said.

Celebration, a well-deserved one

According Virginie Wanyaka Bonguen Oyongmen, participant from the University of Yaounde I, Prof Bah was the founding father of military history in Cameroon and with the mark he has made, it was normal to be celebrated.

“This tribute to Prof Bah has already been a little long in coming, but as they say ‘better late than never’. It's always important to celebrate your masters while they are still alive. He taught me a lot, because he is the founding father of military history in Cameroon. So as a child, I followed in his footsteps,” Wanyaka said.

“Prof Bah taught me intellectual rigour and how to do a good job. It would take me days to tell you everything he has done for me, but you should know that he has shaped generations and generations of historians, and his rigour is what has marked us most,” she added.