Veteran Journalist, Suzanne Kala Lobe, dies at 71.

Family sources confirmed that she gave up the ghost in Douala. The highly respected and fearless journalist, known for her incisive criticism and independent thinking, studied in France, before returning to Cameroon where she practised journalism.

Born in Douala on January 16, 1953, Kala Lobe began her education at Petit Joss in Akwa. At the age of 10, she moved to France to continue her studies, setting the stage for a distinguished academic and professional career. 

Kala Lobe pursued higher education with remarkable dedication. She earned a PhD in Linguistics from Paris-III University in 1976. She later obtained an MBA in Cultural Management in 1989. 

Her academic journey also included a DEA in Political Science from Bordeaux University in 1997. Her thesis focused her thesis on internal power dynamics and dissensions within the Union des Populations du Cameroun, UPC party.

Impactful career as journalist 

Kala Lobe’s involvement in the media started in 1992. She was driven by the desire to honour her father, Iwiyè Kala-Lobè, a renowned journalist and founder of Présence Africaine. 

She made her mark as a journalist at La Nouvelle Expression, a private newspaper in Douala, where she quickly gained recognition with her impactful column “Ma candidate serait une femme,” during the 1992 presidential election in Cameroon.

In 2003, Kala Lobe expanded her media presence by hosting several influential programs on Equinoxe Radio, including “Polémos” and “Livres noirs et musiques d’Afrique”. 

Her career continued to flourish as she took on the role of host for “Vendredi soir” on Equinoxe Television in 2013. 

With the experience gathered over the years, she decided to set up her own media production hub. 

Demonstrating her entrepreneurial spirit, she founded EBK Productions, which produced the magazine program Actu, broadcast on Canal 2 International.

Kala Lobe’s ideologies and experience led to her being appointed at the National Communication Council on February 23, 2013, by President Paul Biya. 

At one moment, she also served as the Head of Communications of waste management company, HYSACAM. Suzanne Kala Lobe had continued to voice her opinions on the state of journalism in Cameroon. 

Before giving up the ghost, the legendary journalist was still very much active in the field, as she was a news consultant and a radio host at Dash Media. 

Kala Lobe the author 

Aside being an acclaimed journalist with clear views, she was also an author. She greatly contributed to the literary world in Cameroon and beyond. 

Kala Lobe authored “Les Chroniques sous le manguier”, published in October 2010 with Jacques Marie Lafon, and also co-authored “Supermarket” in 2012 with Le Bec en L’air.

Tributes galore 

Since the announcement of her demise, tributes have been pouring in from her colleagues and other members of the media family in the country.

Peter Nsoesie, journalist at Dash Media in a social media outing following her death, wrote “...Suzanne Kala Lobe was fearless. She was an independent thinker, with incisive criticism. She was never scared to say what she feels and how she felt about them. Her analyses were always poignant”. 

“Her death is indeed a huge loss for the Cameroonian media and her immediate family,” he added. 

Aline Fomete, TV host of Intimes Convictions, on Canal 2 International, said she had the chance to talk with her a few times, and I was impressed by her sharp intellect. 

“She was a true polymath, with a broad range of knowledge. Once she had an idea, she was fiercely committed to it, no matter what others thought,” Fomete said.

Suzanne Kala Lobe’s death, according to many who followed her works, marks the end of a chapter in Cameroonian journalism landscape.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3187 of Friday August 02, 2024