Organisation presents competition to promote local languages.

The project for the third edition of the literature competition was presented to the Minister of Arts and Culture, Bidoung Mkpatt, by the Managing Director of the SIL Cameroon, Apolinaire Ambassa.

The project was presented during an audience the minister granted SIL officials, Wednesday, August 28, at the Conviviality Hall of the National Museum.

According to Apolinaire Ambassa, the contest seeks to encourage Cameroonians to speak their local languages as well as write them with ease. This year’s edition of the competition, he said will hold at the Yaounde Conference Centre on September 10.

Speaking to reporters, Ambassa noted that his visit to the ministry was first present himself as the first Cameroonian to be named Managing Director of SIL Cameroon, a post he has been holding for four months now. 

“It was normal for me to come and greet the head of the ministry which we are working under,” he said. 

The visit, he said, was also to “talk about the book contest we are organizing in September 9 with the final selection and the award night will be on September 10.

Ambassa said they sent a letter to the Ministry of Arts and Culture to request their technical and financial support to see into the sweep organization of the contest.

“It was equally necessary for is to see the possibilities of partnership with the Ministry of Arts and Culture because the language is the vehicle of the culture. We cannot work in the area for language without involving the minister of culture,” he said. 

Regarding the book contest, Ambassa stated that they have six categories viz; poems, tales, cartons, local stories done in any of the country’s local languages.

The main objective, he said, is to make the local languages more visible and known at the national and international scene.

“We celebrate the International Literacy Day every year and during this event we give prizes. But this year, UNESCO decided to celebrate the event in Cameroon. It is not only Cameroon community but we have communities that are coming from central Africa, Chad, Congo, many francophone African Countries,” Ambassa added.

The event, he said, will equally have guest from the United States and other will have the opportunity to watch online.

The minister during the audience instructed all his closed collaborators led by the Secretary General of the minister to ensure the soft organization of the third edition of the competition.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3214 of Friday August 30, 2024