Brenda Yufeh
19 March 2008
Many Cameroonians do not have the culture of reading. Why?
«I never read a book until I went to high school. School books were only carried by teachers. They wrote notes on the blackboard, and we dutifully copied them in our notebook. Then on our way home, before it got dark, if smart enough, one read what has been written earlier. This is because when one got home, there were several chores waiting for him/her. I walked to and from school 10 miles a day; I got home and had to look after goats and chickens. When it got dark, there was no electricity in the village." This is a testimony from a student in the North West Province. In Cameroon there are millions of kids who have grown up like this student.
These days, many people rarely read. Reading for leisure is very rare. While sampling the opinion of some Cameroonians on their reading habits, it was observed that some do not read for pleasure while others are too busy to read. Marcel Mvondo says people are too busy to read aimlessly. He notes that one must read for a purpose. He only reads when it is something that has to do with school marks but now that he is out of school he rarely reads and only does it on the Internet. "I have to spend my time in search of daily bread that is hard to come by in most African countries like Cameroon. Don't we say an empty stomach has no ears? Is it really possible to concentrate on reading when my stomach is still requesting something to fill it? I have to first of all overcome the problem of hunger before I can concentrate on other things. This has nothing to do with culture but priorities, and food come first", Marcel explains.
Many say access to books in Cameroon is often difficult and expensive and only a few can afford. Experts say the lack of a reading culture is present in Cameroon even in areas where books are available. Even those who have the means to buy books get entangled in romantic books. Culturally some people believe that knowledge comes with age. Thus, they prefer learning from elders, rejecting self acquisition of knowledge, and research. Critical argument is even seen as disrespectful in a culture that maintains that age means wisdom. Zina Amido notes that people lack the reading culture since a significant segment of the population has no access to reading materials in a language that they understand well and accept as a medium of communication. For most people, reading has no link with comprehension but rather pronouncing what is on the page. The lack of coherent book development policies is another hindrance to reading. That is why writers say if some one wants to hide something from a Cameroonian they should put it in a book.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 Cameroon Tribune. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
I have read some Cameroonian authors and have enjoyed their style. I don't know on their reading habits (except for the Cameroonian I know thru marriage - whom fits this description of very able to read, in a higher economic ability to do so, yet HATES to - I think that it is because school was forced too hard on him). As for the style of writing that I have read that was Cameroonian - they are with their own ways - they are in a sense "rebellious" of English "rules" - and I sensed that they loved themselves for it- Ithough it looked like a healthy love. They DEFINETELY have their own intellect that is unique and beautiful. I, as an American, don't understand enough of the "sayings" (that seem peotically webbed in writing as well as in speech) because I do not enough history IN Cameroon yet, but the mysterious way it is written does pull you in, and it also enlightens one to the extreme difficulties that they go thru (ie - Your Madness, Not Mine)...
IT IS UNCERTAIN, WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE DO NOT READ BECAUSE THEY MUST STRUGGLE TO EARN A LIVING. NOT BEING GAINFULLY EMPLOYED MAY OFFER ONLY A MARGINAL EXPLANATION. WHILE NOT DISCOUNTING THE REALITY OF THE UNEMPLOYED, AND THEIR EFFORT TO LIVE IN A LAKE OF WEALTH {FOR THE SO-CALLED ELITE }, BUT VERY LITTLE FOR THE MASSES, ONE MUST LOOK PAST THE SOUND BITES. IF THAT WERE THE CASE, THEN THOSE GAINFULLY EMPLOYED SHOULD READ MORE. THE EVIDENCE POINTS OTHERWISE. CAMEROONIANS WITH THE WHEREWITHAL ARE PRECISELY THOSE WHO READ THE LEAST, PERHAPS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THOSE IN ACADEMIA, AND IN FIELDS THAT REQUIRE PERENNIAL READING IN ORDER TO STAY ABREAST. THE WEALTHIER THEY ARE, THE MORE THEY ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES OTHER THAN READING. OF COURSE, INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT, OR KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION, OCCURS OVER TIME, AND IN DISPARATE ENVIRONMENTS. DO CAMEROONIANS NOT READ MUCH, BUT IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT STIMULATE THE BRAIN, AND GIVE THEM NEW IDEAS, OR PLEASURE? IT IS OFTEN EXPRESSED THAT THOSE SURROUNDED BY BOOKS ARE NEVER ALONE. THANKS FOR THE CONCERN. CULTURES WITH A HIGH READING ETHIC, GOOD CHANNELS OF KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION AND NEW IDEAS TEND TO DO BETTER AT CERTAIN OBJECTIVES THAN OTHERS. EASY ENOUGH? NOT REALLY. PERHAPS, A CULTURE OF READING IS SELF-PERPERTUATING. LIKE ALL OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS, INITIAVE AND A SUSTAINED EFFORT ARE THE SINE QUA NON.