Bishop Bibi Turns 50! Let them say. By Lambert Mbom.
Euro 2020: Blacks in the European Nations’ Cup by Lambert Mbom.
Religious Freedom in Africa at The International Religious Freedom Summit July 13 – July 2021. By Lambert Mbom.
Why I am rooting for England against Italy in Euro 2020 Final? By Lambert Mbom
Paul Tizibong Atang honors Msgr. Patrick Lafon’s legacy. By Lambert Mbom
Bishop Bibi Turns 50! Let them say. By Lambert Mbom.
Birthday anniversaries are milestones that set markers on one’s life trajectory. Fifty is such a golden age and a time for great celebrations. While such celebrations seem perfunctory, they carry immense significance. It is a celebration of life, of a journey and of...
Euro 2020: Blacks in the European Nations’ Cup by Lambert Mbom.
The 2020 European Nations' soccer jamboree enters its second phase today with the knock off round of 16. Given Europe’s checkered history with Africa especially with respect to colonialism and racism, it seems fitting to enjoy the beauty of the European competition...
African Development Bank Group Holds 2022 Annual Meetings in Ghana: AfDB has delivered for Africa! By Lambert Mbom
The 57th Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank and the 48th meeting of the African Development Fund (ADF), the bank’s concessional lending window, kicked off in Accra Ghana on Monday May 23. Scheduled to run through Friday May 27, the 2022 meetings are...
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Draws! By Lambert Mbom
Today’s draws shall have the eight groups named horizontally from A to H. Tier one shall be all the teams in Pot 1, Tier two shall be teams in Pot 2, Tier three shall be all the teams in Pot 3 and Tier four shall be the teams in Pot four. Teams have been...
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Which African Teams shall qualify – My Predictions. By Lambert Mbom
#Algeria, #Nigeria, #Senegal, #Morocco and #Tunisia are the five teams that shall today qualify for the five spots reserved for #Africa at the forthcoming 2022 #FIFA World Cup in Qatar. This analysis is based on the results of last Friday’s results and the current...
Which African Soccer Giants Will Qualify for World Cup 2022? By Lambert Mbom
Ten African soccer giants shall compete over the next five days for the five spots reserved to Africa for the FIFA 2022 World Cup jamboree billed for December 2022 in Qatar. Today Friday March 25, 2022 shall witness the following schedules: Egypt vs Senegal Mali vs...
Religious Freedom in Africa at The International Religious Freedom Summit July 13 – July 2021. By Lambert Mbom.
Washington D.C. -- According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 2021 Report released last April 2021, Eritrea and Nigeria are the two African countries of the ten recommended for designation as “Countries of Particular Concern” while...
Why I am rooting for England against Italy in Euro 2020 Final? By Lambert Mbom
In a few hours, the Euro 2020 will be in the history books when Italy meets with England. And not that it matters, supporting either one or the other the difference shall be made by the soccer wizardry, technical savvy of managers and players and sheer luck. It is not...
Paul Tizibong Atang honors Msgr. Patrick Lafon’s legacy. By Lambert Mbom
Three months after the passing to eternity of Msgr. Patrick Lafon, American business magnate and philanthropist, Paul Atang recently donated lifesaving medical equipment to the St Blaise Catholic hospital, Mankon in the archdiocese of Bamenda, Cameroon. COVID19...
Msgr. Patrick Lafon: Priest, Prophet & Philosopher! Rest in Peace! By Lambert Mbom.
There is no shortage of models of the priesthood who inspire young men to become priests and if I could be a priest, Msgr. Lafon would have been the example of the kind of a priest I would have loved to be. He loved the priesthood and that made the difference. He...
Let’s Celebrate African Women! By Lambert Mbom
March is often celebrated as Women’s History Month. March 8th is International Women’s day and I decided to celebrate this month by writing profiles of 31 African immigrant women across different disciplines whom I could showcase to my daughters as role models. I...
Adieu Fr Joseph Ngah Mbiydzenyuy: Someone Beautiful for God!
Last Saturday or thereabouts, my friend Jude Ozughen and I reminisced of encounters with Fr Joseph Ngah. He recounted for the umpteenth time a story he has often told of the impact of priests in his life. Growing up in Ndop, at the time Fr Joseph Ngah served there,...
St. Joseph: Artisan of Peace.
Every year, the Catholic Church celebrates the World Day of Peace on January 1. In his message for the celebration of 2021, the 54th World Day of Peace, Pope Francis invites Christians “to cultivate a culture of care as a path to peace.” The Holy Father proposes the...
January 2021: “With a Father’s heart!”
It is with the words “With a father’s heart” that Pope Francis opens his Apostolic letter celebrating the anniversary of the proclamation of St Joseph, as Patron of the Universal Church. The pope seems to be answering a question which he does not tell us. His answer...
Celebrating 2021 with St Joseph: Patron of the Universal Church. Lambert Mbom
Last December 8th, Pope Francis declared the year in honor of St Joseph in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Pope Pius IX’s dedication of the universal Church to the patronage of St Joseph. Pope Francis draws our attention to the person of St Joseph often a...
THE ROLE OF INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE IN REVIVING CAMEROON’S ECONOMY By Rev. Wilfred Emeh*
June 3, 2020 Cameroon’s Minister of Finance Louis Paul MotazeOverview Since late 2016, the Republic of Cameroon has been going through a devastating armed conflict that has worsened what was already a fledgling economy. Historically, this civil strife can be...
US Organizes the Second Ministerial to Advance International Religious Freedom. By Lambert Mbom.
Washington D.C. – Over one thousand religious leaders and civil society delegates are gathering at the U.S. State department for the second Ministerial to advance Religious Freedom from Tuesday July 16th through Thursday July 18th, 2019. This is coming on the heels of...
French Hegemony over Africa – The Case of African Nations’ Cup 2019. By Lambert Mbom.
There is an unmistakable "Africanness" with the French Soccer team and Trevor Noah, the South African comedian loudly proclaimed this after the French team won the 2018 World Cup. After France conquered parts of Africa since the Scramble for Africa in 1884, they have...
A Rejoinder to Cameroon’s Foreign Minister’s Address to the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations. By Lambert Mbom
https://youtu.be/RMdzAgXe7Gw On Thursday September 27th2018, La Republique du Cameroun’s Minister of External Relations Lejeune Mbella Mbella addressed the 73rd session of United Nations’ General Assembly (UNGA). The minister spent 19 of the 25 minutes he spoke...
World Mental Health Day 2018
This year's theme focused on "Young People and Mental Health in a Changing World." Teen suicide rates in the United States of America are on the rise. This is a strange phenomenon among Africans . Last June the Cameroon Community of the D.C. area was in shock when a...
African Immigrants and African Americans in DC Celebrate Our Lady Mother of Africa. By Lambert Mbom.
The Arabic expression “Assalaam Alaikum” which literally means “Peace be unto you,” a standard Muslim greeting echoed from the altar of the Upper Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of Immaculate Conception during the sign of peace. Over 350 African...
Book Review: The Mysterious Ways of God. By Lambert Mbom
After ten years as a priest of the diocese of Buea, Cameroon, part of which he served as Editor-in-chief of Catholic Panorama, (a monthly publication of the diocese of Buea) Fr Wilfred Emeh explored missionary endeavors in the United States landing first in Maryland,...
Rev Fr Jaap Nielen: Rest in Perfect Peace! By Lambert Mbom
I spent the school year 1996/1997 gaining pastoral experience at St Gabriel’s parish Bafmeng. During that year, late Archbishop Verdzekov came on pastoral visit. One of the surprising guests who showed up to welcome the archbishop was the Ardo (the community leader of...
MLK Challenge: Ambazonians – “Remain Awake, Alert and Creative” By Lambert Mbom
Last Monday, Americans honored the legacy of civil rights icon, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year’s celebration took on an added meaning against the backdrop of President Trump’s recent racially tinged comments. While in the land of my birth, for over a year...
The Inconvenient Truth – Southern Cameroons’ Activism on WhatsApp By Lambert Mbom
“I once said, ‘If you want to liberate a society, all you need is the Internet.’ I was wrong. I said those words back in 2011, when a Facebook page I anonymously created helped spark the Egyptian revolution. The Arab Spring revealed social media’s greatest potential,...
Can Slovakian Diplomat Deliver for Southern Cameroons? By Lambert Mbom.
Last Tuesday September 12th, the newly elected President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), 54 year old Slovakian, Miroslav Lajcak, gaveled into action the 72nd session of the noble General assembly. The opening salvo of the Slovakian Diplomat contains...
Africa At the Spring Meetings of IMF/World Bank: April 18th through April 23rd 2017.
The Bretton Woods Institutions - World Bank and IMF – are this April, meeting at their Washington DC Headquarters for their annual Spring Meetings. Central Bank Governors, ministers of finance and development, academicians, journalists, civil societies gather in the...
The Unsung Heroines of the Southern Cameroons Liberation Struggle: Woman Eh! By Lambert Mbom
On Wednesday March 29th, U.S State Department honored 13 women with the International Women of Courage award as part of its celebration of March as Women’s History Month and International Women’s day. Three of the thirteen women came from Africa - Botswana,...
When your friend becomes Bishop: Hail Auxiliary Bishop-elect Michael Bibi. By Lambert Mbom
If someone called and asked me to make an educated guess of the priest chosen from the archdiocese of Bamenda to be bishop, Auxiliary Bishop-elect Michael Bibi would not have readily come to mind. Not in the convoluted sense of the proverbial familiarity breeding...
“Alternative Facts” of Cameroon Journal on MoRISC. By Lambert Mbom
The publisher of Cameroon Journal, Christopher Anu Fobeneh, has done it again. Out of his hat, he has pulled more dubious claims. Reeling from being fired from the Communications Sub-committee, he is doubling down on his crusade against the Movement for the...
ANU’s Recriminations against MoRISC: A Rejoinder. By Lambert Mbom.
Dear Mr. Anu: Thanks for dedicating the Editorial of Feb. 2nd, 2017 on your coveted online platform, Cameroon Journal, to denigrate, deride and lambast the Movement for the Restoration of the Independence of Southern Cameroons, aka MoRISC. As one who claims “to have...
Who is thankful for me? By Lambert Mbom
It is yet another celebration of “Thanksgiving” in the United States arguably the most American of all holidays. It is an eminently “familial” event. Family reunions are the staple and in fact the highest common factor that characterize the celebration. It is food,...
Rev Fr. Celestine Diang: My Forgotten Mentor – Happy Silver Jubilee! By Lambert Mbom
The month of April and the liturgical season of Easter which often coincide mark important moments in the lives of most priests of the ecclesiastical province of Bamenda(archdiocese of Bamenda, dioceses of Buea, Kumbo, Mamfe and Kumba). Priestly ordinations often take...
Celebrating Lent in the Year of Mercy. By Lambert Mbom
Lent 2016 is here. It is 15 days old. It came in quite early. Did we not just celebrate Christmas? Advent is to Christmas what Lent is to Easter. But everything points to Easter, the culmination of our Christian faith. This year’s celebration of Lent has an added...
Visiting the sick in the Year of Mercy by Lambert Mbom
The Basilica of the National Shrine – last Tuesday launched its 2016 Speaker and Event Series with a splendid lecture on “Compassion - The Thirst of God: Visiting the sick as a work of mercy” by Msgr. Brian Bransfield, recently elected General Secretary of the United...
Walk With Francis: Pope Francis in the US by Lambert Mbom
In 30 days’ time, Pope Francis will be in the US on an official and pastoral visit that will bring him to Washington DC, New York and Philadelphia. Ahead of this visit, the archdiocese of Washington D.C. launched a “Walk with Francis” project that invites Christians...
Holy Trinity Choir of The Cameroon Catholic Community DC Invites you: Sunday May 31st 2015. By Lambert Mbom
At every event to which we are invited, there is often a dress code: Formal, business casual or casual. For many of us, one distinctive way of celebrating our "Africanness" is by flaunting our traditional garb. In every day jargon, we talk of our “Sunday best”...
Five fetishisms of Lent: Towards a genuine Lenten Spirituality. By Lambert Mbom
Lent is here! Among the Catholic Liturgical seasons (Ordinary time, Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter), Lent seems the least “popular” given its somber outlook and its inner meaning. For 40 days, the Church invites us it would seem to sacrifice, to give up something....
Celebrating May as Catholics – Five things to Consider by Lambert Mbom.
We are still in the highs of Easter as we enter the third week of Easter. It is the Resurrection: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! One of the best messages I heard on Easter is Pope Francis’ beautiful Easter vigil homily in which he invited us Catholics to: “Return to...
ABCs of the Solemnity of the Assumption by Lambert Mbom.
On August 15 every year, the universal Catholic Church gathers in prayer to celebrate the fact that “The most Blessed Virgin Mary when the course of her earthly life was completed, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven where she already shares in the...
Intercommunion: A Few Clarifications by Lambert Mbom.
May I preface my remarks by observing that Holy Communion also known as the Holy Eucharist, altar sacrament (excuse the pidgin) is one of those hot potato issues along side Mary, Scriptures, the priesthood among others. It is in the spirit of the Year of the Faith...
Jonathan Fru lambasts Catholic Christians: A Rejoinder. By Lambert Mbom
Dear Jonathan Fru, Generalities: May I crave your indulgence ab initio to take the liberty and respond to your 7.14 pm email of August 1st which you addressed to Sam Esale via the Cameroonian egroup: Camnetwork. I do so not with any pretense at theological expertise...
Blessed is he – Bishop-elect Andrew Nkea – who comes in the name of the Lord. Part II by Lambert Mbom.
It is one week to the date since the Church in the ecclesiastical province of Bamenda erupted in song and dance at the news of the appointment of one her priests to the office of Bishop for the Benjamin of the province – diocese of Mamfe. One could write an...
Blessed is he, Bishop Elect – Msgr. Andrew Fuanya Nkea – who comes in the name of the Lord. By Lambert Mbom.
It was March/April 1999 or thereabouts. Now Bishop Lysinge did not show up for lectures. We later learnt he was away in Yaounde. Within a very short time he went to Yaounde twice. When he finally showed up for lectures, out of curiosity one of us as if inspired...
Fatherhood: Gift and Task by Lambert Mbom.
Last week, I stopped by my tax preparer’s office not to file taxes given the tax season is over but amendments are always there. Throughout the time I spent there, the gentleman kept pondering aloud what he could present in his Christian community that captures the...
Cameroon’s Ambassador to the US & His “Etat Major” meet with Cameroonians working at the World Bank. By Jacob Foko
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYNqwA2zKqshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYNqwA2zKqs
Habemus Papam – Pope Francis – Deo Gratias by Lambert Mbom
The suspense is over! Now we have a Pope – Habemus Papam - Franciscum erstwhile Jorge Mario Bergoglio – Blessed is he, a Jesuit, from Argentina, South America who comes in the name of the Lord – Let us rejoice and be glad! But what are we to make of this choice? First...
Pope Benedict XVI – “Africaphil” or “Africaphobe?” By Lambert Mbom
One of the most outlandish criticisms against Pope Benedict XVI on the heels of his recent announcement renouncing his office as Pope is that he is a “racist.” This came from some of my African confreres whose singular basis for this claim was that he failed to raise...
Pope Benedict XVI ‘s decision to step down – A Blessing to the Catholic Church and the World. Lambert Mbom
There has been a mixed flurry of reactions amongst Catholics to Pope Benedict XVI’s surprising announcement on Monday Feb. 11, 2013 that he will be stepping down from his office as Bishop of Rome and Successor of St Peter. Some believe the negative press the Vatican...
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: The Vocation to Motherhood by Lambert Mbom.
On the last day of the Christmas Octave (eighth day after Christmas), which happens to be the first day of the calendar year, the Church invites us to celebrate Mary as mother of God. This celebration highlights one of the four Marian dogmas with the others being the...
Temptations of the Christmas Season by Lambert Mbom.
These are not what you are thinking. If one were to do a quick survey of what the greatest temptations of Christmas are, the laundry list that would ensue will include temptations to indulge in passions – excess food, booze and sex. In short, it is the temptation to...
Advent in the Year of Faith – Random Musings. By Lambert Mbom
Last October, Pope Benedict XVI officially launched the Year of the faith – a year in which Catholics are challenged to a “New Evangelization.” For some of us, it simply means a return to doctrine class. Truth be told, for many of us doctrine beyond the preparatory...
Beneath the ashes of LESAN Philanthropy to the embers of Christian Humanism. L
If LESANS of every expression and none were to enter into any fundraising competition, they are sure to score the A-list. They are quite professional at it and in fact classy.In 2010, the African Union declared 2010-2020 the decade of the African Woman. Ghanaian Prof,...
Africa’s “missed opportunity” at the Aid & International Development Forum June 2012. By Lambert Mbom
For the last three years, South African companies in the business of international development have “saved” Africa's face at the Aid and International Development Forum. In 2010, The Standard Bank of South Africa and Enviro Lo showcased their prowess in banking and...
Aid & International Development Forum Returned to DC for 7th Year: June 6-7, 2012 by Lambert Mbom
Over 2000 persons attended the 2012 Aid & International Development Forum (AIDF) at the Washington Convention Center where over 135 exhibitors showcased their innovative work. This annual event now in its seventh year brought together NGOs, governments,...
What is African about the African Nations’ Cup? By Lambert Mbom.
In under a few days, soccer teams of 16 African nations will gather in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea for the biennial African Cup of Nations competition from Jan. 21 – Feb. 5 2012. Aside from the fact that some of Africa's best teams such as Egypt (current cup holders),...
Herbert Boh on Eric Chinje’s Achievements.
Why such a grandiose send off for Eric Chinje? Herbert Boh: Eric was leaving and the fact that our community does too many of these events where they celebrate people only when they are dead. Every time someone dies, people gather and talk so much about how he...
My Five Minutes Chat with Eric Chinje by Lambert Mbom.
Last December 11, 2011, Cameroonian World Bank-IMF Staff Association (CAMWISA) hosted a farewell dinner at the Hamptons Conference Center, Largo for an illustrious colleague, Eric Chinje who was leaving the World Bank after twenty years of service and moving...
African Immigrants’ Capacity Building Training – Washington DC, Dec 2011.
About 50 leaders of some African immigrant communities within the DC metro area, gathered at the Crowne Plaza hotel, Silver Spring on Friday Dec. 9 and Saturday Dec. 10, 2011 for two days' capacity building training jointly organized by the Office of Minority Health...
From Ecclesia in Africa to Munus Africae: Rome 2004 – Benin 2011. By Lambert Mbom
Two years after his maiden visit to Cameroon, Africa in March 2009 where he presented to the Church family of Africa the agenda of the synod, Pope Benedict XVI returned to Africa on an apostolic visit to Benin from Nov. 18 –20, 2011 to deliver the post-synodal...
Presidential Elections in Cameroon: Panel discussion at Columbia University by Lambert Mbom.
Ahead of last Sunday's presidential elections in Cameroon, Columbia University's Institute of African Studies last week launched its series on elections in Africa with a panel discussion on Cameroon: Is change possible in Cameroon? “Elections are becoming key moments...
CNN and the promotion of African journalism (1995 – 2011) Hip, Hip Hurray. By Lambert Mbom.
It was veteran Cameroonian journalist, Charly Ndichia who cast a damper on my thirst and taste for news spewed by government run Cameroon Radio and Television (CRTV) when in one of the usual intros to the newscast, he boldly proclaimed: and now lies from CRTV. When...
Are Cameroonians politically cursed, under a spell or just naive? by Lambert Mbom
Recently, the government of Cameroon published the fifth volume of Paul Biya: The People’s Call, 470 pages of motions of support calling on incumbent Biya to run for elections again as the natural candidate. This is intriguing given that cumulatively Biya has been in...
Step 2: Verify the Tag is on Your Home Page
Catholics and devotion to Mary by Lambert Mbom
One of the first and obvious criticisms often leveled against Catholics is their devotion to Mary. Catholics are accused of deifying Mary. Some think of Mary as a Catholic goddess given the titles accorded her, statues erected in her honor and the slavish attachment...
Prayer II: Praying with and through Saints by Lambert Mbom
It would seem that praying to God directly and praying through intermediaries are diametrically opposed. Christ is unequivocal in his teaching: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (Jn14:6) Our only pass to God is in...
Prayer: Could you not watch one hour with me? Mtt.26:40 by Lambert Mbom.
It is Easter and our proclamation rings out thus: Christ is risen, Alleluia, Alleluia. At the beginning of Lent, Christ invited us to fast, give alms and to pray. On the night before his crucifixion, he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. This was after the Passover...
The Mission of Lazarus to the Rich Man. Part Two by Rev Fr. Eugen Nkardzedze.
Two Extremes to Forestall Two extremes must be guarded against in the ministry of the poor. First, that physical poverty is not glorified in itself and second, that the poor are not used like tools for the salvation of the rich or like steppingstones into paradise. In...
The Mission of Lazarus to the Rich Man. (Part One) By Rev Fr Eugen Nkardzedze.
It was the practical concern of St. Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians that: “The one who had much did not have too much and the one who had little did not have too little” (8:15). This paper, based on the story Jesus told in the Gospel of Luke (16:19-31)...
Almsgiving: How much have we lent to God? By Lambert Mbom
I believe that the true measure of “the what” of Lent resonates in “the how much” – a quantifiable entity. It is no accident that this season is called lent, literally the past tense of “to lend.” The single element that defines the meaning of the passion and death of...
Five Endearing Lessons from the Egyptian Revolution Indispensable to a Cameroonian styled liberation – Part II by Lambert Mbom.
The botched April 6, 1984 coup provides an essential key to unlock the mystery of a revolution in Cameroon. Cell phones were inexistent then in Cameroon. Even the common TV was a luxury very few could afford. Communication was mainly by radio and landlines (also a...
Fasting as I see it. By Lambert Mbom.
Fasting is a common enough practice that very few are oblivious of its meaning. The more popular version of fasting is that which makes of God kind of a soda machine where one puts in money and then “bam, bam” rolls down the soda of one’s choice. For those of us...
Lent – My Desert Experience. By Lambert Mbom
I returned home on Ash Wednesday with ash on my forehead and beamed to the question: what is that? It is ash from Church. Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, I responded. Only Catholics have that, right, asked my wife who happens to be...
March 8 1911 – March 8 2011:International Women’s Day Centennial – Celebrating Womanhood. By Lambert Mbom.
For some strange reason, I prefer this day to be called International day of the woman. “‘Women’ is a profligate word; …Every woman is a captive queen. But every crowd of women is only a harem broken loose” according to Chesterton. As always, there was a stark...
Five Endearing Lessons from the Egyptian Revolution Indispensable to a Cameroonian styled liberation – Part 1. By Lambert Mbom
Cameroon is not Egypt in so many ways. One of these ways is evident in the history of Egypt vs. Cameroon soccer debacle which shows a dominance of the pharaohs over the now “domitable” lions. In 2006, the pharaohs of Egypt prevented the lions of Cameroon from...
The Conflict Prevention & Resolution Forum Presents: Civil Society-Military Relations and Human Security Tuesday, March 08 2011, 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Venue: Johns Hopkins SAIS Nitze Building, Kenny Auditorium 1740 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20036 In...
Dr Christopher Fomunyoh’s Perspectives on a Host of Issues. By Lambert Mbom.
Where were you when news broke of the military takeover of Egypt and the ouster of Mubarak on Friday Feb 11, 2011? Or rather, where did you celebrate when the curtain closed over the Mubarak drama? I had the rare privilege to get two hours of quality time with...
Chia Innocent’s reveries and fairytales on forthcoming elections in Cameroon. By Lambert Mbom
Chicago based citizen journalist Innocent Chia lit up the blogosphere with two of his latest entries: “Paul Biya: I will not run for re-election in October 2011” and “Cleaning up after Biya’s mess.” The first reminded me of a replay of Ahidjo’s resignation speech...
A Synopsis of International Relief and Development’s Recruitment and Professional Networking Event. By Lambert Mbom.
With a staggering unemployment rate and the search for jobs (fulltime employment for many), Virginia-based International Relief and Development (IRD) decided to contribute to the recovery effort and relieve some distressing citizens. It organized a networking event, a...
Emerging from the Global Crisis: Growth in African Low Income Countries(LICs) – December 17th 2010 event at the Brookings: A Precis. By Lambert Mbom
From L to R: Ben Leo, Dr Suruma, Mwengi, Hugh BredenkampHow did the African low countries fare in the face of the recent financial meltdown was the theme of a recent event at the Brookings Institution. Organized by the Africa Growth Initiative of the Brookings, the...
The Role of Africa’s Regional Organizations in Conflict Prevention and Resolution: A Resume by Lambert Mbom
On Tuesday November 23 2010, Brookings institution hosted a conversation between Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda and US State Department’s John Hoover, Director, Office of Regional and Security Affairs, Bureau of African...
The Desperate Search for Peace in Cote d’Ivoire: Exploring the Options? By Lambert Mbom.
In 1968, Pope Paul VI declared January 1 every year World Day of Peace. January 1, 2011 marked the 44th World Day of Peace, among the many dark spots on the world’s radar is the African country, Cote d’Ivoire. The political impasse witnessed in the wake of second...
Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? By Lambert Mbom.
For Catholics, Christmas is not just a day but also a season, which lasts until the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord. Hence, the Christmas season this time around runs from December 25, 2010 – Sunday January 9, 2011. Even though this reflection would have been...
Virtual conference via Skype with Young African Leaders – Thursday November 18th 2010 – US Summit For Global Citizen Diplomacy. By Lambert Mbom
Yet another highlight of the US summit & Initiative For Global Citizen Diplomacy was a virtual session on Skype under the distinguished aegis of technology guru David Nassar of Hot Spot Digital between 11 of the 21 scheduled members of the President Obama's Forum...
Interview with Ann Olsen Schodde and Dr David Roe by Lambert Mbom.
In an interview with Anne Olsen Schodde, President and CEO of USCCD she defined Citizen Diplomacy as “the engagement of individual American citizens in primarily voluntary, private sector programs and activities that increase cross-cultural understanding and knowledge...
U.S. Summit & Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy November 16th – November 19th 2010: A Bird’s Eyeview by Lambert Mbom
Three days of strategic planning, systematic sharing, coordinated networking and intelligent brainstorming marked the summit on citizen diplomacy organized by the Iowa based US Center for Citizen Diplomacy (USCCD). If one indicator of the magnitude of an event is the...
The AIDS Dilemma and the Condom Conundrum. By Lambert Mbom
Every year we celebrate December 1st as World Aids day. In the wake of Pope Benedict XVI’s recent comments on condoms, it is just appropriate to venture a few comments on such a hot potato. It would be presumptuous on my part how ever to make any claim on...
Book Discussion – Defining Aid differently: Lessons from the Field. By Lambert Mbom
At the behest of the Brookings Institution, the public had the opportunity on Monday November 15 2010 to savor one of the latest publications on the Aid conundrum. The overarching point of departure of this work is that the current system of aid delivery is broken. In...
A Soiree at the National Press Club, Washington DC. By Lambert Mbom.
Tuesday November 9th was the day; 5.30 pm – 8.30pm was the time; National Press club was the venue. The Book fair was the event and fair in deed it was. Part of the charm of this event was in its noble mission “to help fill the school library shelves at The SEED...
Rallying the African Diaspora Caucus in the US:The Challenge of our Time. By Lambert Mbom.
Pre-election forecasts and post-election exit polls often focus on the Hispanic vote. By sheer dint of their numbers, Hispanics in the US constitute a force to reckon with. They have understood the mechanics of this system and slowly but surely made their way from the...
The Rise of the African Caucus in US Politics and the need for a stiff spine. By Lambert Mbom
Of the immigrant population redefining US demographics, Africans constitute the least threatening. They lag behind the Hispanics and Asians. It is important to make the distinction between African born immigrants to the US and the broad category of African...
The Standard Bank of South Africa: The Paradigm to Sustainable Development (Part II) By Lambert Mbom
In the general class of banking, connoisseurs will attest to the fact that the Standard Chartered Bank belongs to the top-notch eschelon. Often its employees come from la crème de la crème. The question then becomes what is unique about the Standard Bank of South...
The Standard Bank of South Africa: A Paradigm for Sustainable Development. By Lambert Mbom
Of the many booths, I did not visit during the Aid and International Development Forum last July 2010, the Standard Bank of South Africa was unfortunately one. Given my initial attraction to this event namely to meet potential employers and make a pitch or better...
Enviro loo – The Panacea to Our Toilet Needs
There seems to be some consensus that the toilet is the true indicator to a truly clean home for those homes that have the luxury of having one. I have grown up seeing and using different types of toilets in Cameroon. In fact, it would make for an interesting read...
Bernard Nsokika Fonlon: Epitome of the Ex Major Seminarian
The reality of ex seminarianhood is one that is becoming quite common in the local Church Province of Bamenda. When in the summer of 1999, Archbishop emeritus Paul Verdzekov of blessed memory gave me six months’ leave twice every year from my labyrinthine pilgrimage...
International Aid and Development Forum: Where is Africa? If anyone doubts the tantalizing effect of this economy, I can testify first hand having gone for close to two months without a pay check. In a bid to escape the scorching heat of being unemployed...