Cameroon is no longer a peace-haven in Central Africa. This bilingual
poetry anthology is a literary response to the avoidable but worsening
and under-reported fratricidal war in Anglophone Cameroon. Written in
English and French, the anthology brings together thirty-three poets
from thirteen countries in Africa and beyond. The poets are concerned
with the blood baths, burnings and other crimes committed in Anglophone
Cameroon in the name of unity or division. Their poems paint raw images
of the cruel killings of old people, pregnant women and children like
those of #NgarbuhMassacre. They excavate the hidden mass graves and
unveil the countless villages reduced to ashes and rubble. They recall
the burning of animals and food and the brutal killing of nurses,
patients and teachers. Their stanzas meander along with refugees in
forests into Nigeria, into the jungles of Mexico en route to the US, and
elsewhere. It is poetry speaking for human life and dignity, for peace
and education, for inclusive dialogue, for reconciliation. It is poetry
which should ruffle the consciences of those doing business in war,
those pulling strings behind curtains, those who see oil before humans,
those who trigger guns at their own brothers, sisters and parents, those
who give orders to kill--in short, those who enjoy warfare as they
profit from the spoils of war. This anthology seeks to raise global
awareness on this forgotten war as a way of contributing to justice,
healing, and peace in Cameroon.
