Cameroon to draw inspiration from Canada on bilingualism
Peter Mafany Musonge received a Canadian delegation on December 10, 2018 so as to brainstorm on Bilingualism.
Emmanuel NGOTA
The Canadian delegation was led by Jennifer Goosen, director general for West and Central Africa at the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and Nathalie O’Neil, the Canadian High Commissioner. At the end of the audience granted by Peter Mafany Musonge, the Canadian High Commissioner to Cameroon indicated that it was a question of sharing the experience of her country in the practice of promoting bilingualism and multiculturalism. It was also a question of what measures his country can work with Cameroon.
The future partnership, she said, will focus on how Canada can help Cameroon strengthen bilingualism and multiculturalism. Canada can help Cameroon build bilingualism and multiculturalism. Canada, she said, has a government apparatus at the central and provincial levels to implement the bilingualism policy.
After sharing these experiences, she said that Cameroon would be free to make decisions, which would promote bilingualism and live together.
The visit of the Director General for West and Central Africa to the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Jenifer Goosen in Cameroon was also an opportunity for numerous meetings with government authorities and leaders of civil society to get a good idea of the situation in Cameroon, the High Commissioner explained. Nathalie O’Neil said that they discussed topics such as the socio-political crisis in the north-west and Southwest regions.
The national bilingualism and multiculturalism in Cameroon, was created by a presidential decree No: 2017/013 of the 23rd January 2017 and headed by Peter Mafany Musonge. It is an advisory body with legal personality and financial autonomy and placed under the authority of the President of the Republic.
This commission has a primordial role to play in the promotion of promoting Bilingualism and Multiculturalism in Cameroon with a view to maintaining peace, consolidation the country’s unity, strengthening its people’s willingness and day to day experience with respect to living together.
The responsibility of commission is daunting as it submits reports and recommendations on issues relating to the protection of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism to the President of the Republic, monitor the healthy implementation of article 1 sub (3) of the constitution on the equal status of French and English has two official languages, conduct studies and surveys proposing measures likely to strengthen the bilingual and multicultural character of the Cameroon, prepare and submit draft instruments on bilingualism, multiculturalism and togetherness, receive petitions against discriminations arising from noncompliance with the constitutional provisions on bilingualism and multiculturalism and report thereon to the President of the Republic, Perform any other tasks assigned to it by the President of the Republic, including mediation.
