21/09/2025
A Vision for Peace on World Peace Day
On this International Peace Day, September 21, 2025, I dream of a Cameroon where children learn in safe, vibrant schools, and civilians live with fear of uncertainties, lockdowns or ghost towns.
For nine years, the Anglophone crisis has shaken the North West and South West regions. Streets have fallen silent, classrooms have stayed shut, markets have remained empty. And worse still this year, a one-month lockdown was announced to stretch beyond the October elections, shutting down voices and hopes. Yet, deep within these silent towns lives a louder truth, peace cannot grow from suppression or violence, but from dialogue and respect for every opinion.
I think of a teacher in the North West who, after nine years of struggle, left his classroom with a salary of barely 80,000 FCFA and no health support, and of course, exhausted. But even in leaving, his story shines with resilience, showing us that peace also means valuing those who educate our children.
Conflict persists when dialogue dies. The crisis, born from cries of unfairness, now pits separatists seeking autonomy against a government insisting on unity while it is the ordinary people, traders, farmers, students, teachers who carry the heaviest burden. One community member once asked: “If this fight is for the people, why do the people suffer the most?” That question cuts deeply through the heart, as that's the truth but however should awaken us all.
Amidst this hardship, and untold misery Cameroonians still show that peace begins with small acts. In Kumba, a grandmother shares groundnut soup with her neighbor from another region, their laughter demonstrates a balm that is stronger than bullets. In Nkambe, young people play football across dividing lines, building friendships through shared goals. From every shared meal to every mixed team, the message is clear: peace starts with a smile, collaboration and connection, not conflict, differences, kidnaps for ransome, intimidation, fear, lock downs and killings.
Education must remain our strongest foundation. Despite lockdowns, volunteers keep teaching children at home, ensuring their dreams don’t die. Teachers in Buea weave stories from different regions to remind students that their histories are bound together. Leaders in the North West even explore technology to keep learning alive during lockdowns. Every lesson taught is a seed of unity, but schools must remain open and safe if that seed is to grow.
Safety is non-negotiable. When kidnappings like the one in Nkwen spread fear, or when markets shut, families lose access to basic needs for food and healthcare. Both government and separatists must take responsibility, protect children, protect schools, and protect communities. Trust can only grow in spaces where people feel safe.
This Peace Day, I call for a shift. Dialogue should be given a chance guided by neutral mediators who can balance fairness with unity. Artists, writers, and bloggers must use their platforms to weave messages of hope and Peace. Leaders must replace greed and denial with honesty and humility. Fighters must learn that weapons cannot solve what dialogue can. And young people, you and I must keep building bridges where walls have risen.
Today, we recommit to once more have ea Cameroon where every , every child learns without fear, and every community thrives in peace and development.
