#24 - TWENTY ELEVEN = MY YEAR ! No doubt. (Part 1)

 2011 found me on my knees, in my room, praying and consecrating my year  to God Almighty.  I think that’s the best decision I took to start this year, because honestly, since then, I have just been showered with abundance of blessings, grace, divine favor, and everything good from God. Really, I feel my decision to consecrate the last hour of 2010 and 1^st hour of 2011 to God has given me a solid foundation from which to start the year with.  I have left 2010 with twenty-ten problems, issues and people. And Twenty-eleven has come like a rainy day in a dry and sun-scorched month: with great relief, freshness, and the potential of new growth, and new life. Deep within I feel renewed, and at ease and at peace with my life and the world.

With Momma, on 11/1/11
 FYI: She's 4months away from turning 60! 

I strongly sense that this year will be the best year of my already-lived life. I can feel it in my soul, in my gutt, at the tips of my fingers and toes,  the abundance of blessings that are coming my way...  I know this is my year to savor the fruits of my labor… It’s my year, and with all modesty,  I am written all over it!  First of all, the year starts with the number sequel that has been following me since my birth on November 11^th : 1111.  January 1^st 2011:  1/1/11 or 1111! Secondly, starting on the  first of January, I was nominated on the highly popular Cameroonian blog, Dulcecamer.blogspot.com, on the top-50 young Cameroonians to watch out for in 2011, alongside prominent people such as the NBA Cameroonian player Luc Mbah A Moute, and Peter Penjo, a Cameroonian CNN correspondent, and the Best Female artist of Cameroon, Afro-pop and jazz/soul singer, Charlotte Dipanda.  So being part of this list of young Cameroonian leaders has started my New year on a great note, and with a hugeeee smile!

Since New Year’s Day, I have been feeding more my spirit, and increasing my spirituality. In 2011 I am enjoying my relationship with God: confiding in him, trusting Him, loving Him, Thanking Him, for things happening in my life. I am holding His hand like no man’s business, and I have “vowed to praise him, through the good and the bad, I vowed to praise him, whether happy or sad. I vowed to praise him, in all that I go through, because Praise is what I do, ‘cause I owe it all to Him”.  I told God Almighty that honestly, in 2011, “there is no way I can live without Him, there’s no way I can go on, ‘cause the burden is too much, for me to bear…I have tries, to make it on my own, but there is no way…” And so, in his hands I place my life, my visions, my projects, my family, my love life...May things work in accordance with his will. May  I be his instrument of peace, love, and anything else I can be of service to. This year 2011, I’m holding on to my God, I’m striving to follow Jesus’ Christ’s steps, and I am  calling upon the Holy spirit to enlighten me and guide me in all my efforts. Amen.

2011 : THE YEAR OF 1S

Those who know me know I have a love relationship with numbers. They speak to me in ways I cannot explain. I mean, I just get numbers! (Back in primary school, due to my acute math skills, in grade 2, my peers would call me "calculator", then in 5th grade, "mini-computer". By he time I finished primary school, I got all the Mathematics Awards of Excellence, even in Highschoool actually (in 12th grade) when i took AP Calculus, and started univ with Calc 3 (and met many who did that too, but honestly, it's a little above average, right?)… Before univ even, I remember in 7^th grade, obtaining a 20/20 grade in a test in which 18 out of 20 people of my class had a note below 10. Lol. That seemed crazy to me that so many didn’t get it! Anywho, I would love to brag more about it, but in reality, with time I became dummer. I think the American system diminished my mathematics skills. Really. While it increased my critical analysis, creative thinking, expression skills, my math skills really plummeted. I remember my 3^rd year of college, one year after switching my major from Civil Engineering to International relations, looking at my roomie’s GRE Math practice test, and not being able to solve a 9^th-grade equation... that really got me panicking! Really. It was like an existential crisis. Where did my brains go to? Just the thought of it, still brings tears in the back of my eyes (snif!snif!). Since then, I have tried to polish my lost skills, but I’m not half close to the math-freak I was back then… Oh well, such is life! I still, however, think and hope that one day one day I will get my math-groove back! 

Still, till today, I have a special connection with numbers. When I see numbers, I connect with them. Seems like they speak and play with my soul. So, in this year of numbers, and sequels, and series, I’m excited a little bit more than the average person!  Especially since my fave number is ELEVEN! If not only for the simple reason that I was born on an 11/11 .. But also because  the number sequel 11:11  or 1111 or 11/11 has been extremely present in my life… like a sign or call from angels/higher beings to let me know they are there with me, or that I’m walking in the right direction. I mean,  I see 11:11 everywhere… at 11:11am, 11:11pm, someone will send me a text message and I will receive it at that time, someone will post a message on my facebook wall at specifically 11:11, I would buy a bottle of Gatorade, and the day I decide to look at the expiration date it’s on (some number)/11/11. The other day, I was seating in the co-pilot seat of my mom’s car, and I looked up, I saw on the front window, the expiration date for the insurance: on 111111 (written just  like that). I mean, this number sequel has been sooo present in my life that I’ve decided to embrace it, and adopt it! Hence, my twitter name sankara1111 (Follow me, even though I’m more of an information consumer on twitter… I relish on the wonders of twitter, and how I feel I have obtained an MBA for tha pst 2 weeks that i've become much more active on it, discovering information, being empowered, learning learning, learning... more in part 2 of this post).  Moving on, my b’day this year would fall on the “magic day” : 11/11/11 which happens every CENTURY. I don’t know if anyone reading this blog would be alive the next time that sequel appears. 11/11/2111 ! Who knows, maybe before then they’d invent something to help increase life expectancy rate to 150years!? Hmmm…. With the speed of the evolution of technologies and innovation in the past 40years, it’s not too much of a wild/impossible dream!  Is it? 

All that to say, Twenty-Eleven is the YEAR of might mighty abundance of blessings. and from the 1st day of january to today, I am seeing and experiencing the abundance of god's blessings in my life. It's amazing! I will soon take out my umbrella, cause it will be pouring out more and more blessings upon me, and you! Believe it. 

XMAS BREAK – FRIENDSHIPPING WITH A CAUSE

This Christmas Break went by so quickly! I think it’s because each day was full with great things to do. First of all, it seems like the entire Cameroonian Diaspora came back home: from the UK, USA, France, Canada, Germany  to Italy; I know at least one Cameroonian who came back from each one of those countries. Yaoundé was breathing Western air for 2 weeks. But that wasn’t anything new. Almost every vacation, the cities breathe in new breaths of fresh citizens. This time around, this Xmas 2010, what made it more particular, in my opinion, is the fact that many  young Cameroonians came back to celebrate, with a Cause.

The Nakande Project, for example, led by some lady friends from New York, London, ontreal and Paris; that organized a Leadership Seminar with about 30 young girls from Douala, in grades 10-12; to help them “find the princess in them.” I had the honor of being a guest speaker at that seminar, and I have to say how enriching it was to me to share my humble and neophyte experience with the young ladies, and witness how they’d get inquisitive, awakened and inspired. The Seminar happened from the 21^st – 22^nd December in Douala. And the Nakande team, brought 4 other guest speakers to exchange with the young girls, educate them, give them tips, and inspire them. Really good job !

Then there was the Dance For Love party on Dec. 28^th , which I spoke about in my previous post. That was a smashing success. Gloria and Alvine the co-founders of Young Diaspora Engaged (YDE), were able to mobilize enough young people during that party to fundraise $2,500 on entrance-fees. $550 on drinks sold, and $800+ donated by corporations and companies, to support the charities the funds were given to: The Buea School of Deaf, and Drepano-Solidaire (sickle-cell solidarity). So in total,  YDE fundraised $4000 by organizing a Dance in which people partied as they would on the regular, but all the funds raised were given to the two charities mentioned.I was extremely proud of Gloria and Alvine, whom I consider as two little sisters, and whom I counseled on the creation of the organization and organization of the party. What impresses me the most about Gloria’s and Alvine’s initiative is that they DARED TO ACT. I still remember when they told me about the “Idea” they had…. And one step at a time, they translated that idea into action! And that for me, is mighty! Because I know, I know how hard it can be to take the first step into action.
 Many people may have even had the same idea, but what makes Gloria and Alvine action noteworthy, is that they acted upon the idea they had, and they turned it into a reality. As a result, they did a fantastic job, with their team, and I hope that would be the first of an annual  event that would get young people to give back to our community, while having fun .

Speaking of youths and Causes, one of the charities which YDE donated to - DrepanoSolidaire - is presided by a friend, Junior Mekinda. It’s one week after we discussed what he was militating for that I hooked him up with YDE. That’s to tell you how much I was captivated by that Cause, and how much I think it’s an important fight to co-sign to: The fight to help prevent Sickle-cell anemia, and help those who are affected to  live with it . Junior is a young guy in his early thirties, who has a stable and lucrative job,  is fully in good-health, but is militating for people affected with Sickle cell anemia. In Cameroon, once you are detected with that blood disorder, people give you 10 years max to live! But many have lived with the disease longer than the 10 years or even 20years others speculate on.  There are many ways to live with the disorder, despite the occasional excruciatingly painful crisis the anemic endures. There are also various ways to avoid having children with sickle-cell. It’s a major problem especially here in Africa; and because we often tend to be very superstitious and emotional, we don’t attack the disease with the lucidity we need to overcome it. Drepano-Solidaire, headed by Junior Mekinda, is doing an outstanding job in making the end of the disease a common cause for us all to fight for. To that, I say Bravo!

The day after the party, I had to honor the invitation of my 2  friends (Paul and John Mbafor, 26 and 28 years old brothers), who wanted Harambe-Cameroon to collaborate with their organization, Mustard Seed (as reference to the Bible’s saying: if you have faith as small as a Mustard Seed , you can move mountains).  On the 29^th of December, they planned a visit to the Yaounde Central Prison (Nkondengui). The team that went to the prison was a coalition of Mustard Seed, Harambe-Cameroon, Gospel Jam (in my opinion, the best gospel choir of Cameroon), and the Pastor who speaks on Club 700 every Sunday morning.  We went to the Central Prison to celebrate with the prisoners by sharing Holy scriptures, message of redemption and Hope,  have a live concert with them, and concretely work with them on a prisoners reinsertion into society program (which was the principal role of Harambe there). 

Long stories short ( the long story elaborated in the part 2 of this blog),  we went to the prison, it was my first time in a prison (needless to say how apprehensive I was initiaially, but also quite excited by the "adventure" that would be! lol ) spoke with the prisoners, sang with them, danced with them, and programmed a simplified Harambe-Entrepreneurship Program with them. Basically, we dared them to create projects that would self-employ them and/or create jobs. Prisoners who would be finishing their sentence within the next year are eligible to participate in the 3-session program, in which we will help them translate their ideas into feasible and bankable projects. Mustard Seed and Harambe-Cameroon will provide seed funding for projects/micro-businesses proposed by the prisoners, with a starting capital of $1-$500. We hope that would effectively address the problem of prisoners reinsertion into our communities. We think self-employment will not only give them the chance to be busy enough to not fall into the behaviors that got them into prison in the first place,  but it will also give them a financial independence which will help them gain their dignity in society. As Voltaire said in the conclusion of his book Candide, "Le travail éloigne de nous 3 grands maux:  l'ennui, le vice,et le besoin"/ "work keeps at bay three great evils: boredom, vice, and need." We hope by giving an opportunity to a prisoner to work, he will avoid falling into the very habit that brought him to prison in the first place... 

Now you understand why I say we “friendshipped with a Cause.” and I have not forgetten the works of people like Henry Nsang, VP of Young Africans in Action (YAA), created at North-Eastern University by a Cameroonian, and so far they have been able to obtain 60 computers to donate to various organizations, institutions, and effective agents of change in our community, to facilitate their work. And of course, there is Jean-Patrick Ketcha, who is organizing a panAfrican conference (Bosangani), to bring young Africans into concrete development action. I cannot not mention Jean Paul Affana, who is one of the most dynamic youth leader I know. You would think he’s twice his age, but we were born 4 days apart, in the same year. He was recently elected as one of the 2 worlwide YOUNGO representatives at Cop-16 in Cancun. His Cause is the fight for a Green Planet earth, and environmental consciousness and activism among young people. UDA or United to Develop Africa, is another group of young Cameroonians, who last year fundraised about $70,000 to implement development projects in our community. This year, they chose to build a school in a village 1hour away from Douala. 

How about my Harambe people? I was blessed to find more devoted and dynamic Cameroonians to join the team. Jonathan Nyemb, and LSE graduate, is another one of our young engaged Cameroonian, who came back this December to found his organization to help his village. And Blaise Buma, another ambitious and grounded Cameroonian/African. After obtaining a full-tuition scholarship to attend an American university, he decided to launch his initiative to help other Cameroonians seeking further education in the US, to go through the application and scholarship process…

What is common amongst us all, this young generation of Cameroonians, is that we want to give back - whether it’s through charity or capacity building. I chose the latter, but for me it doesn’t matter. What sparks my respect the most is action-oriented Service. And that’s what each person I named here is doing. They are daring to act! To all of them, and the many others out there, here are two quotes I stumbled upon in my readings:

The first is from a fellow blogger, Ritchie Inman who said « I learned from a mentor that two things will determine who you become five years from now, the books you have read, and the people that you associate with.” I completely agree with that, so to my fellow activists i say READ READ READ, and start choosing who you associate with. Don't hang around daydreamers, hang around dreamers, who would inspire you to see beyond your sight, and have a vision to transform into a mission. 

The second quote goes hand-in-hand with what I said earlier, you have to Dare to Act. i know many out there, and actually reading this blogpost have an idea, a project, an initiative they'd like to start, but for various reasons are still analysing the ifs, how, when, where... but be careful not to fall in an "analysis paralysis", listen to what Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said 200 years ago, "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!" Yes, be Bold, dare to Act. Whethere its an idea you have, a project you want to start, a lady you like, a gentleman you admire, a job you wish you can obtain, a statement you'd like to say/share... again, don't fall into an analysis paralysis, be Bold! There's magic, genius, and power in it! 

Finally, I have to say, I particularly feel not only privileged to, but also thankful for, being part of this generation of movers-and-shakers, a generation of not just dreamers, but “darers”. That’s my generation of Cameroonian youth. We have decided, and are dedicated to have a positive impact in our community, and contribute our piece of gravel in the building of our nation. 

In the words of the Harambe Bretton Woods declaration:

 "In the end, the Africa our generation desires can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it is ours!"