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Introduction
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- Additional Information
Introduction Tangie Nsoh Fonchingong This last section of the book focuses on societal issues and has three chapters and a conclusion. The tree chapters are contributed by historians as case studies in more or less historical perspective. They concentrate on the media and governance in Cameroon from 1961 to 2005, conflict over the management of land in Aghem 1966-2005 and the political significance of a work of art, the AfoA -Kom 1865-1973. Assessing the role of the media in contributing to good governance in Cameroon Mokake points out, in chapter eight, that the media has not been able to perform the traditional media function of objectively informing and educating the public because successive governments in Cameroon monopolised the media and used it to serve their purposes of suppressing the voice of the governed to maintain the status quo. Consequently, the media in Cameroon has not contributed in any significant way in ensuring good governance. Since freedom of expression is not only indispensable in ensuring accountability and governmental responsibility, but is also prerequisite to good governance, Mokake maintains that the media should be allowed to freely play its role of informing and educating the public. Using the case of Aghem, Kah shows in chapter nine how corruption and male dominance in the management of land constitute a hindrance to good governance. This is so because those in charge of managing land both the family heads (the Batums) and government officials who are all men are bribed by graziers to favour them against farmers in farmer/grazier conflicts. Thus, corruption hinders the objective resolution of the conflicts. The result is that the conflicts have become perennial occasioning constant strikes and street demonstrations by the farmers, who are mainly women, thereby disrupting economic activities and hindering good governance. As an objective solution to the conflict Kah argues for the revision of the land management policy and structures as well 164 Cameroon: The Stakes and Challenges of Governance and Development as the inclusion of women in the land management process. In the concluding chapter Fonchingong and Gemandze summarise the major issues analysed and the recommendations made in the book. The potential political significance of a work of art, the Afo-AKom is demonstrated by Nkwi in chapter ten as he shows how the Fon of Kom used the Afo-A-kom to foster unity within his heterogeneous Fondom. Drawing inspiration from this, Nkwi argues that instead of only decreeing and/or forcing or merely assuming unity in heterogeneous societies, political leaders could use works of art to forge national unity. ...