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V. On Freedom of Expression in Cameroon
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113 Chapter V On Freedom of Expression in Cameroon On Freedom of Expression in Cameroon Introduction By the late 1990s, even as the use of the Internet as a means of communication became more widespread alongside the proliferation of media outlets, the Cameroon Government still appeared intent on maintaining a deathly grip on the dissemination of information about the country. Few incidents could possibly have illustrated this desire for censorship and control more vividly than the disproportionately harsh penalty meted out to veteran journalist Pius Njawé who, in December 1997, published an article in which he speculated that President Biya may have suffered a mild heart attack while watching a football match. A number of Cameroonians attempted to show their disapproval for the strict censorship by writing copiously, often insultingly, on Camnet and elsewhere. In late 1997, one intrepid Camnetter who had the technical savvy, and who managed to remain anonymous, set up a rather rudimentary web site where he used political parody and satire to ridicule the Biya régime. He labeled the website “Paul Biya’s Sexy Home Page” and posted on it not only the written word but also cartoons, caricatures and doctored images of the President and his acolytes. In February 1998, at a time when the President’s latest European vacation was in the news, I was struck by the observation that the number of visitors to “Paul Biya’s Sexy Home Page” had risen to more than six million! My e-mail below, in the form or a parody, arrived at the inescapable conclusion that the Cameroonian people did not trust the official Government rhetoric and were in dire need 114 of alternative sources of information. It also confirmed the rise of the Internet as the primary medium by which the Government’s monopoly on the control of information would be challenged. Finally, I have taken the liberty of reproducing another Camnetter’s independent assessment of the website in question, as well as the anonymous website creator’s statement of his motivations for establishing “Paul Biya’s Sexy Home Page.” Date: Sun, 1 Feb 1998 18:06:06 -0500 Sender: CAMNET From: Isaac Endeley Subject: Re: Paul Biya’s Sexy Home Page Hi, folks: With the latest shenanigans of U.S. Chief of State “Bubba” Clinton making the headlines around the globe and on Camnet, I thought this might be a good time to see how our very own King of the Jungle, His Majesty Biya bi Mvondo of Mvomeka’a, fares by comparison. But such a delicate analysis as this one is rendered all the more complicated by the contradictory claims made about the “lion man’s” heart condition and sexual prowess. On the one hand, Franck Essomba and Pius Njawé (Le Messager, December 22, 1997) allege that Biya is suffering from a debilitating heart ailment which makes him unable to sit through a simple football match. On the other, Thierry Ngoufan (Camnet, January 26, 1998) intimates that traces of Biya’s current private visit to Europe can be found at downtown brothels in European capitals. So how can a man with a failing heart be cavorting and frolicking with those hard-hitting, leather-clad, European hookers? That is the question I set out to answer on behalf of all Camnetters and most Cameroonians. [3.83.87.94] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 22:47 GMT) 115 For starters, I decided to go directly to the source or, if you prefer, to get it straight from the horse’s mouth. I visited (or, rather, revisited) Paul Biya’s Sexy Home Page at: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/6895/ Well, there you have it. Live. In glorious technicolor. Sounds like Thierry is right. Which means Njawé must have been wrong. That explains his arrest and incarceration. Two years in prison. For suggesting that King Midas has lost his golden touch. Think about it. Modern-day monarchs mostly thrive on mystique. The palace couldn’t afford to have this myth debunked. So they threw Njawé in the slammer. That should shut others up. Meanwhile, His Majesty returns to the brothel. Or is it really to a hospital? Can he have his cake and eat it, too? Ask for a medical report. Before letting him into the brothel. Then again, maybe not. Let the hookers do him in. One thing I found totally flabbergasting about Biya’s Sexy Home Page is the sheer volume of traffic it seems to have attracted over the months. When...