With a rising death toll from popular unrests and characteristic shallow, knee-jerk responses from the the government of Paul Biya's Republique du Cameroun, the time is more than now for citizens of the zombie nation in the Diaspora to network anew with social organizations that can leverage alternate pressure for change. The Church is one avenue that must be considered for its worth: any Church, any denomination is accessible to both old and new members and always has wide-open and embracing arms. Every church has resources and a reaching ability the reach of which one can only begin to fathom. This is not time to proselytize on how the Church came with the Bible in one hand and the gun on another to subjugate the African to the lowest form of human indignity - slavery. No, it is time to recognize the value or potential of our respective Churches in the Diaspora in bringing community and world attention to the making of a second Rwanda/Burundi and Darfur in La Republique du Cameroun.
Whichever Church you attend has a Sunday(news)bulletin or flyer with varying contents including prayer requests. These prayer requests and other items are submitted to the Church administrative assistant before a particular day of the week for inclusion into that week's bulletin. An easy assignment for each and every caring person is to find out when they can submit the prayer request regarding the socio-economic and political unrests in Cameroun.
The first strategic reason for this move is that of bringing attention to the Church about what is happening in La Republique du Cameroun. What is happening, you might ask? President Biya is working on changing the Constitution of Cameroon in favor of limitless terms to the Presidency. If this change were to happen, he would be a monarch. This blog has called for U.S based Camerounians and friends to write to their State representatives on letting any pressure to bear on Paul Biya. Also, the random and wanton civilian killings by Cameroun's Forces of Law and Order constitutes gross human rights abuse.
Because Churches are part of a community, a prayer request and conversation with the Priest or Pastor ushers in the second strategic reason. By the Pastor or Priest praying about the situation, the wheels are set in motion for discussions in the community about what is happening in your country. Other Church members start asking questions about it. This means that we must also educate and familiarize ourselves about the myriad of social, economic, political, regional and ethnic schisms plaguing Cameroun. Churches would rather pray and act now than regret further down the road when it is a full-blown genocide. It is something for you to leave on the table for the Priest or pastor to think about.
There is no telling who attends Church with you. But never underestimate the power of one - you. You have the potential and power to change the world around you if only you do what is within your power to do. Yes we can do the little things. Yes we can walk to the Priest or Pastor and tell them about the plight of our brothers and sisters that are dying by the second in the dungeon called Republique du Cameroun. Yes we can ask them to pray for it. Yes we can ask them to share the story with their colleagues of faith. We can do this little.
We can push further and ask if anyone in the congregation may know of someone in a newsroom somewhere that can be of help. Remember to ask and it shall be given unto you. We have to ask our clergy for this favor. We have to ask the fellow brethren in Church and they may point to someone that can carry the story to a major news outlet. But even if that does not happen, the audience that we have in the Church is not a negligible starting point. Step up to the plate. Step up to the rostrum. Just imagine Joel Osteen of the Lakewood Church in Houston sharing the word on his Sunday telecast! Wouldn't that be something? Do not think so much about it. Just do this little. You can. And best of all...the access is free.
Innocent Chia
Citizen Journalist
Email: innochia@gmail.com
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