Anglophone Crisis:CHRDA Launches Book Amplifying Unheard Voices Of Anglophone Crisis Victims

 

By Raymond Dingana

The unheard voices of the Anglophone War in Cameroon have been compiled in a book titled:In The Eye Of The Storm, Between The Devil And Deep Blue Sea.

The book which has been described by many as 'Tear Provocking' was launched in Bamenda, Friday March 31,2023.

Produced by the Center For Human Right and Democracy in Africa CHRDA,  Buea based Rights Organization that has been documenting cases of Human Rights violations in the context of the Anglophone armed conflict,the book aims to tell the story of sufferers of the crisis who have gone through all forms of inhumane treatments.

The Executive Director of CHRDA, Dr.Fokum Violet while launching the book said it tells the story of victims of the Anglophone Crisis that have never been heard before, 

The book echoes the voices of those whose stories have not been heard in the Anglophone Crisis. The book reverberates the experiences of those who have actually been assaulted in the Anglophone Crisis.All the stories in the book are actually testimonies from the victims. We didn't want the normal stories you will read from news papers and on the social media, 

Dr. Fokum said.

As to what prompted CHRDA to think of publishing the testimonies of victims of the Anglophone armed conflict, Dr.Fokum stated that the journey started in 2016,

Since the biggining of the crisis,CHRDA has been monitoring, documenting and reporting violations perpetrated within the crisis. We thought it wise to produce a book that actually reflects not only the condemnations but tells people's stories as it is and how they felt it,

the Executive Director said. 

She also indicated that it wasn't a bed of roses getting all the voices that were published in the book.

Getting the experiences of the survivors was not easy becaue we didn't want to get the normal stories you read in newspapers and on social media. We had to move to the people in the affected communities and get their testimonies. Access to these places was not easy and even to get authorisation to do it was not an easy task, 

said Dr. Fokum. 

One of the reviewers of the the book,Mr. Akah Valentine he felt accomplished when his presentation triggered a lot of emotions in the hall. 

When voices are suppressed,we are building some kind of a revolution unknowingly and so these are voices that have been stifled for long that lacked an avenue where they could express themselves and CHRDA decided to lift them up from their different settings and give them exporsure,

Mr.Akah intimated.

Copies of the books were handed over to all those who attended the launching free of charge and many went straight to reading and could not even go for launch as they concentrated on the book.

In The Eye Of The Storm,Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea is written and published by The Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa CHRDA.

The launching ceremony in Bamenda followed that of Buea earlier on March 17.Officials say the book will be launched in the other regions of the country subsequently .

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