Following an elective general assembly, the Cameroon Bloggers Association formed a new executive. And the new president of the ABC is called Thierry Didier Kuicheu!
A late AGM
As usual, the Cameroonian bloggers arrived late! For an elective general meeting (EGM) which was scheduled for 9 a.m., the work actually started from 1:15 p.m.! People were trickling in as if it were a secret meeting, and the outgoing president was just calling to ask us that “Has it started yet?” »
There are certain members—like Armelle Sitchoma— who first went to the fair with their kindergarten children, before coming to meet us. There are certain members who were still on the bus in Yassa, and who arrived well late. There is even the outgoing treasurer who was coming out of a funeral in the village, and her twin sister explained to us that they had lost their niece and that it is for this reason that we would not be entitled to the financial results of this association.
I even discovered another talent in René Knowa, the very first president of this association (2017-2019), as room driver. The guy was forced to improvise conversations that made no sense, until the room could accommodate all of our many latecomers…
A former president who resigned
The outgoing president was also late! Because for an EGM scheduled for 9 a.m., the good gentleman showed up around 12:45 p.m.! Before that, he only called us to ask us “Has it started yet?” ».
Dania Ebonguè, since it is about him, was still an excellent president. He brought this association to a very high level during his four years in office (yes, yes, he had modified the constitution to be able to represent himself). Dania Ebonguè brought us reliable partners, he organized prestigious events such as the Bloggers Summit or the Cameroonian Blogging Awards, and he gave us a magazine called ABC Mag, and a certain credibility among public opinion.
Personally, I think it will be difficult to replace him, both because of his charisma and his eloquence, even if I still remain doubtful about the transparency of his financial management during his four years as supreme magistrate.
And so, when Dania arrived around 12:45 p.m., he immediately announced to us that he was withdrawing from our association, for professional reasons. He has been co-opted as president of a pan-African organization, and this requires him to now reside in the city of Bamako (Mali). It is with great sadness that we welcomed this departure, even if the outgoing president assured us of all his love, all his affection and all his support for the activities which will concern the ABC in the future…
The elective general assembly took place in the MENOUA room of the Geneva hotel, in Douala. Photo credit: Ronel Tedeffo /CC-BY
A colorful campaign
According to the ABC statutes, electoral campaigns are carried out exclusively online. That is to say, on WhatsApp, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, etc. A candidate does not even have the right to physically meet another member of the association, to offer them a frozen beer. And therefore the only day when you can defend your program without referring to your various visuals is during the elective general assembly.
I’ll start with Arthur Njitchou who really struck me, because this little guy from nothing at all (I don’t even know if he’s already twenty years old, eh) made a considerable impression. Because not only did he come from Yaoundé, not only was he in a well-pressed suit, not only was he aiming for a position as strategic as the general secretariat of the association, but also his speech was sprinkled with a lot of elegance.
I also liked Badal Fohmoh who campaigned for us to vote for his opponent, Ronel Tedeffo. I didn’t understand why Etienne Talla was talking mainly about the visual arts when he was running for the position of general secretary. I was also surprised by Fabrice Tientcheu, a presidential candidate who announced his withdrawal two hours before the elections, and who ultimately changed his mind again to finally run again thirty minutes before the elections […]
And then there was Fabrice Bwamou, the current secretary general who was a candidate for his own succession, and who did not even deign to travel from Yaoundé. There were endless proxies, to the point where these proxies were even the subject of bargaining. There is Elsy Elsa who was the only candidate for treasurer, but who still fought a tough campaign. There are the auditors jostling at the gate, and there is the future president Thierry Didier Kuicheu (TDK) which defeated a sober, serene campaign, which carried out quite impressive lobbying work, and which invested financially in a series of gadgets which it distributed to all the members present (including its own opponents) .
A democratic electoral process
The electoral commission was headed by the two elders of the association. The oldest, if you prefer. They were assisted by two blues who served as handlers, and together these four people constituted what the texts call the CE-ABC.
They cobbled together two makeshift voting booths. Tchakounté Kemayou began to list for us the conditions for accepting votes. People then began to vote religiously, and slipped their envelopes into a transparent ballot box. Then you had to fill out a form and leave your signature on it, for the formalities of the minutes.
After this step, we moved on to litigation. We found two ballots that had been incorrectly recorded, and they were those of Marthe-Suzanne Mveng since she had arrived very late. The CE-ABC designated two volunteers who were supposed to count the fifty envelopes from the ballot box, and two other volunteers whose mission was to report the recorded results. This is how the vote took place in a democratic, transparent and indisputable manner. Fabrice Bwamou won the general secretaryship while he was absent, and his designated deputy is Arthur Njitchou. Alida Ebo’o was elected Communications Manager of the association, and I find her extremely competent for her new functions. Thierry Didier Kuicheu won the presidency of the association with a Soviet score, i.e. 45 votes against 5 for his two opponents.
We imagined that he would win, but not to the point of considerably crushing all the competition…
After the elections the bloggers were treated to a family meal. Photo credit: Ronel Tedeffo /CC-BY
In Cameroon, the ABC bloggers have a new president!
So following an elective general assembly held on December 16, 2023, the Cameroon Bloggers Association formed a new executive office for the next two years (2023-2025). And the recent elected president is called Thierry Didier Kuicheu!
Bloggers have a new president! He is nicknamed TDK, he was general secretary in the very first office of this association, and until now he held the position of vice-president.
The bloggers have a new leader! Thierry Didier Kuicheu will be a modest president, open to suggestions and criticism, moreover he has already warned that his mandate will be essentially characterized by the creation of commissions.
The bloggers now have a new office, in fact there are only two members who were already present in the old executive.
And so we hope that this association will continue to grow, as was the case with our two previous presidents. We have placed all our hopes in Thierry Kuicheu, in particular the mobilization of bloggers for the defense of social causes, which are national. We hope that we will welcome new cascade members, budding bloggers like my best friend Pierre Peace Ndamè. But above all, the bloggers’ association must imperatively become a counter-power here in Cameroon…
Ecclesiastes DEUDJUIcongratulations to TDK!
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