Saturday 12th of February 2022.
At the House of Cameroonians in France, Paris.
I was at the House of Cameroonians in France. A unique opportunity for us, the youth, to learn about baobabs, like Eugène N’Jo Léa.
Before N’Jo Léa, footballers in France and beyond had little to no bargaining power. Always at the beg and call of their club. He is the architect behind the UNFP. He famously declared: « Même les patrons sont organisés ! Oui, tout le monde est organisé, sauf le footballeur professionnel, qui en est malade. » Reminding us about the present battles of the Predator, Francis Ngannou.
The monumental Cheikh Anta Diop was also discussed.
Cheikh reminded us about the need to marry the African cause:
“I think that one must commit oneself, that one must marry the African cause; I have married this cause since I became aware (… ) it is by believing in the future of Africa and by putting ourselves at the service of Africa night and day, constantly and by trying to solve African problems to the extent of our intelligence, lucidity, training… that we can contribute something and be proud of having taken on this task which gives meaning to our life, the only meaning that our life can have today. It is in any case, the meaning that I have given to my life (…) Whatever your degree of intelligence, what is important, is that this intelligence must be put at the service of Africa in a sincere way, in a radical way.”
Before leaving around 7h30 PM, I was happy to sign a few copies of my book “Smiling in Hardships”, to those that wanted to know more about my story and what we are building at World like Home.
Thanks to BlablaCar, I finally reached my dwelling place. I could not help but ponder on the words below from Chinua Achebe.
“When we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so. […] But I fear for you young people because you do not understand how strong is the bond of kinship. You do not know what it is to speak with one voice. And what is the result? (…) I fear for you; I fear for the clan.”
Thanks to Abdelaziz Mounde for the invitation.
