Nde Patrice Ateh, journalist in Cameroon Tribune from 1985 to 1993 talks of his time in the paper that is marking 40 years of existence in July 2014.

“The media is an industry that is built around dreams and imagination; and the people who understand not only the importance of dreaming, but know how to make them come true. We are an industry of memory makers. We are also community builders, storytellers, vision painters, bridge builders, and the purveyors of possibility.

We bring families, friends, communities, countries and peoples together. We help them celebrate the special things in their lives, inspire them to see more, and provide the spark that allows them to light the world around them. That is the gift that our media industry brings to the world and that is the legacy that Cameroon Tribune has built over the last 40 years and will leave behind for generations to make all sorts of judgment. 

I have had the unique opportunity to work and travel quite extensively and to see, first-hand, the power and impact of newspaper journalism, from both an internal perspective and an external one. I have tried in vain to dust the calling cards of the time I spent in Cameroon Tribune; for they tell me who we are and what is important to us; for example – the launch of this newspaper as a daily illustrated our faith and commitment to diversity.

The Cameroon News and Publishing Corporation – SOPECAM – was a diverse organization that valued the difference in people. It was one that recognized that people with different backgrounds, skills, attitudes and experiences brought fresh ideas and perceptions. From a by-weekly the newspaper emerged to something bigger drawing upon the widest possible range of views and experiences so it could publish and meet the changing needs of its readers.

Cameroon Tribune English became a household brand, publishing powerful and memorable news features, branding and imaging opportunities, bonding people together, encouraging positive media coverage, enhancing economic impact, and adding to the quality of lives for those who read it. It gave people the chance to experience different things outside of what they were normally accustomed to.

My calling cards still show a wide array of diverse opinions in our newsroom at the time: Things Here and There, Letter from Emmanuel, Reply from Sylvester, Eye-opener and Insight as well as The Week Ender. The growth of such journalism benefited society for it encouraged people to progress outside their boundaries and learn something new about a culture – the Anglo-Saxon culture - they were not familiar with.”