A special edition of “Mercredis des Grandes Conferences” of the Faculty of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences of the University of Yaounde I held in the university on Wednesday April 4. The special edition that came on the eve of celebrations to mark 50 years of the reunification of Cameroon had as theme “Towards the Harmonisation of the Cameroon National Anthem.”
The lecture was chaired by the Secretary General of the University of Yaounde I, Professor Jean Emmanuel Pondi. The speakers were Professors Gervais Mendo Ze, Samuel Efoua Mbozo’o and Dr. Thomas Theophile Nug, all of the University of Yaounde I. The objective of the lecture was to seek ways of harmonising the National Anthem that currently has two versions in French and English. The different speakers pointed out that the National Anthem of Cameroon has the same melody in both French and English, but the lyrics are different.
Professor Gervais Mendo Ze said a close look at the French and English versions necessitates the translation of the French version to English. Another speaker, Hans Nya, lecturer in the University of Bamenda said the National Anthem needs to be modified. “It is good that we harmonise it so that people can sing the same thing. Also, God is not mentioned in the anthem,” he said. He explained that it is necessary mentioning God in the anthem so that He will continue to bless Cameroon. Dr. Bissohong Nug said it was necessary to produce and adopt a unique version which will express the vision, the identity and culture of Cameroon.
The Cameroon was first written in 1927 in Foulassi in present day South Region by 29 students of the local Teacher Training College. The song was adopted in 1957 by the Legislative Assembly as the anthem of Cameroon. In 1970, Members of Parliament noticed that the two versions were not identical and expressed the need for the harmonisation of the two versions. The two versions were later adopted and promulgated in 1978 by the Head of State.
However, the existence of the two versions continues to raise eyebrows as many deplore the fact that the two are not the same. The lecture was therefore and opportunity to seek ways of possible harmonisation of the national anthem so that the French and English versions are the same.
