UDs joins in the Commonwealth celebrations

Inclusiveness a panacea for peace

Dschang-UDs-SIC-13/03/17: The University of Dschang joined the international community in celebrating the 2017 edition of the Commonwealth day under the theme: “a peace-building Commonwealth. The launching ceremony which had in attendance the Vice Chancellor, Prof Roger Tsafack Nanfosso and members of the Chancellery board graced the occasion which witnessed presentations from Prof Lilian Lem Atanga and Dr Afutendem, under the moderation of the head of the Cooperations’ Division of the university Mr. Mama Chandini. The attendance was impressive at the University auditorium as members of the commonwealth club, students, lecturers and guest took part at the ceremony. The event which started at 10:30 am saw the projection of the speech of the 2017 Commonwealth celebration of her majesty the Queen, Head of the Commonwealth which highlighted the tour of the commonwealth baton geared towards fostering respect, understanding, upholding the CM principles and rule of law, overcoming division and reconciliation for prosperity. Mr. Chandini in his opening remarks elaborated on the values of the Commonwealth, its theme and the participation of Cameroon since its incorporation in 1995 and thanked the VC for his unflinching support in the activities of the Commonwealth club of the University of Dschang.

Dr Afutendem Lucas on his part presented commentaries of the speech and expatiated on the ways of fostering peace in the country. He outlined four main points of the Queen’s speech:

• The baton will connect millions of different people with its peace building message during the opening of the Commonwealth games in Australia to foster respect, understanding and dignity for one another.
• Recommend justice and the rule of law for opportunities to be offered, overcome division by seeking reconciliation geared towards development for all.
• Uphold the importance of the history and heritage of the people where there are conflicts and propose consensus and dialogue
• Collaborate with each other to build a peaceful nation.

Dr Afutendem reiterated the current crisis affecting the Anglophones regions and stated that peace, respect, tolerance rule of law; good governance can enhance positive change. He emphasized that the family was the bedrock for the expected change and called on private and state institutions to engage in long term transformation and inclusive methods in policy formulation.

UDs in active part in fostering collectiveness

During the presentation, Dr Afutendem lauded the efforts of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Roger Tsafack Nanfosso for instilling the spirit of collective dynamism in the university. He highlighted that the University was already taking a great step in building peace through its inclusive educational and communicational policy of using the two official languages frequently. He called on the universities to do more beyond the academic level in building the reconciliation process as he urged the private sector, local business and civil societies to be part of the peace building block. He finally appealed on hierarchy to empower the Commonwealth of the University in their peace building mission and host a collective dynamism conference for peace building to bring stake holders together from all parts of the country. Prof Lem Lilian Atanga in her presentation under the theme “how the opportunities offered by the Commonwealth can contribute to a peaceful world” highlighted the visions, missions, available scholarships of the Commonwealth, benefits. Prof Lem underscored the value and relations between education and peace building. She stated that education should be used as a tool for cultural integration and lauded the role of civic education in the country. She called on students to be catalyst of development and peace through tolerance and other virtues.

The president of the commonwealth club, Tse Valery on his part presented a report on the relation between the Commonwealth and the notion of peace, calling on all to imbibe the spirit of forgiveness and tolerance. This was followed by an exchange session with students and the remarks of the Vice Chancellor who lauded the presentation of the speakers and emphasized that peace involved; the making, keeping and the building process. He called on students to play an active part in peace building by presenting suggestions and ideas that could foster peace. The first phase of the ceremony ended with a family picture to immortalize the event .The second phased continued with artistic performances, debates, a sketch, and a beauty pageant to crown the occasion.