By Joyce Ashuntantang, PhD “Okonkwo was well known through out the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements. As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his clan by throwing Amalinze the cat”. Wit

As I watched Larry King yesterday night, he kept asking this same question to all his guests: What does the inauguration mean to you? I have been trying to answer that question this morning. As a black person living in the United States at this t

By Joyce Ashuntantang, Ph.D. Today, January 6th 2011, my cousin, Joan Bechem-Agbor Arrey, will start her final journey to her resting place in her husband’s village in Akak, Manyu

By Joyce Ashuntantang I have never been one for pets. I did not grow up with a dog or cat. Truth be told: I am scared of dogs. I have actually been bitten a couple of times by dogs. No pun intended. I am equally uncomfortable around cats; they lea

By Joyce Ashuntantang In life she had no biological children of her own but her death proved that she had used her voice to deliver a mammoth crowd that showed up at her wake yesterday at the Limbe municipal stadium. It is this crowd with persons

By Joyce Ashuntantang

Yes, Batuo’s World has been quiet for some time. I can now tell you why. I have been inside letter V. Oh yes, even those of us whom friends and family have labeled "tough" have a time when the leaves of life just

By Joyce Ashuntantang

(Afterword from Their Champagne Party Will End: Poems in Honor of Bate Besong) March 8th 2007, the literary sky fell in Cameroon. Bate Besong; Kwasen Gwangwa’a, Hilarious Ambe, and their driver we

A Tribute to Chinua Achebe, 1930-2013

by Joyce Ashuntantang

It is difficult to know where to begin to pay tribute to the Eagle on the Iroko, but fortunately he gave me “a mouth with which to tell my

Well, 2014 has settled in, and I am back on my blog after a hiatus. Fortunately, I was able to connect with some of you via facebook. Truth be told, 2013 called for some emotional heavy lifting and I had to conserve my energy, but it is a new season

By Joyce Ashuntantang

Not many FIFA world cup fans know that the official name of the 2014 FIFA World match ball is “Brazuca” and not many know that the name was selected by Brazilians after an unprecedented v

Any way you dice it, Dr. Bertrand Fote and Laura Ayuk-Takem’s wedding on Saturday, August 30th 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina, was one for the books. I always knew Bertrand Fote’s wedding would be a multilayered event. Why? The young man is s

By Barbara Steinberger ( First published in

UNotes

) Whether she is helping students find their voices through poetry, introducing them to authors around the world via Skype, or guiding them as they recite words of inspiration from

By Joyce Ashuntantang

At 4:30 p.m today, December 19th 2014, the energetic and dynamic ace journalist, Anne Nsang will be lying in state in Yaoundé Cameroon. In spite of the fact that her fight with lung cancer had already made it

(First reported on Exssa-usa.org)

What would make a young black girl give up her long full-bodied hair, especially at this time when hair extensions have become the norm for most young black women? Ask 14 year old Nina Foyabo. Most teenag

The beautiful painting hung on the wall. It was titled "Paradise Palms". We had to produce one exactly like that. Our coach, Katie explained how we were going to do that. I listened attentively but it just seemed an impossible task. I had never pain

By Joyce Ashuntantang The world got to know him as the gifted lead guitarist responsible for the “singing guitar” in Prince Nico Mbarga's hit song "Sweet Mother". His name also entered the psyche of a generation when Prince Nico Mbarga present

    Joyce Ashuntantang, Ph.D.

 For Victor Pungong, April 11^th 1967- May 9^th 2007

By Joyce Ashuntantang What you have heard is true. She stepped into my office cradling her folder in her bosom. Her pink boots