Back-to-school Campaign : Growing Social Media Mobilisation

Never before in Cameroon’s history has the social media networks served as a mobilisation instrument for the effective resumption of classes, especially in the socio-political and security crisis-stricken North West and South West Regions. The campaign called “OpenSchoolsNow” has intensified as the resumption of classes for the 2019/2020 academic year begins throughout the national territory today, September 2, 2019 for the basic and secondary education levels.
Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute is prominent in the campaign with tweet messages addressed to the crisis-affected North West and South West Regions. He in different tweets appealed respectively to the populations of the two regions. The tweet entitled “ North West Region  Back to School 2019/2020 School Year”, the Prime Minister cited the  Subdivisions  that make up the region  and appealed in the Pidgin language, “ BOOK E FINE. BOOK NO DI FAIL MAN. MAKE WE SEND PIKIN DEM FOR SCHOOL.”  In an identical message addressed to the South West population he also cited Subdivisions that make up the South West. Other personalities such as the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, Minister of Public Health, Manaouda Malachie, Director General of CRTV, Charles Ndongo, players of the National Female Football Team and some artists have also joined in the campaign.
A bulk of the messages are appealing to the population. There are messages such as the “ The door for school resumption is open”, “What will become of our future leaders? We say no to high rates of illiteracy generated by Cameroonian secessionists in the North West and South West Regions”, “The highest weapon on earth is education. Allow our kids to return back to school safely in the North West a...