Chantal Biya’ signboard disappears from Kumba Municipal Library

A signboard at the Kumba Municipal Library, bearing the inscriptions ‘Chantal Biya International Reference Centre’, has been replaced with that of the donor of the library.

The Chantal Biya signboard, which had been installed on September 24, 2015, suddenly disappeared on February 24, 2016 when the American donors related to the Anne Gabonay library project came visiting.

The signboard was put up to mark the launching of Chantal Biya’s social vaccine program. But a few days after the visit of the American students, a new signboard bearing the name of the city and that of the donor of the library project was implanted in front of the building.

Some resident of Kumba expressed indignation at the removal of the First Lady’s signboard.

“Both actions [library and social vaccine program are geared towards the well-being of the society and so none should take preeminence over the other,” said Raymond Itoe.

Cameroonian-born History professorat the University of Dayton, USA, Julius Amin, who has been at the centre of the partnership, said things happen within a particular historical dispensation for specific reasons.

“What matters most is if the library is still being used,” Prof. Amin said.

He said further that education remains the most important driver of development the world over.

Some years ago, Anne Gobonay, a one-time University of Dayton student, had visited Kumba through the Prof. Amin-led partnership and she had met the former Kumba Government Delegate, Caven Nnoko Mbele, with whom she hatched the idea of a befitting library giving for Kumba.

Gobonay was able to build the library with donations from the US and the people of Kumba responded by naming the facility in 2006 after her.

Since the construction of the library, she has remainedactive in sustaining the project and whatever donations she has are always channeled through her former professor to Kumba.