Duty of Memory: David Ndachi Tagne, The Greatest Cultural Journalist Cameroon Has Known :: Cameroon
The silence observed around the memory and journey of this genius pains me a lot. What ingratitude!
For me, he is the greatest journalist that the Cameroon. If I were given the opportunity to rename Cameroon’s main journalism school (ESSTIC), I would give it the name of this man who dedicated his life to serving his country.
David Ndachi Tagne has done phenomenal work for Cameroonian culture. And his legacy remains alive, take a look at the Cameroontribune archives and you will feel the quality and quantity of the painstaking work carried out by this enthusiast and this patriot like no other in Cameroon. His passion was work and we wondered where he found the time to achieve everything he did.
It is the story of a man who had several lives in one: journalist in the written press, radio and television journalist, literary critic, editor, writer, teacher. He refused all requests from international media and universities. His credo was: “stay in Cameroon, serve it and promote our cultural wealth”.
And when national unity and living together were threatened, unlike our current journalists who call themselves “neutral”, he did not hesitate to take a position and organized moments of reflection; we owe him in particular the book “Ethnofascites: the truth of reprieve”. Indeed, in 1987, the concept “ethnofascism” was born in political-cultural debates in Cameroon, which according to its creator expressed “the desire for hegemony of an ethnic group”. Ndachi’s objective through his book is that “both of them go beyond intrigues and deadly suspicions and tackle a restrictive but exhilarating and grandiose task: national construction.” A book which, in view of recent news, remains relevant.
This is the role of the intellectual in the “Mongobetian” sense of the term! A journalist who did not shy away from his responsibilities, a journalist who did not flee his country despite adversity and requests, a journalist who did not make compromises in order to preserve his selfish interests, a journalist who took a stand when necessary.
His journey deserves to be known to everyone.
David Ndachi Tagne was born on March 3, 1958 in Ebolowa in the South of Cameroon. He studied there and obtained a Doctorate in Literature obtained in 1985 at the University of Yaoundé. We can already say that his place of birth predisposed him to mixing and living together.
He was nicknamed “Do-it-all” from a very young age because David Ndachi Tagne is interested in a very large number of fields. Very curious and thirsty for knowledge, he wants to learn everything. He wants to do everything.
Journalist and writer, David Ndachi Tagne began his career at Cameroon Tribune in 1978, before becoming a correspondent for RFI, then for Agence France Presse in Cameroon. A brilliant and flawless course.
A key figure in the Cameroonian and African press, he also held a doctorate in African literature and an ardent promoter of African culture. This man fought a lot for literature and culture in Cameroon. He is the promoter of the defunct SOPECAM publishing house; a project aimed at promoting publishing and reading in Cameroon.
From 1989 to 1992 he was the director of Editions SOPECAM in Yaoundé. His time at the head of this state structure corresponds to one of the major moments in the life of books in Cameroon, particularly in terms of the number and quality of publications and the international dissemination efforts. After the surprise closure of this publishing house in 1992, Ndachi Tagne set up Editions du CRAC, recognized as one of the most dynamic at that time.
As a cultural journalist, he has produced a plethora of articles to promote Cameroonian culture, music and its icons. He is also the author of the first biographical book written on an icon of Cameroonian music. Indeed, he is the author of the book: “Anne-Marie Nzié, Scréts d’or”, dedicated to Anne-Marie Nzié, diva of Cameroonian music.
After the written press, he worked on radio and even television. He was the correspondent for Radio France Internationale (RFI) in Cameroon from 1992 until his death.
He has collaborated with several international radio stations such as: The BBC, The Voice of Germany, Radio Suisse Romande, the Voice of America. He has produced numerous radio and television reports which have received international awards. He is the author of a video film, “Portraits against a backdrop of crisis”, produced in 1993 for the French Agency Periscoop. He also collaborated with the Syfia Agency (French-speaking agricultural information system) and Jeune Afrique Economie.
A seasoned literary critic, he published several Cameroonian novels and realities with Editions l’Harmattan in 1986, and with the same publisher a study devoted to Francis Bebey in 1993. To his credit, he has hundreds of interviews with authors and book reviews published between 1978 and 1990, both in the daily Cameroon Tribune where he worked then, and in numerous national and international journals.
As a teacher since 1985, he has taught courses in literary criticism, journalism and publishing at the Higher School of Information and Communication Sciences and Techniques. He has also contributed to numerous research projects at internationally, notably for the French magazine Notre Librairie.
A talented and prolific writer, David Ndachi Tagne was the author of around fifteen books in genres as different as essays, poetry, theater, biography and novels. He has published in the theater (M. Handlock, Editions CLE, 1985); in the novel (The Captive Queen, Harmattan, 1986); in the story (The truth of reprieve, Editions Silex, 1987); in biography (Anne Marie Nzié, Golden Voice of Cameroonian song, SOPECAM, 1990); in poetry (Bloods mixed, blood sin, Harmattan, 1992); and educational works (Guide for African environmental journalists, CRAC, 1996).
He was married and the father of several children. Cameroonian journalist David Ndachi Tagne died on Monday October 10, 2006 at his home in Yaoundé at the age of 48.
