HISTORY
ICAD, was founded in 2009. By then it was just an association per law no 90/053 of 19 December 1990 , Regulating Associations in Cameroon. It emanated from the observation that Cameroon is one of the most culturally diversified country in the world, often Referred to as "Africa in miniature", Cameroon has more than 300 dialects, more than 250 ethnic groups, a myriad of people, tradition and customs, countless religious groups.
We are out to initiate best practices, by creating an enabling environment whereby each culture can accept and tolerate the other. It is against this backdrop that ICAD was legalized later on, to enjoy its full legal rights.
- Advocacy against cultural bad-practices (breast ironing, FGM,
- Girls rights to education, marriage
THE E-CULTURE PROJECT
LEVEL OF EXECUTION..
16% (dECEMBER 2015)
BENEFICIARIES...
40 OUT OF 1003, 53% FEMALES. 89% YOUTHS, 30 ETHNIC GROUPS OUT OF 252. (We intend to reach out to a total of 30642 youths and 25 000 youths online. 642 youths shall be involved directly and 55 000 youths shall be reached indirectly. Whatever the case, we intend to reach out to the 20 million inhabitants of Cameroon.)
OUTCOMES...
- DIGITALIZATION AND MODERNIZATION OF THE cAMEROONIAN CULTURE THROUGH THE CREATION OF MOBILE APPS AND SOFTWARES
- CREATION OF E-LIBRARY, E-MUSEUM, THUS PROMOTING CULTURAL TOURISM
PARTNERS
- MTN
-UNIVERSITY OF DSCHANG
- FAWEREH
- LIFEAID
- ESERVI
- UNAOC & BMW GROUP (PENDING)
PROBLEM STATEMENT. Cameroon is often rated the most culturally diversified country in Africa, with an extremely heterogeneous population, consisting of approximately 252 ethnic groups, more than 300 local languages (vernaculars) and a colossal hoard of unexploited cultural and religious practices. These cultural and religious differences engenders recurring wars of interest, high crime waves, intertribal and land disputes, forced displacements and even deaths, which seriously jeopardizes internal peace. 80% of victims in these predicaments are youths. New forms of religious wars have developed as some youths are psychologically marginalized because of their religion. Most Muslim youths are referred to as terrorists, often likened to the Boko Haram sect, leading to polarization, seclusion, sectarianism and tension between Muslim and Christian youths, especially in Universities.
Cameroon’s cultural wealth is gradually vanishing because intergenerational dialogue no longer exists. Oral forms of transmission which conveyed cultural practices to the younger generation are today a nightmare; because of westernization and change in the mindsets of youths. Intangible cultural heritage (oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, and traditional crafts) in Cameroon is in grave danger as the older population is gradually vamoosing with them. There is no formal and organized form of archiving and stockpiling Cameroon’s cultural practices. Most youths nowadays shun cultural practices, terming them either obnoxious or unnecessary, thus indulging into rural exodus or the perilous phobia of illegally migrating to Europe and the US at “all costs”.
This
project is necessary because, there is an urgent need to materialize and
document Cameroon’s cultural practices and its intangible cultural heritage, to
revitalize their culture. There’s need to fully institute culture as the fourth
pillar of sustainable development to meet up with the SDGs. Again, this project
is relevant because mobile phones, the internet and ICTs are the only way to reach
out to millions of youths, which will regenerate and modernize Cameroon’s
culture, promoting intercultural integration, globalization and ICT
development,. This project will also create an enabling environment, to
showcase Cameroon’s culture to the world at large, thus fostering cultural tourism. This project proposes
an innovative approach to attain peace and religious freedom.
OBJECTIVES..
This project aims at digitalizing and creating an electronic version of the Cameroonian culture, specifically;
- Creating a mobile apps and softwares on Cameroonian culture, by using programming languages like Assembler, C or C++, JavaScript, C#, Visual Basic, IU library, objective C, eMbedded Visual C++ v4.x, Delphi, UmbrellaSDK, which will be used in all PC operating systems as well as mobile operating systems like Android, iOS, Windows Phone, IPhone, blackberry and offered for free to youths;
- Creating an e-library (online) that will materialize, disseminate and store the Cameroonian culture.
- Develop an e-peace concept, which will be an online and social media platform to denounce, whistle-blow, report and condemn ethnic conflicts, crime waves, religious differences and social exclusion.
- Train and build the capacities of youths and University student leaders.
- Organize a youth camp and a conference based on illegal-migration, intercultural dialogue, peace, youth leadership and sustainable development.
ACTIVITIES
Data collection: 252 youths representing 252 ethnic groups will be recruited and trained to collect quantitative and qualitative data on unexploited cultural practices for digitalization.
Developing a user-friendly mobile app and software and offered in free downloadable versions to youths, making them to know about their culture. It will encompass games, résumés and facts on the cultural heritage of Cameroon’s ethnic groups.
Online resources:
An e-library will be created, that will contain all information on Cameroon’s culture, whose website shall be free to users all over the world, this website shall target 25 000 visits
E-peace concept; it will be a social media and online platform that will be used by youths to denounce, whistle-blow, report and condemn conflicts/violence. Mediators, counselors and human right activists will intervene to make peace prevail.
A competition to get 50 peer-leaders on cultural innovation and best practices shall be launched through our online and social media platform; this shall include codifying local languages (creating alphabets), best folklores, traditional rites, stories, dances, music and write-ups on peace and tolerance.
3 days youth camp to train the 50 young peer-leaders to be agents of peace and community development, culminating with a conference on peace-culture and illegal migration
Train 40 young student leaders from the 8 state Universities on non-violence, peace-building, religious tolerance, gender balance and leadership. They shall also distribute 10 000 copies of brochures and posters on peace/culture in their Universities and during the all University games that bring together about 30 000 students (youths).
TARGET
We are particularly targeting youths and Cameroonians. The National Youth Council and Universities will provide 252 youths from all ethnic groups for data collection. 40 student leaders from the 8 state Universities will be targeted and trained on peacekeeping. 50 young peer-leaders will be targeted to take part in the youth camp. 300 youths will be targeted to attain the conference. 30 000 youths shall be targeted and sensitized during the University games. 25 000 visitors shall be expected on our website and social media.
Gender balance shall be a condition sine-qua-non in all competitions and recruitment. Participation shall be on a 50-50 basis
We intend to reach out to a total of 30642 youths and 25 000 youths online. 642 youths shall be involved directly and 55 000 youths shall be reached indirectly. Whatever the case, we intend to reach out to the 20 million inhabitants of Cameroon.
ALREADY EXECUTED PROJECTS
Cameroonmania
“Cameroonmania” is a social media platform that seeks to promote Cameroonian culture, denounce and redress youth related issues and institute the spirit of patriotism in the youths. This project is an online and offline platform that aims at mainstreaming the youths through the creation of enabling environment and best practices the can foster development. As the name goes "Cameroonmania", The project aims at making the youths patriotic, valorize their cultural riches and co-develop themselves.......
OUTCOME: promotion, valorization and exportation of the Cameroonian culture
Green Culture
This project has two aims; firstly, it seeks to revitalize and facelift the culture of the Ndop people, which is gradually extincting, because the biotope and the habitat which harboured this culture in the past is vanishing. This project seeks to make the youths to love and trust their culture, in this same light, it seeks to deter illegal migration of youths, by putting some degree of trust in them. It aims at promoting cultural practices. Secondly, this project is a green project, one that targets sustainable development, a project that fights against climate change by planting trees. It is a cultural project at the local level that shall have a global impact in the long run. The project aims at increasing the total surface area of forests to their initial situations, as well as exponentially increase the number of sacred forests.
OUTCOME: Planting of 15000 trees around sacred forests
Youth Local Empowerment
It is a leadership training program that promotes social inclusion, civic participation as well as the promotion of the development of youth policies and volunteering among the underprevilledged, disadvantaged and marginilized youths.
OUTCOME: recruitment of 50 youth volunteers, provision of farming inputs and tools to young farmers in Ndop
I-Monitors:
This aims at Fighting against illegal substance consumption among students (youths) in the local community of Dschang and particularly in the University of Dschang, by recruiting youths called I-MONITORS (Investigative Monitors), who will inconspicuously monitor, whistle-blow and report other youths and students, who are bad substance consumers. They shall upon a collective effort be subjected to a follow-up, counseling, detoxification if necessary and freely reverted into the practice of sports and leisure activities, thus eventually becoming I-MONITORS, to monitor and report other addicts.
OUTCOME: Training of 25 I-MONITORS and the reversion of 72 drug addicts into the practice of sports and sane leisure activities.
Shine Project
As a medium to fight against insecurity around student residential quarters in the neighborhood of the university of Dschang, we implanted 100 solar-powered street lights.
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