Summary
Combatting crime and drug abuse using art as a tool.
Growing up in Cameroon amidst a civil war comes with many challenges. Claude has experienced many first-hand and arrived at a situation where the future looked hopeless and in which he felt not able to contribute meaningfully to society. With the help of his mother and having discovered the world of art, Claude however took a stand. He realized that the youth need a way out, hence his dream project is to work with youngsters in his art school, enabling them to get away from substance abuse and crime.
by Claude Angwere Azah
On the 28th of March 2015, I was in Bamenda Town in the Northwest region of Cameroon at the Mankon-Ringway Rehabilitation Centre. The reason I was there, was to attend my regular counseling sessions on drug consumption and abuse. On my way out, I saw a young man lying on a bench in the hallway. He was heavily shivering, and white foam came from his mouth. Immediately I knew that this young boy was under the influence of excessive consumption of some kind of drug. Most likely cocaine or tramadol, as these are the most common drugs used by youths in my community.
He was about 14 years old, chained on both legs and hands with a shabby dreadlock hairstyle. He wore a dirty pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and had no shoes on his feet. Next to him was a familiar face, a woman about 35 years of age with tears rolling down her cheeks murmuring something like ‘God what have i done to deserve this’. As i came closer I realized the young boy was an extended relative of mine. As I learned from his mother, Little John, my nephew, suffered a drug spell and had gone into seizures thrice that same week. She had no other solution but to bring her son to the rehabilitation center.
I recalled my own first experience with the misuse of drugs, the health risk i incurred, the financial stress I levied on my family for treatment, the socio-psychological negative effects on my family, the stigmatization I faced from my community, and instantly I felt it was and it is my responsibility to help my nephew and other youths in my community to fight against drug consumption and abuse.
In the following counseling sessions, John was never left out. After the death of his father who was the breadwinner in the family, suddenly, his mother became a jobless widow who had John and three siblings to take care of. Poverty and peer pressure then became John’s push factors into drug consumption.
Unfortunately, John’s story is only one of many. Multiple aspects such as the consequences of the Cameroonian Civil War, local conflicts, poverty, internal displacement, poor economic opportunities, and others have ‘directed’ many children as young as 12, and youth to drugs.
In 2016 I started an initiative named CADA (Collective Art Development Association) using art as a tool to provide support to John and other youths. Partnering with mental health experts, also psycho-social assistance is given. Presently, I am at kanthari to gather tools and skills that help me to further develop my organization so I can provide training in several skills, including enterprise development, and entrepreneurship.
Claude Angwere Azah (1982) – Cameroon
