Lors des rencontres avec les hautes autorités camerounaises, les parlementaires, les représentants de la société civile ainsi qu’avec la communauté diplomatique, la Déléguée fédérale au plurilinguisme a abordé, par le biais de la perspective linguistique, plusieurs thèmes tels que le fédéralisme suisse, la démocratie directe et la décentralisation, l’organisation du système judiciaire et la péréquation financière. Au niveau technique, l’échange a porté, entre autres, sur les questions de représentation des communautés linguistiques au sein de l’administration camerounaise, sur l’utilisation équilibrée des langues officielles reconnues par la Constitution, ainsi que sur la répartition des médias nationaux sur le plan linguistique.
Suite à cette mission, les deux parties évalueront les différentes actions qui pourraient être ultérieurement entreprises sur le plan bilatéral afin de contribuer à la promotion des droits des diverses communautés linguistiques et au dialogue national.
Switzerland and Cameroon Dialogue on Plurilingualism and Multiculturalism
The visit started with a work session with the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism (NCPBM) in the presence of the Swiss Ambassador, S.E.M. Pietro Lazzeri, and the chairpersons of the working groups on bilingualism, multiculturalism and living together. The President of the Commission, Peter Mafany Musonge, opened the meeting with a welcome speech. Then each chairperson shared his experience and talked about challenges and priorities in his respective area of competence. After that, the Swiss Federal Delegate made a presentation about the Swiss Confederation from a plurilingual point of view, touching upon several topics such as federalism, direct democracy, decentralization and fiscal equalization.
The Swiss Federal Delegate highlighted the similarities between Cameroon and Switzerland and insisted on the fact that the main objective of her mission was to share experience and good practices. In this regard, she discussed with different stakeholders about questions related to the presence of linguistic communities within the Cameroonian administration, the use of languages recognized by the Constitution as well as the role of national media.
On January 25th, 2018, Mrs. Mariolini attended a diplomatic forum at International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC), on the topic “Living Together: Language, Culture and Decentralization. Dialogue between Cameroon and Switzerland.” In her presentation, the Federal Delegate explained Switzerland’s context and specificities, showing that shared responsibility, solidarity and consensus are essential to a successful living together. She highlighted again the necessity of dialogue and mutual respect at all levels.
In addition to these two major meetings, Mrs. Mariolini also met with the Cameroonian authorities, members of the National Assembly and the civil society, and visited the National Museum, the Artisanal Centre and the Yaoundé Pilot Linguistic Centre.
