my mother had Jimmy always said life is
like a spiritual book you’re writing if
you’re writing like a victim that what
you will be well if you’re ready like a
resilient person you become someone
inspiring like a leader you know how
children are these words didn’t make
sense to me growing up but today they
have become part of who I am as an
artist a performer political cartoonist
and a global community organizer to
understand I want to take you back to
where I came from I grew up in a
religious polygamous family one father
for mothers
I was among 20 children in rural
Cameroon yes in rural Cameroon parents
are very busy all night so at the age of
six I took a charcoal to draw a person
on the wall of my house my father told
me is forbidden to draw people why
because in our religion to create the
first human being God drew that person
then he turned out drawing into a
sculpture
then he animated a sculpture that’s what
we became people really okay so each
time I was caught drawing or drawing
someone or drawing anything or reading a
cartoon book I was punished this is my
earlier memory of censorship not having
the freedom to express myself what my
mother did she saved me when she took me
to her village the cheek our people are
farmers in the rainy season and painter
in the dry season so I spent my the rest
of my childhood
painting on the walls of the village
with my hand on my fingers my mother was
my hero my mentor my art teacher my only
life coach so what my mother did she
freed me from religious oppression in
fact I am part of the first generation
of people in my family who can actually
read and write so one day during my my
time with my mother she asked me what do
you want to do when you grow up I said
well I wanted to be an artist then she
said well my son who can be anything you
want to be so in 1990s 60% of Hamelin
population was illiterate using my
artistic skill with other emerging
artists we started the first culture of
the nine art in the country a project
that provide news in the form of
cartoons and comics and graphic novel so
that people can access education and
information he was an amazing project
very successful my government created a
sense of Sheila and ban cartoon and
information we grow a culture of
resistance against government censorship
during that time and I was persecuted
for my role in that movement I was in
prison I was tortured eventually I moved
to France where I spent ten year in
exile in Paris I was very depressed
because I live in a society where even
though people didn’t didn’t know each
other let them talk to each other and my
PTSD for my experience in prison became
more severe I needed new ways to cope
with my trauma my sadness
one day I remember that my tribal people
use body painting as ritual prayers in
the ceremonies this is how I started
using my body as the canvas to heal the
win of torture
body painting became therapy for my
depression as a child I was also
introduced to the idea that if you want
to understand the world you only have to
look at the five fingers or your hand
there are all divers together so the
world is within us so that’s why on one
hand I paint dots each dot represent an
element of life a person or living
companion and another hand I paint
stripes circle lines this symbolize
connection and vibration between people
like what is happening between you are
night now during the process I gain a
confidence to keep creating and living
as a free mind because art has become a
friend a mother a bridge a refuge and
also the power for me power is not only
when you have a lot of money or when you
have a gun in your hand or when you can
make laws to marginalize all the people
I believe in power of love power to
create power to organize power to
transform in fact art has become a
source of power to impact the world in
my journey toward the world I do not
only use body painting for myself I
share it with the rest of the society
that’s what I was soon introduced to so
I have traveled and perform an exhibit
and cut my philosophy called the urban
way all over the globe so 11 years ago I
moved to the US
because I wanted to tell my story to the
world the story of social justice and
human right in Cameroon a lot of people
died for it so it’s the story that I
didn’t want to be forgetting this is how
my American dream became free speech and
in 2009 I got a gift I won the John
Mitchell fellowship to be an artist in
residence in Santa Fe since then I was
going just for three months but I never
left so New Mexico became my refuge for
free speech it’s the place where I can
be myself I could be who I want to be in
New Mexico a voice not an echo I am very
active in Cameroon and worldwide where I
help others learn about resilience and
also regained their voice I have created
event to encourage local leaders to talk
to each other I also work in global
campaign to help free writers musicians
and those impacted by censorship and
oppression in my village in Cameroon I
have created a chai tea IP a community
based organization that aims to improve
the quality of life of my tribal people
the chica and the pygmies people in
rainforests we have brought 3000
shipment of medical equipment to the
village over 20,000 people access clean
water most of them for the first time we
provide every year free health care for
the rural communities this summer 2017
we just launched our newest project
you’re going to love that radio taboo a
solar-powered community radio station in
the middle of the jungle for 1 million
people in ten languages yes
and this project provide many where the
first interaction will read your
technology and also non-government
generated news yes this is a lot of us
out there who haven’t listened to radio
and this project also provide access to
learning and a wider world so for a
person from a person who are faced
religious States political persecution I
must tell you that whatever challenges
you are facing are going to be up to you
to pass beyond it and grow because when
we grow resilience we became stronger
and confident to embrace others other
people other culture without denying who
you are remember life is not a goal that
you achieve in fact life is a journey
along the way with fun of course let’s
run and also encounter obstacles I
recommend that you keep moving be better
today than you were yesterday and
greater tomorrow than you are today now
you have the choice to write a spiritual
book of your life as a resilient person
thank you
[Applause]
like a spiritual book you’re writing if
you’re writing like a victim that what
you will be well if you’re ready like a
resilient person you become someone
inspiring like a leader you know how
children are these words didn’t make
sense to me growing up but today they
have become part of who I am as an
artist a performer political cartoonist
and a global community organizer to
understand I want to take you back to
where I came from I grew up in a
religious polygamous family one father
for mothers
I was among 20 children in rural
Cameroon yes in rural Cameroon parents
are very busy all night so at the age of
six I took a charcoal to draw a person
on the wall of my house my father told
me is forbidden to draw people why
because in our religion to create the
first human being God drew that person
then he turned out drawing into a
sculpture
then he animated a sculpture that’s what
we became people really okay so each
time I was caught drawing or drawing
someone or drawing anything or reading a
cartoon book I was punished this is my
earlier memory of censorship not having
the freedom to express myself what my
mother did she saved me when she took me
to her village the cheek our people are
farmers in the rainy season and painter
in the dry season so I spent my the rest
of my childhood
painting on the walls of the village
with my hand on my fingers my mother was
my hero my mentor my art teacher my only
life coach so what my mother did she
freed me from religious oppression in
fact I am part of the first generation
of people in my family who can actually
read and write so one day during my my
time with my mother she asked me what do
you want to do when you grow up I said
well I wanted to be an artist then she
said well my son who can be anything you
want to be so in 1990s 60% of Hamelin
population was illiterate using my
artistic skill with other emerging
artists we started the first culture of
the nine art in the country a project
that provide news in the form of
cartoons and comics and graphic novel so
that people can access education and
information he was an amazing project
very successful my government created a
sense of Sheila and ban cartoon and
information we grow a culture of
resistance against government censorship
during that time and I was persecuted
for my role in that movement I was in
prison I was tortured eventually I moved
to France where I spent ten year in
exile in Paris I was very depressed
because I live in a society where even
though people didn’t didn’t know each
other let them talk to each other and my
PTSD for my experience in prison became
more severe I needed new ways to cope
with my trauma my sadness
one day I remember that my tribal people
use body painting as ritual prayers in
the ceremonies this is how I started
using my body as the canvas to heal the
win of torture
body painting became therapy for my
depression as a child I was also
introduced to the idea that if you want
to understand the world you only have to
look at the five fingers or your hand
there are all divers together so the
world is within us so that’s why on one
hand I paint dots each dot represent an
element of life a person or living
companion and another hand I paint
stripes circle lines this symbolize
connection and vibration between people
like what is happening between you are
night now during the process I gain a
confidence to keep creating and living
as a free mind because art has become a
friend a mother a bridge a refuge and
also the power for me power is not only
when you have a lot of money or when you
have a gun in your hand or when you can
make laws to marginalize all the people
I believe in power of love power to
create power to organize power to
transform in fact art has become a
source of power to impact the world in
my journey toward the world I do not
only use body painting for myself I
share it with the rest of the society
that’s what I was soon introduced to so
I have traveled and perform an exhibit
and cut my philosophy called the urban
way all over the globe so 11 years ago I
moved to the US
because I wanted to tell my story to the
world the story of social justice and
human right in Cameroon a lot of people
died for it so it’s the story that I
didn’t want to be forgetting this is how
my American dream became free speech and
in 2009 I got a gift I won the John
Mitchell fellowship to be an artist in
residence in Santa Fe since then I was
going just for three months but I never
left so New Mexico became my refuge for
free speech it’s the place where I can
be myself I could be who I want to be in
New Mexico a voice not an echo I am very
active in Cameroon and worldwide where I
help others learn about resilience and
also regained their voice I have created
event to encourage local leaders to talk
to each other I also work in global
campaign to help free writers musicians
and those impacted by censorship and
oppression in my village in Cameroon I
have created a chai tea IP a community
based organization that aims to improve
the quality of life of my tribal people
the chica and the pygmies people in
rainforests we have brought 3000
shipment of medical equipment to the
village over 20,000 people access clean
water most of them for the first time we
provide every year free health care for
the rural communities this summer 2017
we just launched our newest project
you’re going to love that radio taboo a
solar-powered community radio station in
the middle of the jungle for 1 million
people in ten languages yes
and this project provide many where the
first interaction will read your
technology and also non-government
generated news yes this is a lot of us
out there who haven’t listened to radio
and this project also provide access to
learning and a wider world so for a
person from a person who are faced
religious States political persecution I
must tell you that whatever challenges
you are facing are going to be up to you
to pass beyond it and grow because when
we grow resilience we became stronger
and confident to embrace others other
people other culture without denying who
you are remember life is not a goal that
you achieve in fact life is a journey
along the way with fun of course let’s
run and also encounter obstacles I
recommend that you keep moving be better
today than you were yesterday and
greater tomorrow than you are today now
you have the choice to write a spiritual
book of your life as a resilient person
thank you
[Applause]
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