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Our History
History of the Sociolinguistic Profile and Development of Cameroon (SPDC)
The Sociolinguistic Profile and Development of Cameroon (SPDC) emerged from frequent discussions between Professor Mpoche and Professor Fasse relating to The Sociolinguistic Profile of Cameroon Urban Centers (Chia & Povey 1983). The discussions centred on whether the sociolinguistic profile of Cameroon investigated in 1983 could still be the same, close to 40 years later. They also questioned whether it was not worth extending that investigation to rural areas too and if a purely sociolinguistic investigation as done by Chia & Povey adequately captured Cameroonian reality several decades later given socio-economic and politico-cultural developments that had emerged. These discussions were shared with several other colleagues who met in yearly conferences that were organised under the canopy of Collaborative Research on Africa coordinated by Prof. Mpoche. The SPDC was therefore conceived by a college of scholars and emerged as one of the projects of Collaborative Research on Africa. Other academic platforms piloted by Prof Mpoche under Collaborative Research on Africa include the Centre for Language and Literary Research (CELLRES), and the Cameroon Association of Applied Linguistics (CAMAL) where he is Executive Secretary, chaired by Professor Beban Sammy Chumbow.
It was on this premise that a meeting was convened for Kribi in May 2020 to chart the way forward for the re-investigation of the sociolinguistic profile of Cameroon re-baptised as The Sociolinguistic Profile and Development of Cameroon.
Since then, the SPCD morphed into an interdisciplinary assemblage and has severally brought together several hundreds of university professors, lecturers and postgraduate students from all 11 state universities of Cameroon. Participants at its events have also come from Chad, London, India, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, and Nigeria. Its events that include conferences, seminars and workshops are organised triannually in selected universities in the country.
With a vision to inspire and empower researchers for academic and community development; the SPDC committed itself to provide innovative research and professional development; resolved to boost academic achievements; engaged in supporting pedagogy in an enabling environment; and focussed on encouraging and promoting socially impactful research in Cameroon and beyond.
More specifically, the SPDC resolved that it would seek to:
- i. Provide reality based findings that will inform the development of language policies, planning and development of the country’s huge and complex linguistic potential.
- ii. Elicit foundation data for policy formulation and implementation in the areas of official bilingualism, living together, and multiculturalism.
- iii. Train young researchers (Master’s, PhD and Postdoc students) to conduct research in sociolinguistics and related domains and to write high level scientific articles.
- iv. Engage community policy makers (Parliamentarians, Local Administrators etc.) and local population in the implementation of the findings of the research.
- v. Identify new dynamics of sociolinguistic parameters of Cameroon 4 decades after and their correlation with nationhood in the multicultural setting.
1985
1,000
sponsored children and elders
The prospective applications and benefits of the project include:
- i. Achievement of informed policy (curriculum planning, development and implementation; health, legal etc. communication)
- ii. Sensitisation and creation of awareness on the sociolinguistic situation
- iii. Development of aptitude
- iv. Attainment of Research capacity building
- v. Enhancement of collaborative and multidisciplinary research.
- vi. Promotion of inter-university collaboration
2001
$1 billion
Unbound reaches the $1 billion mark in cumulative assistance sent to our programs around the world to support children and elders.