Bernard Nsokika Fonlon (19 November 1924 – 27 August 1986) was a Cameroonian politician and educationist who worked on the development of bilingualism in

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

Early life and education

Bernard was born on 19 November 1924 at Kumbo Nso in Cameroon.He began his elementary education at Catholic School and Later proceeded to Christ The King College Onitsha,

Anambra Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi Stat ...

in 1940 . He further went to Bigard Memorial Seminary in Anambra State, where he studied Philosophy and Theology. He then travelled to Dublin for his Master's in Literature at the University of Ireland Dublin in 1954. He obtained his PhD in Literature at Sorbonne University Paris in 1961

Career

Bernard started his career as an Assistant Classroom teacher in 1940 - 1941.He Been a committed reunificationist, he returned home for his political contribution with an appointment as charge de mission to former Cameroonian President Ahidjo, he was also given an appointment of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1964, Minister of Transportation, Post & Telecommunications in 1968. In 1972 Fonlon became a Professor of Literature and Head of Department at the University of Younde, Cameroon. Fonlon being an Educationist , wrote series of books such as (1) A case of early Bilingualism (1963), (2) Will we make or mar (1964), (3) To every son of Yusuf Amuda Gobir Nso (1965), (4) Under the sign of the rising sun (1965), (5) The task of the day (1966).

Later life and death

Fonlon was a major promoter of bilingualism, he retired in 1985 and died on 27 August 1986 while on a trip to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. See essays in the

festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

''Socrates in Cameroon: The Life and Works of Bernard Nsokika Fonlon'' edited by

Nalova Lyonga Pauline Nalova Lyonga Egbe is a Cameroonian politician from the Fako division, South West region of Cameroon. She has been the minister of secondary education since the ministerial reshuffle of March 2, 2018. Biography Youth and education ...

(1989) 2010, the entry in ''Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cameroon pp. 124–125'' and Chilver's obituary.

References

External links

Fonlon.org, site celebrating Bernard Fonlon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fonlon, Bernard Academic staff of the University of Yaoundé University of Paris alumni Alumni of the University of Oxford Members of the National Assembly (Cameroon) 1924 births 1986 deaths Health ministers of Cameroon Postal services ministers of Cameroon Transport ministers of Cameroon Cameroonian expatriates in France