Publisher: Langaa RPCIG, Cameroon
Crafted in a colourful, razor-sharp blend of poetry and prose, The Hill Barbers depicts the wanton destruction of water catchments in most communities in Africa. This is inextricably linked to the traditional practice of shifting cultivation, motivated largely by farmers’ struggle to acquire more arable farmland to meet the needs of their rapidly growing families. The immediate consequence is acute water shortages, with obvious health and economic implications. Agro-forestry and other soil management techniques are subtly proposed as practical measures to effectively address the issue of shifting cultivation and the associated problem of encroachment into the delicate water catchments.
£25.00
About the author
The
2014 winner of the Eko Prize for Emerging Anglophone Writers in the
poetry category, Ekpe Inyang holds an MSc. in Advanced Professional
Studies (Environmental Studies) from the University of Strathclyde, UK.
He spent several years working for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and also served as a short-term
consultant to the German Technical Agency (GTZ, now GIZ) in the South
West Region, Cameroon. He was a lecturer and Coordinator of the Diploma
in Development Studies Programme at the Pan-African Institute for
Development – West Africa, in Buea, Cameroon, and currently the Capacity
Building Advisor of WWF Coastal Forests Programme (WWF-CFP) and
Education for Sustainable Development and Youth Focal Point for WWF
Cameroon Country Programme Office (WWF-CCPO). He has published eight
plays, four scientific articles, a book chapter, two major textbooks
(one as co-author), and eight poetry anthologies, six of which have been
published.
Review
“The Hill Barbers is a truly inspiring and accessible piece that reflects the author’s commitment to environmental protection. Its simplicity of language and structure, makes it appropriate for community sensitisation.”
Owona Ebambou, Sociologist, WWF Coastal Forests Programme
“A reservoir of rare artistic excellence embellished with local colour and linguistic elegance, The Hill Barbers provides a wide-spectrum dish that contains both prophylactic and therapeutic ingredients aimed at addressing environmental degradation.”
Muwanki Abinwi Numfor, Lecturer, Department of English, University of Buea
“Though Ekpe Inyang is best known as a prolific playwright, The Hill Barbers portrays him as a seasoned poet”
Dr Henry K. Jick,, Department of English, University of Buea