Ama Tutu Muna Explained

Ama Tutu Muna (born 17 July 1960) is a Cameroonian politician who was the Minister of Arts and Culture from 2007 to 2015.

Early life and education

Muna was born in Limbe in Southwest Province on 17 July 1960.^[1] She is the youngest of eight children born to Salomon Tandeng Muna, formerly Prime Minister of West Cameroon and then Vice President of Cameroon, and Elizabeth Fri Ndingsa.^[2] Her brothers include Bernard Muna, Chairman of the Alliance of Progressive Forces, and Akere Muna, President of the International Anti-Corruption Conference Council.

Muna studied linguistics at the University of Montreal in Canada, graduating in 1983.^[1]

Career

Muna was Secretary of State at the Ministry of Economy in Limbe from December 2004. She was appointed Minister of Arts and Culture in 2007.^{[1] [3]} Muna initiated the Mbengwi Women Cooperative to combat the plight of the rural woman and founded the North West Women’s Forum.^[4]

In 2014, Muna was criticised for transferring cultural artifacts from the Northwest Region to Yaounde.^[5] On May 22, 2015, Prime Minister Philemon Yang gave Muna forty-eight hours to dissolve a new authors' rights structure (SOCACIM) she had created.^{[3] [6]} She was removed from her ministerial position in a government reshuffle by President Paul Biya on 2 October 2015, amid reports that she had mismanaged billions of francs in authors royalties.^[7] In February 2016, staff sought to remove from her state-owned ministerial villa at Bastos, but she refused and claimed she had made arrangements to buy it. As of September 2016, she had not moved.^{[8] [9] [10]}

Personal life

Muna had one son, Efemi Nkweti Muna, who was born in 1987. He was killed in a car accident on 8 February 2014.^{[11] [12]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: The New Ministers. Post Newsline. 10 September 2007. 22 November 2016.
2. Web site: Le Cameroun leur appartient - Les grandes familles du Cameroun - Jeuneafrique.com - le premier site d'information et d'actualité sur l'Afrique. Clarisse Juompan-Yakam. 12 July 2011. JEUNEAFRIQUE.COM. 29 March 2015.
3. Web site: The Rise and Fall of Ama Tutu Muna. The Eye Newspaper. 5 October 2015. 22 November 2016.
4. Web site: H.E Ama Tutu Muna: The Woman Emancipator. The Eye Newspaper. 31 July 2012. 22 November 2016.
5. Web site: Cameroon's Minister of Culture chastise for "scandalous" and "abominable" acts. 12 June 2014. 22 November 2016. The Fomunyoh Foundation. Samson. Muteh.
6. Web site: Author’s Rights: Prime Minister weighs in. CRTV. 25 May 2015. 22 November 2016. Pamela. Bidjocka. https://web.archive.org/web/20161122223444/http://crtv.cm/fr/latest-news/top-news-24/authors-rights-prime-minister-weighs-in-14691.htm. 2016-11-22. dead.
7. Web site: Passports of 8 Sacked Ministers Seized. Cameroon Post. Basil. Afoni. 8 October 2015. 22 November 2016. 28 March 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190328235647/https://cameroonpostline.com/passports-of-16-sacked-ministers-seized/. dead.
8. Web site: Cameroon: Biya abandons Ministers to lodge in Hotel Monte Febe 11 months after being appointed. Cameroon Concord. 10 September 2016. 22 November 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161122221335/http://cameroon-concord.com/paul-biya/item/6839-cameroon-biya-abandons-ministers-to-lodge-in-hotel-monte-febe-11-months-after-being-appointed. 22 November 2016. dead.
9. Web site: Cameroon: Ama Tutu Muna chased from the ministerial villa. Cameroon Voice. French. 17 February 2016. 22 November 2016.
10. Web site: L'ancienne ministre de la culture a été 'bousculée', de sa villa, une pratique inhabituelle au Cameroun. Camer.be. French. 17 February 2016. 22 November 2016.
11. Web site: Cameroon's Minister of Arts and Culture's son killed in a road accident. 8 February 2014. 22 November 2016. Empower Success in Africa.
12. Web site: Efemi Kwenti Muna, the only son of the Cameroon's Minister of Art and Culture was finally put to rest. 14 February 2014. 22 November 2016. Empower Success in Africa.