IHRAM African Writing Associate in a candid conversation with Cameroonian multi-award winning poet and novelist Sara Timb

MC: Who is Sara Timb and is she known  for?
Sara TIMB: Sara TIMB (Mésange) is an international, multi-award-winning and committed Cameroonian poet. Also in the process of completing a PhD in Plant Biotechnology, Sara is known to an overwhelming majority of literati and scientists.

MC: How long have you been curating film and arts events?
Sara TIMB: The first literary event I organized was held in February 2024 as part of the “J'écris Au Cameroun” program I designed and implemented with the support of other young writers.
The “J'écris Au Cameroun” program is a literary and pedagogical initiative aimed at implementing an innovative approach to the teaching of literature to secondary school pupils. The program is inspired and supported by two strong convictions : The first comes from Edgard Morin: “Everyone hides within them a poet, a philosopher, a child. I believe more than ever that we must relentlessly try to give a voice to every human being. ”  Secondly, to hold a light in one's hands without enduring, and pass it on to others, is a difficult but blessed act, and we need it to flood consciences with light. So it's these poets that we've gone in search of through the J'écris Au Cameroun program, and it's this literary fervor that we wanted to pass on to the younger generation, while opening them up to the cultural heritage of the French language in a context where young people are less and less interested in reading or writing.

MC: How do Cameroonians regard your work ?
Sara TIMB: I receive a lot of encouragement from people who see my actions as a model of commitment and virtue in a context where youth is generally associated with anything that seems unethical or ridiculous. Many Cameroonians admire the fact that I am both scientific and literary. For many, it's quite a surprising thing, and people wonder how I manage to reconcile my academic career with my literary career. However, there are also a few people who consider that I'm wasting my time, because according to them, poetry and literature contribute nothing to Cameroon.

MC: Which books have you read and which types of songs you listen to?
Sara TIMB: I've had the pleasure of reading several books, both novels and collections of poems. I can name a few:

- “Balafon” by the late Engelbert Mveng

- “Les méditations poétiques” by Alphonse de Lamartine

- “Lorsque tombent les silences” by Zacharia Sall

- “Une saison blanche et sèche” by André Brink

- “Sous la cendre le feu” by Evelyne Mpoudi Ngole

- “Central Park” by Guillaume Musso

- “Les jours viennent et passent” by Hemley Boum

As for the songs I listen to, I really like Makossa, a musical genre originally from Cameroon. What's special about me is that I listen to old Makossa, notably artists like: Eboa Lotin, Guy Lobe, Ekambi Brillant, Eko Roosevelt, Dina Bell, Sam Mbende, Henri Dikongue, Ben Decca, etc.

MC: Have you  ever written anything and about what?
Sara TIMB: I have a book published and available on Amazon: “Les confidences d'une muse”. However, over the past few years, I've been focusing my writing on peace and social cohesion in view of the war raging in the North-West and South-West (NOSO) regions of Cameroon. In 2021, I wrote the poem “Lettre aux séparatistes” (Letter to separatists), which is a bouquet of supplications and a plea for peace and unity in the NOSO. This poem whiwh speaks of love between the peoples of Cameroon as a solution to lasting peace, was awarded an honorary diploma at the seventh edition of the Léopold Sédar Senghor International Prize in Italy in April 2022.
My forthcoming book “Les mémoires d'une terre camerounaise” (the memories of a cameroonian land) has just won the OSU 2024 poetry prize. It's a collection of 33 poems retracing the dramatic events that took place in the North-West and South-West Regions (NOSO). These poems reveal reality through its meanders and depths. They plow a path between the words of pain, terror, misery and exile, to light a candle in people's consciences.  A candle to remember, so as not to forget all the crimes and massacres that led to the loss of human life - losses without remedy, silences and things left unsaid.
The verses that make them up have been lived in the flesh and tearful eyes of those who, drowning in black anguish, raise their eyes to the azure, cross their fingers and dig in their souls, sepulchres of memories for all those named and unnamed “because innocent to be victims and never come back.”
The memories of a cameroonian land speaks of death, blood and misfortune. It speaks of evil, and thus proclaims the stubborn refusal to live with it. The collection opens with a plea for peace and closes with an ode to hope, recalling the power of forgiveness, justice and love between peoples.
The memories of a cameroonian land is also a lyre of hope: the hope of women who dream of breathing in the warmth of reunited homes; the hope of children who dream of returning to their schools; hope for a peaceful, harmonious life in a reconciled NOSO.  A lyre of hopes that flows speedly and feeds the water table of the pool of humanist aspirations of many hearts.

MC: Who is  your best writer?
Sara TIMB: My favorite writer is Alphonse de Lamartine. His powerful vocabulary never ceases to amaze me.

MC: Whats your next project and what is it about ?
Sara TIMB: My next project is a social initiative that I share with all the other members of The Poetbuilders association. Our ambition is to build a multifunctional learning center in Yingui (a rural area in the Nkam department of Cameroon), including a library of African books. This center will facilitate computer learning for boys and girls.  This will be another symbol of our commitment to participate in the common existence and to co-build an equitable, strong and prosperous Cameroon.

MC: How long  have been in the events , arts and writing interventions?
Sara TIMB: I've been writing for 12 years. My first book was published in 2021, but I've been writing since I was 13.

MC: Where do  you see your self  in the next 5 years?
Sara TIMB: In five years, I see myself working for an international organization in Africa. I also see myself as an important supporter of projects for progress and impact across the continent.

BIOGRAPHY of Laurence Augustine Sara TIMB
Laurence Augustine Sara TIMB “Mésange” is a multi-award-winning, committed Cameroonian poet born on October 23, 1999 in Douala. In 2019, the Rector of the University of Douala awarded her a special diploma for best student. In 2021, she features in The Okwelians' ranking of the 100 best students in Cameroon (O'100). Sara is the author of the poetry collection “LES CONFIDENCES D'UNE MUSE”.  Her forthcoming book “LES MEMOIRES D'UNE TERRE CAMEROUNAISE” won the OSU 2024 literary prize.  Keen to share her passion for literature, in February 2024 Sara TIMB launched the Programme J'écris Au Cameroun (PJAC), a literary and educational initiative that aims to implement an innovative approach to the didactics of literature. Sara is one of 45 high-impact African social entrepreneurs selected for the 2024 edition of the Agence Française de Développement's “Social & Inclusive Business Camp” program. In April 2024, Sara TIMB was one of 34 young Africans and Europeans selected for the JMA Residency of the public policy incubator Je M'engage pour l'Afrique (JMA). Socially committed, Sara is Founding President of The Poetbuilders association and Executive Director of ABL Cameroon (African Business Leaders). Passionate about science, Sara TIMB is pursuing a PhD in Plant Biotechnology at the University of Yaoundé I.