On the occasion of the National Roots and Future Summit held in Yaounde, Miss Culture Cameroon unveiled her ambition to gather over 50 traditional rulers from all ten regions alongside today’s connected youth to seal the country’s first-ever cultural pact.
In an exclusive interview, Ache Cyvoline, Miss Culture 2026, explained that the project aims to turn cultural diversity into a driving force for the future.
INTERVIEW – MISS CULTURE CAMEROON 2026
ROOTS AND THE FUTURE SUMMIT 2026
What is the summit Roots and Future_ about?
Roots and Future is not a festival. It is a rescue mission. It is the first National Summit where we put our roots – our Fons, our traditions, our languages – face to face with our future – our youth, technology, and the digital world. For two days, we are asking: How do we remain Cameroonian in a world that wants us to forget who we are?
Which Fons are concerned?
More than 50 Traditional Rulers from all 10 Regions are concerned. From the Sultan of Foumban to the Lamido of Rey-Bouba, from the Fon of Bafut, Fon of Mbengwi, Fon of Bali-Nyonga, to the Chiefs of the South and East. Yes, most are members of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Cameroon and regional Houses of Chiefs, but for the first time we are bringing Anglophone and Francophone kingdoms to sign one common document – the Chiefs’ Accord.
What pushed you to launch this summit and why bring Fons, guardians of tradition and youth to the same table?
I launched this because I was tired of seeing my generation ashamed of their culture. We can dance Afrobeats perfectly but we cannot name our great-grandfather’s village rite. I realized youth have the energy but no knowledge, and Fons have the knowledge but no youth. If we don’t connect them now, in 10 years the bridge will be broken forever. This table is where transmission must happen.
What are the most worrying signs of this unprecedented erosion of Cameroonian heritage?
Three signs frighten me. First, our languages. 12 Cameroonian languages are critically endangered according to UNESCO. In cities, 8 out of 10 children under 12 cannot hold a conversation in their mother tongue. Second, our healing knowledge. We have more than 500 medicinal plants. But our great herbalists are dying without apprentices. When a traditional doctor like those in REPAMP dies without transmitting, a whole pharmacy dies. And Third, our values. The respect for the Palace, the rites of passage, the sense of community – our young people now think culture is something backward, for the village. That mindset is the biggest erosion.
Concretely, what will be the added value of this summit? What do you intend to change?
This summit will not end with photos. It will end with:
– The Chiefs’ Accord, the first national cultural pact signed by our traditional leaders.
– 50+ Kingdom Commitments: Each Fondom will commit to document one endangered tradition and train 20 youths before 2027.
– The launch of our National Digital Archive – where for the first time, our proverbs, dances, and rites will be available online.
How will you convince young people that their cultures and languages must be preserved?
I will not convince them with lectures. I will convince them with pride and profit. We will show them that culture is cool and culture pays. When a young person sees his language on an app, his dance on TikTok with one million views, his grandmother’s herbal remedy being sold internationally – he will be proud. We must stop presenting culture as the past. Culture is the new entrepreneurship.
How will the 250 Hearts, One Rhythm app work?
250 Hearts, One Rhythm is our gift to the youth. It’s very simple. It’s a mobile app that brings together our 250 languages. On the app you can hear and learn a word or proverb of the day in any Cameroonian dialect with voice from real Fons and grandmothers, watch 1-minute videos of our dances, rites, and festivals from all 10 Regions, scan a medicinal plant and learn its traditional use, earn points – called “Cultural Pride Points” – each time you learn, share or teach a cultural item.
Our slogan: My language, my power.
How will you follow up on commitments after the summit?
We have thought of this. No more empty promises. We are creating a Tripartite Monitoring Committee: The Ministry of Arts and Culture, the Council of Traditional Rulers, and my Foundation – Miss Culture Cameroon Foundation. Every commitment will be published on the 250 Hearts platform. Every 3 months, we will publish a public progress report. And in one year, we will reconvene in Buea for the first evaluation, with media invited to see who kept their word.
Culture must be accountable.
