A noisy talent from a silent man
Benn Meno Pufong masters the role of television news anchorman with such plain-spoken grace that he was called the trusted man. He is considered as a reference by young journalists, with an unflappable delivery, a distinctively avuncular voice. He is Uncle Benn to many: respected, liked and listened to with his calm manner.
Ben Meno Pufong has born a king. In fact, he is a child of two worlds and the offshoot of the union of two royal and princely bloods – Peter Mouokuio Pufong of the Bagam first class chiefdom of Galim Subdivision, a Tikari clan people situated on the borders between the west and the northwest region of Cameroon and Galabe Agnes Nahli, Princess of the Balikumbat royal family, a Chamba tribe in Ngoketunjia Division of the northwest region.
Benn Meno Pufong was born some 51 years ago and named Meno Mouokuio Benjamin but grew up with the pet name of Benn which in principle is the shorting of Benjamin. In fact he grew up the name Benn Pufong because brothers and siblings bore the name Pufong which was actually the name of their paternal grandfather. He is one among the few of his father’s several children he bears their father’s own birth name, Mouokuio.
Benn actually didn’t know that he never bore the name Pufong like the rest of his brothers and siblings until he went to Secondary school. In fact his First School Leaving Certificate still bears the name Benn Meno Pufong up till today. Benn attended primary school in Saint Mary’s Catholic Primary school Balikumbat up till class four then moved over to CBC School Ndu in the Donga-Mantung Division in 1977 before returning to catholic primary school Ntenkar-Bamessing in Ndop Subdivision between 1978 and 1979 where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC). After brilliant passing the got common entrance examination in list « A » and the FSLC in the same year, he got enrolled in government high school Nkambe
Three years after and following the transfer of his sister with whom he was living in Nkambe to Yaounde. Benn moved with them, but unfortunately could not be enrolled in LBA Government Bilingual Practising High School, where he would have loved to continue schooling and so got enrolled into the pioneer English evening schools in use – the Central Evening School Messa. While he had the audacity to enrolled straight for the GCE O Level, instead of continuing in for four where he had passed to from GHS Nkambe.
9 months after he obtained his GCE O Level in flying colours and decided to go back to GHS Nkambe. While in name he became the object of envy and admiration as he had moved up straight to Lower Sixth while his Mates of yesterday still had to battle it out with the 0 level in form five. In 1986 he pocked his A Level in arts (French, English Literature and History). That’s how he got enrolled in the University of yaounde from where he graduated in 1990 with a BA (Hons) in English with Linguistic as his Specialty.
While in the faculty of letters and social sciences of the University of Yaounde, he wrote the entrance exams into ASMAC twice (1987 and 1988) but failed. He confesses: “The dream of my life had always been to be a journalist that’s why I never attempted any other competitive entrance exams in those days but ASMAC. That’s how luck smiled on me in 1993 when I was among the 25 admitted into that highly coverted institution. It should be noted that I passed into ASMAC on the waiting list and my debut of classes the day i joined the rest of my other mates is a whole anecdote remeniscent of the day I was hand led into primary school. All the same I was so so elated to be part of this institution that will one day make measure up to the seniors’ journalists.
So he left ASMAC in 1994 as the 22nd batch and since the 26 of February 1998 he has been proving his mettle at the CRTV. Three years after and following the transfer of his sister with whom he was living in nkambe to Yaounde benn moved with them to use but unfortunately could not be enrolled in LBA(government bilingual practising high school) where he would have loved to continue schooling and so got enrolled into the pioneer English evening schools in use – the Central Evening School Messa. While he had the Ada city to enrolled straight for the g
It should be pointed out here that between 1994 and 1998 while working as Cardres in the Ministry of Communication Benn and some mates constituted themselves into an elite group of cub reporters who integrated CRTV’S Yaounde FM 94 as external collaborators. Between that period and when they were finally integrated into CRTV they made yaounde FM 94 a reference in the capital city.
In fact Benn initiated the English language midday news summary at the station with a signature that has remained popular right up today « Benn Meno Pufong – on 94 FM ». That was just an aside. So after his recruitment by CRTV he was posted to The Littoral Regional Station in Douala as a continuity announcer and regional correspondent.
Nine months later the talented journalist was transferred back to the central news desk in Mballa II where he was not only a reporter but where his experience with TV news presentation began taking roots. Early in 1999 Alex Mimbang and him were designated as presenters of the late night news on TV. Benn remember: “a responsibility we assumed so perfectly well that it caught the attention not only of the hierarchy but of the entire newsroom. On so on one fateful afternoon in the month of June 19991 I was home resting after the morning shift getting set bounce back in the evening to start preparing the night when my phone rang and it was the editor in Antoine Marie Ngono who was ordering to rush over to mballa II and prepare myself to to present the 7:30 news in replacement of the main anchor Marie Louise Ngwa Cheka who was unavoidably absent. I panic for a while and later pulled myself together determined to take up the challenge. At the time there were no prompters. I came over dressed in a blue suit, sat in the newsroom; rewrote the few leads I could rushed out to the make room and showed up in the studio 10 minutes ahead of news time. When the jingle rolled off I breathed in heavily and then breathe out and told myself here we go! The first story ran – no issue, the second still no issue.”
Then the third, fourth, fifth …. till the last story – still no issue. When the closing dig tune ran everybody rushed up to me on the studio congratulating for a job well. And the next day when i walked in the newsroom for the newsroom conference Anne Marthe Mvoto hailed me saying » mais je vous cherchais des presentateurs en anglais, en voici un » That is how my story with news presentation began and I’ve been there since then till now with a few interruptions when I became the presidential affairs correspondent first with the division des reportages speciaux then later the division design activités de souveraignité and then as the was between 2006 and 2016. Today I’m editor-in-chief but still the main anchor if the 7:30 news. The two are quite challenging but I assume them with humility and devotion.
I’m married to the woman of my dream who is a senior guidance counselor who consensus not only her students but me the husband as well. We are blessed with two children two pretty girls. On may 29 2018 my wife and I will be celebrating 20 years matrimony for which we give glory to God. I am a staunch catholic baptized since the 23rd of December 1975 in Balikumbat.
Preferences
I adore fufu corn and njama-njama. My colours black and white but also nevy blue pink, indigo and sky blue.
Souvenirs
“My mother has been so immense significance in my life shaping and influencing every bit of it. My mother what an unbending disciplinatian she was! For the least misdemeanor she will luck you up in her room have your hands and legs tied up before mercilessly administering lashings. She will fluck you and give up only when er hands grew weak and weary. There you are under torture with hands and legs tired, the door firmly lucked with no one else to come to your rescue. You must be a naturally heady child to go wayward and be subjected to mama’s beatings a second time. That’s her she kept me on track otherwise I would have grown up to be something g else -who knows? When you come from a hyper polygamous home like the one I come from things cannot be otherwise. Every wife was jealous of her child. Like I earlier said my father got married to at least six wives in his life time. All of these wives were so gifted in fecondity some delivering up to nine, ten and even eleven times. Despite that we all governed by such a strong sense of solidarity and support that no one dared challenge any of us in a scuffle or fight. No the entire family will descend on you almost immediately or whenever the news gets to the rest of the family member. We were so dreaded that we got infamously nick named « La brigarde rouge ». So my father had not just a battalion but a whole army children to such a point that we nicked in the village « la brigarde rouge ». and virtually each wife fended for her children. …we were so dreaded that we got infamously nicknamed brigade Rouge because of the ferocity of retaliation that followed each time a family member was attacked.”
His Icons
Walter Cronkites; the Dan Rathers; Eric Chinjes and Ful Peters have remained my all time role models.
Bennen seen by himself
Life to me is all about believing in yourself and your abilities. If you dont do it yourself no one else will do it for you. I take a lot of pleasure in doing my things and I’m the greatest critic of the things I do because I want to touch and influence as many lives as I can from my little corner. When people derive satisfaction from the things I do, I’m the most pleased. Im first and foremost a very fervent Christian, a catholic. I put God at the centre of my thoughts and actions because i know he lives and reigns and that everything without him is null and void. Everyone is born with a hidden potential and capacity to accomplish great things but you need to work hard to give sense and direction to these innate potential and capabilities else they become redundant and wasted. I wear lot of smile and good humor and i take everything that happens to me with much laughter – be they good bad or ugly. The two virtues that lead me in life are humility and simplicity. I love leading a rather discrete life though God has made it such that i hardly pass by unnoticed. Carrying that the image around is one of the greatest challenges that i now have to cope with and believe me it’s not easy! It is a good thing to be a public figure but believe me it has its own low sides that require some extra means and stamina to go along with. Fortunately that by nature i lead an extremely down to earth life – no stress no complications – so i can easily stand the storm.
Perspectives
My projects and prospects in the immediate and short term is to run a media consultancy firm and why not take up a permanent job training and forming in journalism and mass communication that I am already doing on a part time basis at the Yaounde Advanced School of Mass Communication ASMAC of the University of Yaounde II. Of course all of this certainly when I Shall have jumped out of active because if we take all the professional gray stuff that God has so generously blessed us with without imparting them to the generations that are following after us then we shall have crossed the river and taken the bridge along with us. God forbid!
By André BION
André BION andrbion@yahoo.com/www.nomsetvisagesdepresse.wordpress.com