Academic Tribute to Prof. Barnabe Mbala Ze
Academic Tribute to Prof. Barnabe Mbala Ze
*”The University loses a light, Cameroon, a scholar”
Words from the Rector of the University of Yaounde I, Prof. Remy Magloire Etoua, representing the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, during the academic tribute ceremony to Prof. Barnabe Mbala Ze, organized this Friday, December 12, 2025, at the Higher Teachers Training College of Yaounde. A moment of intense reflection in memory of a man whose academic career and professional commitment are now an integral part of Cameroon’s intellectual heritage.
This solemn ceremony brought together a high-level audience. Among the dignitaries present were Professor Marie-Thérèse Abena Ondoua, Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, the Rector of the University of Yaoundé II, the Director General of CRTV, as well as numerous university authorities, colleagues, students, and members of the deceased’s family.
Throughout the speeches and testimonies, speakers unanimously praised Prof. Mbala Ze’s remarkable trajectory: elite teacher, man of rigor, and passionate educator. Former Director of the HTTC of Yaounde, he devoted his life to training entire generations of teachers, contributing significantly to the development of Cameroon’s educational system. His professional excellence, moral integrity, and humility left their mark on his peers, his students, and the institution as a whole.
In his address, Prof. Remy Magloire Etoua conveyed the university community’s deepest condolences to the bereaved family, while expressing his profound gratitude to all participants in this tribute. He recalled that Prof. Mbala Ze leaves behind an intellectual and moral legacy of rare depth, and a model of probity and service.
The ceremony concluded on a note of profound emotion, with farewell songs, testimonies filled with respect, and shared moments of silence. Through this tribute, the University of Yaoundé I and the ENS paid due honors to a discreet yet decisive builder, whose memory and work will continue to illuminate the paths of academic excellence in Cameroon.
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