BRAINBALL 2026

Brainball Cameroon. The 1st edition is launched!

Welcome to the official BRAINBALL 2026 page!

National Public Speaking Competition

To encourage creativity and academic talent

“Unleashing brilliant minds, activating collective intelligence!”

Brainball 2026 English

What is BRAINBALL ?

The National Brainball Competition is an intellectual and playful competition that highlights young people’s cognitive skills, quick thinking, teamwork, and creativity. Inspired by the principles of “edutainment” (education + entertainment), Brainball is designed as a “battle of wits” where participants compete in a variety of challenges that draw on general knowledge, logic, innovation, and public speaking (eloquence).

Édouard Glissant‘s “Tout-Monde” (Whole World) is much more than a literary concept: it is a poetics, an ethic, and a politics of relationship. Rejecting identity-based closures and global homogenization, it opens a horizon where cultures mutually enrich each other in the unpredictability of encounter.

Inspired by the thought of the Martinican philosopher and poet, centered on creolization, cultural diversity, and the “Tout-Monde,” the Brainball project offers a national and inclusive initiative that places speech at the heart of youth development. Brainball aims to strengthen young people’s public speaking and critical thinking skills, promote Cameroon’s intangible cultural heritage, create spaces for intergenerational dialogue, and mobilize youth around an artistic, educational, and civic project. It directly contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.

Mission

Petits Génies de la Francophonie 2024

To contribute to the promotion of freedom of expression, around the thought of Edouard Glissant, by April 2026 by setting up activities of oral expression, civic engagement and artistic creativity of at least 10,000 young people from the 10 regions of Cameroon in order to value languages, cultures and traditions and the values ​​of diversity, intercultural dialogue and inclusion.

Theme

Petits Génies de la Francophonie 2024

Brainball is a national speaking contest based on the thought of Édouard Glissant and his concept of the “Tout-Monde” (Whole World). The project combines oral expression, artistic creativity, and civic engagement to stimulate Cameroonian youth around the values ​​of diversity, intercultural dialogue, and collective memory.

Download reports from previous editions at this link: https://debatecameroon.org/cocam-reports/

Targets

  • Participants: Young people aged 15 to 25 (students, pupils, young professionals).
  • Teams: 7 members per team, including 3 substitutes = 10.
  • Audience: General public, teachers, educational institutions, cultural partners.

Direct targets : ≥ 10.000 participants

  • The direct targets of the Brainball project include all those physically involved in the implementation and competitions of the project.
    Category Estimated number Description
    Brainballers (young participants) 10,000 Young people aged 15 to 25 involved in Brainball competitions
    Coaches/Supervisors 20 Responsible for technical and educational supervision
    Brainball ambassadors 50 Actors involved in mobilization, promotion, and awareness-raising
    Judges/Referees 50 Responsible for evaluation and compliance with rules
    Regional partners 100 Local support and organizational structures

     

    NB: Calls for applications for some direct targets (coaches/supervisors, Brainball ambassadors, judges/referees, volunteers and regional partners, etc.) will be launched in January on the official CDA website: www.debatecameroon.org

    Total estimated direct targets: 10,220 beneficiaries

Note: Calls for applications for direct targets (secondary schools, colleges, universities, institutions, speakers, coaches, judges, volunteers and regional partners, etc.) will be launched in January on the official CDA website: www.debatecameroon.org

Indirect targets : ≥ 1 million 100 thousand people

  • Indirect targets are beneficiaries reached through the project’s communication, digital dissemination, and outreach activities.
    Category Estimated number Description
    E-participants (social media) 20,000 Young people and public mobilized online
    Spectators at the final stages (Yaoundé) 50 Audience physically present at the finals
    Wider educational communities ≈ 5,000 Parents, teachers, and non-competing students

     

    Total estimated indirect targets: approximately 25,500 people

     

Note: Calls for applications for indirect targets (institutions, companies, media, sponsors, advertisers, etc.) will be launched in January on the official CDA website: www.debatecameroon.org

Objectives

Petits Génies de la Francophonie 2024
  • Raise awareness among at least 10,000 young people in 100 schools and universities (10 per region) about the relationship between oral tradition, writing, languages, traditions, and modernity by stimulating intelligence and creativity through innovative public speaking competitions.
  • Strengthen team spirit and cooperation among participants by hosting 100 in-person workshops and 10 online workshops for professionals, secondary schools, and universities.
  • By April 2026, train at least 50 young Brainball Ambassadors (five per region) in oral expression, advocacy, and civic leadership techniques, encouraging them to freely and independently carry out initiatives involving reflection, communication, and social problem-solving.
  • Select the 20 best speakers (two per region) during regional and national competitions promoting public speaking and the thinking of Édouard Glissant.
  • Create and run a national network of oral tradition ambassadors, active in all 10 regions, to promote cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue by setting up a national platform (WhatsApp group) called BrainBall Cameroon
  • Prepare 10 winners to represent Cameroon in similar regional or international competitions through the CDA’s global network
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