COCAM 2025

Cameroon Nationals ! The second edition is launched!

Welcome to the official page of COCAM 2025!

The national platform dedicated to promoting debate and speech arts in Cameroon.

What is COCAM ?

The Cameroon Oratory Cup (COCAM) is an initiative organized by the Cameroon Debate Association (CDA) in collaboration with over 100 Cameroonian civil society organizations and institutions, with the aim of raising awareness, training, selecting and putting Cameroonian orators in competition at local, regional, sub-regional, continental and global level on current and future topics in a diversity of languages and artistic or cultural disciplines.

Organised in three phases – preliminary, regional and the national final – this initiative aims to build the skills of young Cameroonians, civil society and institutions. The competition culminates in a continental championship supported by several West and Central African countries, organized under the African Confederation of Speech Arts (Confédération Africaine des Arts de la Parole_CAAP), based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The Cameroon Debate Association, Vice-President of the Confederation, is an initiating and founding member of CAAP. It has been mandated by the Confederation to establish, over the medium term, a truly national federation made up of clubs, associations, institutions and companies working in the field of oratory arts, and more specifically public speaking.

Mission

To contribute to the development of an authentic Cameroonian oratory culture, based on African oral traditions, with the aim of showcasing Cameroon’s oral heritage and promoting those involved in national and transnational orality.

Theme

The theme of the 2025 edition of COCAM is “Local languages, cultural diversity and sustainable development“. COCAM will focus on educational, promotional, scientific, cultural, recreational, competitive, tourist and media activities. . The second edition also plans to feature a TV program, with several broadcasts supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Cameroon.

Targets

The Cameroon Oratory Cup mobilises two categories of targets: direct and indirect.

Direct targets : ≥ 3.000 participants

  • 200 universities, colleges and high schools in Cameroon, with 20 institutions per region, are actively involved in COCAM.
  • 2,500 direct participants (2,000 speakers, 100 coaches, 100 volunteers, 100 judges and 200 regional partners) divided by regional quota.
  • 500 spectators at the finals in Yaoundé

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

Indirect targets : ≥ 1 million 100 thousand people

  • 100 national partners: e. institutions, major companies and public figures.
  • The top 10 national partners are featured at the top of the list on the event’s communication materials and bear the costs of organising the competition.
  • 01 sponsor for the competition, from the national partners.
  • 100,000 young people engaged on our online platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, You tube and Tik tok) every year.
  • 1 million viewers reached through the TV programme every year.

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

Objectives

O1: Raise awareness, both in-person and online, among 1 million citizens on key values such as peace, social cohesion, and combating hate speech across all 10 regions over a period of six (06) months;

O2: Inform and train 100,000 young people and women on strategies for showcasing Cameroon’s tangible and intangible heritage through oratory and other media over a period of six (06) months;

O3: Engage 3,000 young people and girls for one year in the promotion of languages, education, peace and democracy in Cameroon by introducing life skills and building resilient and sustainable communities.

O4: (Co-) produce and direct an annual TV entertainment programme on oral traditions in Cameroon in partnership with one or more media.

O5: Offer 100 companies and organisations a privileged setting to exhibit their products and services for 1 week to young Cameroonians.

O6: Mobilise 50 public speaking professionals from the 10 regions, in five (05) categories, to organise a 2-hour sold-out public speaking show called “Yaounde Brainball” in a production hall.

O7: Strengthen the skills of 100 company directors, promoters and professionals from all professions in public speaking and oratory management over a period of five (05) days of intensive training.

O8: Create a dynamic network of talented young Cameroonian professionals and artists ready to make their skills available to our partners.

O9: Have Cameroon represented at at least three (03) major international competitions by the end of the programme.

O10: Host at least 1 international event in Cameroon every two (02) related to youth, education, arts and culture.

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