Michael A. Fonkem (Chief
Fonkem Achankeng I)
M.A. in Conflict Resolution, 2000
Current Address: Appleton, WI.
Michael teaches at the University
of Wisconsin-Fox Valley and
Marian College
of Fond du Lac (Recent News
Article in PDF format). Prior to this
position, Michael worked as a consultant to The African Great
Lakes Reconciliation Project and was Founder & Executive
Director for the Association for Nonviolence, a nonprofit organization
engaged in public education for peace and democracy in Cameroon.
Michael’s
research interest focuses on contemporary Africa with emphasis
on political developments and violent conflicts; African culture
and civilization; and
diversity issues in community building in America.
Michael has been
editor and/or co-editor of several books, including The British
Southern Cameroons, 1922-1961: A Study in Colonialism and Underdevelopment.
Michael is a frequent conference presenter on topics related
to
Africa and conflict resolution, and has written numerous articles
on the topic of conflict
resolution, culture, nonviolence, and Cameroon. His article, ‘The
Democratic struggle in Cameroon: Setbacks in the nonviolent approach’ is
published in the 2003-04 edition of the Journal for the Study
of Peace and Conflict. Michael is currently working on articles titled ‘Forced
assimilation and the emergence of Southern Cameroons nationalism’ and ‘Indigenous
systems of whose conflicts?'
According to Michael, “I always wanted
to go to the best institution I could get into because I wanted to challenge
myself. I found such a place
in the Conflict Resolution program at Antioch University. The
program provided a challenging academic environment where I met a great
mix of professionals,
individuals and faculty from a variety of backgrounds and experiences
living and working together. As a traditional ruler, and as a person who
meets
and works with all kinds of people on a daily basis, my conflict
resolution training at Antioch was just a wonderful fit because it combines
theory
and practice in the real world.”
