Brenda Biya or Samuel Eto’o?
Brenda Biya, daughter of President Paul Biya, recently broke silence, publicly declaring she won’t vote for her father in the 2025 elections. Despite personal controversies, she showed courage and independence, standing against 43 years of rule with little progress for the nation. While she has been apparently forced to retract, her words are a reflection of the reality of Cameroon. She spoke her truth, and the world heard it loud and clear.
Meanwhile, Samuel Eto’o, Cameroon’s football legend, continues to support Paul Biya. In 2018 he openly declared he would vote for him, and in 2025 he’s on the list of campaigners for the president.
Achievements in sport are inspiring, but does endorsing a 93-year-old leader with decades in power without change make Eto’o a role model for civic courage? Brenda’s voice, controversial but fearless, raises a question every young Cameroonian should ask: Would you rather follow Eto’o, who never for a moment feels your pain, or Brenda, who, from time to time, shows that she gets the pain her father is putting Cameroon through?