Prominent and refined human rights lawyer Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla has called on Cameroon's legal profession to play a leading role in confronting hate speech, identity politics, and growing social divisions, warning that the country's future depends on lawyers defending justice, dialogue, and national cohesion.
Barr. Agbor Balla, Addressing Dignitaries and Participants.
The Founder and President of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA) delivered the keynote address on Friday, July 24, 2026, during the opening of the National Workshop on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Living Together, organized by the African Bar Association (AfBA), Cameroon Chapter, in Buea, Southwest Region.
His address, titled "Lawyers as Architects of Living Together: Confronting Hate Speech, Identity Politics, and the 'Us versus Them' Narrative in Cameroon," challenged members of the legal profession to move beyond their traditional courtroom responsibilities and become active defenders of democratic values, social cohesion, and the rule of law.
The opening ceremony brought together senior judicial and legal personalities, including the representative of the Minister of State, Minister of Justice, and Keeper of the Seals, Justice Leslie Formin Forbang, who also serves as First Vice-President of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal. The Governor of the Southwest Region, Bernard Okalia Bilai, was represented by Mr. Ewane, alongside senior magistrates, members of the Cameroon Bar Association, academics, and legal practitioners from across the country.
Addressing participants, Agbor Balla warned that hate speech and divisive political rhetoric are eroding trust in institutions and weakening national unity. He argued that while differences of opinion are a hallmark of democracy, societies begin to fracture when mistrust replaces dialogue. Citizens are encouraged to see one another through the lens of ethnic, linguistic, or political identity rather than shared citizenship.
The renowned lawyer reflected on the events of 2016, recalling how lawyers advocating for the rule of law faced intimidation, arrests, and imprisonment during the Anglophone crisis. Despite those experiences, he said, the legal profession chose to pursue justice rather than hatred, insisting that justice remains the strongest antidote to division.
He also highlighted the growing influence of social media, cautioning that digital platforms have accelerated the spread of misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric that can fuel hostility and discrimination. Lawyers, he said, have a duty to promote truth, civility and responsible public discourse both inside and outside the courtroom.
Describing lawyers as "architects of living together," Agbor Balla urged the profession to defend the equal dignity of every citizen, reject attempts to weaponize differences, and help rebuild public confidence in democratic institutions.
He concluded by calling on legal practitioners to choose "courage over silence, dialogue over division, and hope over hatred," stressing that history would judge their generation by whether they built bridges or deepened divisions.
@Laarry Times
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