Mbella Sonne Dipoko

Mbella Sonne Dipoko was a Cameroonian poet, novelist, and painter. He was born on February 28, 1936 in Douala, Cameroon, the son of Paul Sonne Dipoko, the Chief of Misaka. Dipoko was educated in both Cameroon and Nigeria and became a news reporter for the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation in 1958. In 1960, he moved to France, where he briefly studied law at the University of Paris and began his career as a writer and painter. Several of his poems, short stories, and articles were published in prominent literary magazines such as Black Orpheus, Transition, and Présence Africaine. He also published three novels: A Few Nights and Days (1966), Because of Women (1969), and Black and White in Love (1972). In 1985, he returned to Misaka, living as a farmer and fisherman until his appointment as Chief of Misaka in 1991 following the death of his father. He also briefly served as the mayor of the Tiko Municipal Council from February 1995 to February 1996. Although his last novel was published in 1972, Dipoko continued to write poetry throughout his lifetime and played a pivotal role in the promotion of anglophone literature in Cameroon. He died on December 5, 2009.