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<h1>Today makes it 30 days since Internet has been shut down in the Southwest and Northwest of Cameroon.</h1>

The shutdown, which began on January 17, 2017, is <a href="http://pulse.ng/tech/in-congo-48-hour-shutdown-of-internet-telephone-services-for-presidential-election-id4830696.html" id="d73af08b-a4af-51c4-8628-eb5c1a5ac351">yet another example</a> of an African government flagrantly misusing its powers and infringing on human rights - something that is fast becoming commonplace on the continent.

In 2016, citizens were cut off from the internet a total of 11 times across Africa. By any metric, that is an astonishing number - people losing money, being denied their basic right to expression and communication just because a government (which they may have even 'elected') feels threatened by its own people? Ridiculous.

But what led to the Cameroon situation? Well, Cameroon is as diverse as it gets, for starters. The central African nation is home to over 200 linguistic groups, numerous major ethnicities and considerable Christian, Muslim and animist populations.

But the most prominent difference within the nation's population is between the majority French-speaking regions and minority English-speaking regions. It even has parallel education and legal systems that operate in either region of the country. That's a lot of differentiation.

The country's constitution equates both English and French as its official languages and says they hold "the same status." But most of the business, government and administration is done in French - the country's President Paul Biya rarely speaks English in public - and residents of the Anglophone regions have long complained of economic and political marginalisation.

Those complaints reached a crescendo in November 2016 when lawyers in Bamenda, the capital of the Anglophone Northwest region, publicly protested an alleged imposition of French courts in the Anglophone region.

Teachers also joined in with sit-in protests in the Northwest and Southwest regions. Cameroon runs two parallel schooling systems (Anglophone and Francophone) and the English-speaking teachers were fighting against French speakers with poor English skills being hired in Anglophone schools.

According to various reports, several people were arrested during the protests which saw clashes with security operatives. The following month (December 2016) four people were allegedly killed when security operatives used live ammunition and tear gas to dislodge an alleged protest in Bamenda. This led international organisations to call for an investigation.

By January 16, 2017, the government had started issuing statements warning social media users that they could face "criminal penalties" if they were found "issuing or spreading fake news" on social media.

ALSO READ: <a href="" id="9f37c572-a6ea-50e8-9ebf-d02e46940be9">This 17-yr-old student overcame government oppression to become the first African to win Google's Code-In competition</a>

The government, via the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, also sent text messages to Cameroonians, warning them of two-year prison sentences if they published information "that you can't prove" on social media.

The next day, on January 17, Internet services in the Northwest and Southwest regions <a href="http://pulse.ng/tech/internet-access-shut-down-in-parts-of-cameroon-over-riots-id6081605.html" id="f8bb7600-051d-5c8b-95bb-ca9e009a7f66">were cut off</a>. The government has refused to give an official reason for the ban, but a lot of people (including <a href="https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/824312606596988933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" id="891b478a-4a5c-5264-8712-7a7b324e862d">Edward Snowden</a>) believe it is linked to the protests.

Two leading figures in the protest; Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla, President of the Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, and Dr Fontem Neba, secretary general of the group, were arrested the same day and airlifted to the nation's capital Yaounde.

The ban has left about 20 percent of the nation's 23 million strong population without Internet access. Activist group Internet Sans Frontieres says the ban has cost the country's economy about 443 million West African CFA Francs (about $723, 000).

“This worrying pattern of arbitrary arrests, detention and harassment of civil society members is entirely at odds with the international human rights law and standards that Cameroon has committed to uphold,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, Central Africa researcher at Amnesty International.

President Paul Biya, who has been ruling Cameroon since 1982, said in a new year's eve national address that while Cameroonians should feel free to express legitimate concerns - even through strike actions - violent protests would be crushed by security forces whilst emphasising that Cameroon is "one and indivisible."

The Internet shut down has prompted a <a href="https://twitter.com/Ambaexit/status/831770033458118656" id="4528f431-b1d2-54a3-ac88-a69318b01c60">#BringBackOurInternet</a> campaign from Cameroonians in the unaffected areas of the country, tech stakeholders in the country such as <a href="https://twitter.com/africatechie" id="5f2491c2-6fd5-5e9d-b26e-69719f675a19">Rebecca Enonchong</a> and aggrieved Cameroonians abroad.

So far, the only positive story to emerge from the entire situation is that of <a href="http://pulse.ng/tech/collin-nji-the-first-african-to-win-googles-codein-challenge-id6195834.html" id="0558eb6f-5c0b-5940-83ad-4883e9cf849b">Collins Nji</a>, a 17-year-old Cameroonian teenager who, despite the internet shut down in his hometown of Bamenda, is now the first African to win Google's Code-In hacking for pre-university students between the ages of 13 and 17 where the students are given a variety of bite-sized tasks to hack open source software.

There is no telling when the citizens in the affected parts of the Internet ban will be able to communicate with their families again or conduct business. But Africa is watching, and so is the rest of the world.

The #BringBackOurInternet campaign is a protest of the government-sanctioned Internet shut down in Cameroon.

The shutdown, which began on January 17, 2017, is yet another example of an African government flagrantly misusing its powers and infringing on human rights.

It's been 30 days without internet access in Cameroon

One of life’s greatest ironies is that while long-term travelers have all the time in the world, they don’t necessarily have a ton of cash at their disposal. Full-time workers however, usually have the means but not the time. Even when full-time workers have the time it’s usually ‘not enough’.

Pulse travel brings you five tips you can use if you love to travel even though you have a 9-5 job. It’s not going to be easy but we hope these tips help you all the same.

<ul><li>Make it a true weekend getaway</li></ul>

A lot of times, all you need is 36hours in a new city or country which basically the same amount of time you have for a weekend trip especially after you factor in the time it takes for you travel between destinations.

To really maximize your time without overbooking your schedule, try to make your destination a new place that is close to home. We recommend somewhere within four hours of your home base (factoring travel time between your home and transportation stops, of course). If you prefer to go farther, then Thursday travel is the best way to go. Don’t be afraid to spend on a fancy hotel to get that feeling of luxury without being too far away.

<ul><li>Take advantage of holiday breaks</li></ul>

Holidays are usually times people want to spend with family and loved ones. Transportation costs are usually very expensive around this time so travelling with the entire family might not be a very good idea. That doesn't mean trips are a no-no however, you have to be smart about it.

If you’re travelling with the entire family, book flight or bus tickets in advance to reduce cost and if you’re travelling alone make sure to stay in a place with good Internet connection so you can still stay connected to your family via Skype and other video calling platforms.

<ul><li>Make your work trips about more than just work</li></ul>

Your job may not involve a lot of travelling but if the opportunity comes, be sure to take it. Whenever possible, be sure to add in a few extra nights of your own to explore the area you’re visiting. The god thing about travelling for work is that your employers usually pays your travel expense- you have to pay for additional days, of course –thereby making your trip much cheaper. Now you can look for new cities to visit on your company’s behalf!

<ul><li>Don’t be afraid to negotiate</li></ul>

Most times, a weekend won’t be enough for that escape you desire. Don’t be afraid to ask your employer for an extended unpaid leave so you can take that much needed trip. Be sure to pitch as personal development and make the request when you’re sure it’s slow season for your employer. You never know until you ask!

<ul><li>Make everyday a vacation</li></ul>

You would be surprised at how much you don’t know or have not discovered about your resident city. Change is ever constant so there are always new things to discover and enjoy regardless of small your city is. It’s more about your attitude and willingness to discover new things than anything else.

Lagos has many treasures waiting to be discovered.

Most people who work full time jobs hardly ever take time to travel and see the world simply because they 'never have time' to.

Merging your work and travel needs

Like many other things we tend to be ignorant of in life, travel burnout is a real thing- especially if you travel a lot or travel for a living.

Like you’ve guessed, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger so Pulse Travel will give you some tips as to to maintain your passion for travel and avoid travel burnout.

<ul><li>Travel slower: The key is to seriously consider spending more time in a particular place rather than try to hit as many destinations as possible within a short period of time. Trust us, it will do you more good than you realize. Plus there is so much to learn and appreciate from the different places we visit so what’s the rush?</li></ul>

Pulse Travel advice: Take your time to settle down and get to know the true essence of a place before packing up and heading to the next destination. This is something that takes time and doesn’t just happen in a few days. That’s just how these things are- no shortcuts.

<ul><li>Plan in advance … Kind of.: When travelling, spontaneity is good. Letting the wind take you where it pleases can be a wonderful experience but at the same time, it can be tricky. Doing everything in the moment can hold you back especially when you consider the fact that different things apply to different situations across the world. For example, in </li></ul>

Pulse Travel Advice: Try to work out a loose itinerary and map out how transportation systems work in your decided destination.

<ul><li>Don’t always go for the cheapest option: This may sound ironic because the truth is nobody has a ton of money to spend on just travelling. But travelling cheap really means travelling in the smartest way possible and that doesn’t always mean travelling cheaply all the time.</li></ul>

Pulse Travel Advice: Say you’re faced with the dilemma of purchasing stand-only tickets for a 7-Hour bus ride at $20 while seat tickets cost $50, consider how you will feel at the end of the journey if you purchase the cheaper ticket. Standing for 7 hours will definitely have its effects and you may feel the need to pamper yourself a bit thereby spending more than you would have if you had purchased the more expensive- but comfortable- seat tickets.

In conclusion, if you intend to avoid travel burnout and be a savvy traveller, you have to look at the big picture even when you’re making small decisions. Instead of just choosing the fastest, cheapest and quantitative options, take a minute and really evaluate your choices, considering how they may affect you and your passion for travel in the long run.

Most people don't recognise burnout even when they are experiencing it even though it can seriously affect quality of life and their passion for travel.

Avoiding burnout on the move

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folarin okunola

Articles written by the author

It's been 30 days without internet access in Cameroon

Merging your work and travel needs

Avoiding burnout on the move