Olive Shang: The Golden Voice on CRTV

Olive Shang was born on December 25, 1936 in Kumbo, the Capital of Bui Division in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. She is presently widowed with six children. She is retired and lives in Jakiri specifically at Sop. 

Olive Shang and Husband

From 1946 to 1951, she studied at the Basel Mission School in Kumbo and between 1952 to 1953, she studied at the Girls School, Bafut in Mezam Division. In 1954 she taught as a pupil teacher at the Girls’ School Bafut. In 1959 she was a primary school teacher at the Basel Mission School, Kumbo, the same establishment where she studied as a primary school pupil.

In 1964 she joined Radio Cameroon as a Continuity Announcer. In 1966 she went ahead to take charge of and produce the women’s magazine later known as “Calling the women.” She did this alongside other programmes like “Know your neighbours”, ”Sunday Afternoon Requests” “Tele Disques” among other tasks.

Between 1969 and 1971, she benefitted from a British Government Scholarship to study in England and did a course in Radio Production Techniques at the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Training School in London. She further pursued her education procuring passes at the General Certificate of Education GCE and a Diploma in Community Studies for Women at the African Centre in London; an initiative of the Associated Country Women of the World.

In 1972, she rejoined Radio Cameroon and continued with the Radio Programme “Calling the Women” and other programmes like “Know your neighbours”, “Meet the Patients”, “Listeners View Points” and all types of radio animations, “Music of Yesteryears” amongst others.

In 1977 she did a radio production course at the Radio Netherlands Training Centre in Holland and attended an International Seminar on Development of Population  for West African Broad Casters organised by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities in Yaounde. She was appointed as the Head of the Copy Rights Registry Bureau in the International Service of Radio Cameroon cumulatively with the production of the programme “Calling the Women.”  She also contributed on behalf of Radio Cameroon in an International Programme involving Radio Stations around the world.

In 1982, she was promoted to the rank of Assistant journalist. In 1985, she participated and presented a paper at the seminar on “Women in Decision Making” organised by the Economic Commission for Africa and the United Nations Development Programme in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in preparation for the United Nations Decade for Women World Conference Forum 85. She was selected by the Non Governmental Organisation NGO’s Planning committee to participate in “Forum 85” and the Decade for Women World Conference in Nairobi Kenya as Resource Person. She gave full coverage to the activities of the Decade for Women Forum 85 at the World Conference.

She fully covered the celebration in Cameroon for the first time of the International Women’s Day Celebrations on March 8 in news talks, write ups and special programmes. She chaired and participated in many round table discussions concerning the “Life and Circumstances of the Woman in Cameroon and the World.”

In 1986, she was appointed to the post of Deputy Head of the Copy Rights Registry Service. She also became part time Lecturer at the University of Yaounde Advanced School of Mass Communication. She was equally appointed as Deputy Head of the Education Programmes Service of the CRTV.

 It should be noted that since the creation of the programme “Calling the Women” in 1966, it has always been on air except when Mrs. Olive Shang was away attending Seminars or on Training Courses.

Olive Shang was equally one of the women mentioned in a Publication titled Femmes D’impactes” published during the 50^th Anniversary of the Re-Unification of Cameroon. She is mentioned alongside 50 other women who have had an impact on Cameroon in the last fifty years. In this publication she is referred to as the Microphone guru. The report runs thus:

“For many years after independence, Olive Shang’s sweet and tingling voice dominated the airwaves of Radio Cameroon and later CRTV with heart searching and warming programmes. It was not unusual for people especially women to leave whatever they did to listen to those piercing words of advice every Wednesday evening in the programme “Calling the Women. The programme became a monument and since Olive went on retirement, no one has been able to catch up the standard she set. She was an avid professional who did her work irrespective of any hardship that could surface. Olive Shang was tenacious. She beat all the odds that were characteristic of broadcasting in those days prior to the Liberty Laws and stood prominently as the Mother of Broadcast Journalism. From her humble beginnings as a primary school teacher of the Basel Mission, now the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, Mrs. Shang was recruited at the radio in 1964 as a continuity announcer. There were hardly any women of English expression qualified as journalists at the time. With her versatility, she was able to build a career in the media and to create an indelible impact in the lives of many. She undertook several training courses out of the country and successfully built up an unforgettable career. Olive Shang as she was fondly called was a ressembleur. Her prominence was noticed in society as she was solicited at every level as an adviser and leader. Mrs. Shang on a part time bases lectured at the Advanced School of Mass Communication, University of Yaounde on The Basics of Radio and Programme Production; a course that helped newly recruited Degree holders to get into the profession with an established knowledge of the intricacies of Broadcast Journalism.

In addition to her long impressive and fruitful professional career and as pioneer woman in the broadcasting arena in Cameroon, Olive Shang is a ground breaker in a myriad of domains. She founded the first ever Women’s Association of Women of the Northwest East of the Mongo “Nkongadrem” in 1973. The Nso Women’s Development Association and thereafter, actively jump started the creation of several other women’s associations and networks in Yaounde with affiliations nationwide. She was the pioneer member of the National Communication Council 1995 and was part of the Cameroonian Delegation to the Women’s Conference in Nairobi in 1985 from where she brought back the women’s anthem which women sing now in Cameroon during all official ceremonies.

Olive Shang and Kids during the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of the Reunification of Cameroon

Mrs Shang was also very active in her Christian responsibilities as an elder and as President of the Christian Women Fellowship CWF in the Bastos Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon. Olive Shang was highly recognised both in official and Church circles with medals and distinctions of great honour. Even on her retirement in Jakiri she remains a reference.”