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translation network or hub locally (expanding into Central and/or West Africa), and many to contribute to or attend a workshop or literary translation event in Cameroon. This year, meetings were held in Yaoundé for those interested in advancing a literary translation initiative, as part of a project led by Professor Madhu Krishnan at the University of Bristol. The network is expanding rapidly, but ideally it will be run by a local group to ensure it is sustainable in the long term. Cameroon is already home to several formal networks (such as the Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters of Cameroon) and informal support groups (including Amiti), and the literary translation hub could feasibly stem from one of those. This will be the topic of discussion at a public event in Yaoundé this autumn, along with a debate on the role of translation in Cameroonian society more generally. It will follow a week-long workshop for budding literary translators run by Bakwa and the University of Bristol. Creative writing FEATURES due to limited publishing opportunities. Prudence Lucha's English translation of Clandestin sur son propre continent by Alphonsius Ategha is a notable exception. The most well-established publishing house is Éditions Clé. According to its Head of Literature Services, Paul Lele, it has published very few translations in recent years due to concerns about low sales figures and limited funding. Instead, successful texts travel overseas to be rewritten by Western translators, who may not understand the full range of cultural and linguistic nuances. The argument, of course, is that – ethically, financially, strategically and professionally – if the expertise exists within Cameroon, the texts should be translated there. This is something MacViban would like to see happening more, and he is keen to publish a greater number of locally written and locally translated texts. FORGING A NETWORK This is good news for the many translators who told me they wanted to explore new pathways to publication. Several also voiced a desire to receive more extensive literary- specific training, others to build a literary number of legal, scientific and general communication materials that need to be translated into French and English. PUBLISHING CHALLENGES Cameroon does, however, have a rich body of literature, in terms of texts both by well-known writers such as Mongo Beti, Ferdinand Oyono and Calixthe Beyala, and by a new generation of writers, including Imbolo Mbue and Patrice Nganang. Many more are coming to the fore through publishing initiatives by organisations such as Langaa Research and Publishing Common Initiative Group (RPCIG) and activists like Dzekashu MacViban, founder of Bakwa magazine. Last year, he highlighted the diversity of Cameroonian writing through 100 days of the nation's literature with Bakwa, and this autumn he will release Of Passion and Ink: New voices from Cameroon. So literature is widely produced in Cameroon but very little is translated there. This isn't to say that interest in literary translation from both newly qualified and experienced translators doesn't exist. But locally produced literary translations are rare and often released as self-published e-books