Bertrand Teyou

Bertrand Zepherin Teyou (March 17, 1969 - January 22, 2020 ) was a Cameroonian author.

Book and arrest

Teyou is notable for his book La Belle de la république bananière : Chantal Biya, de la rue au palais (English: "The Beauty of the Banana Republic: Chantal Biya, from the Streets to the Palace"), where he traces Mrs. Biya's rise from ordinary origins to become the First Lady of Cameroon. He was imprisoned on charges of insulting Chantal Biya, the wife of President Paul Biya in his book and for trying to hold a public reading of this book.

On 3 November 2010, Teyou was arrested at a hotel in Douala where he had organized a book signing; copies of his book were seized and destroyed. and found guilty of "insult to character" and organizing an "illegal demonstration". Amnesty International also issued an "Urgent Action" over concerns for his declining health, stating, "He is said to suffer from heavy bleeding caused by acute haemorrhoids, reportedly exacerbated by poor prison diet. Overcrowding is a problem in Cameroonian prisons and the food is known to be of poor quality and inadequate."

On 2 May 2011, Teyou was freed when the London chapter of International PEN agreed to pay his fine from its emergency fund in order that he might immediately seek medical treatment for his worsening condition. He then received treatment. The chair of African literature at the University of Bayreuth also offered to pay the expenses for La Belle de la république bananière to be reprinted in Germany. Arrested and suspected of this arson was Bertrand Zepherin Teyou, who lived in France as a refugee since May 2013. He wanted to start his own publishing house, but could not do so because of lack of funds. He then asked for assistance of an association which helps people to start their own business, but felt that the support he had obtained was not satisfactory. Some weeks before the arson, Teyou had made two sit-ins at the City Hall, forcing police to intervene to dislodge him. During his second sit-in, had threatened the staff of the municipality by saying he would "all burn down", if his demands were not met. Teyou was found guilty and subsequently sentenced to five years in prison.