Mimi Mefo


Mimi Mefo Newuh is a Cameroonian journalist and human rights activist who reports on the Anglophone Crisis and advocates for press freedom. She went into exile in England following a tweet related to the conflict in Cameroon and subsequent incarceration.

Birth and education

Mimi Mefo Newuh was born on May 16, 1989, in Baleng near Bafoussam in the West Region of Cameroon. She studied journalism at the University of Buea, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2011 after completing her A-levels.

Career

She began her career at HI Tv, a local television station in Buea, in the South-West Region. Later, she worked as a reporter and anchor for Equinoxe Television. In April 2018, she became the first ever female deputy editor-in-chief at the same television station, overseeing the Anglophone desk
In the same 2018 September, she established her own news platform known as Mimi Mefo Info, seeking to provide information about the ongoing issues in the Cameroon's Western regions to fellow Cameroonians and the world at large.
In February, she arrived England to begin her five-month residency with English PEN. Since her arrival, Mimi has appeared on the BBC World Service, spoken to Masters students at City and De Montfort Universities and the board of AMMPE, and also met with fellow writers and activists to discuss press freedom concerns in Cameroon and beyond.

Arrest

As a result of Mimi's reports, she faced death threats, online harassment and physical surveillance.
In November 2018, she was arrested and detained for 10 days on charges of "endangering state security". She was accused of posting a tweet accusing the Cameroonian army of being responsible for the death of an American pastor in the Northwest Region of Cameroon in the context of the Anglophone Crisis. She was released after an international campaign of support. Following her release from prison after 4 days, she left Cameroon for England and was recruited by Deutsche Welle in Germany.

Awards

Mimi Mefo got married in the UK on October 7, 2022, in a wedding to her current husband, Kingsley Sheteh Newuh. They currently have two children.