Introduction

One of Dr. Karamaga’s major concern was the sustainability of ecumen- ical institutions in Africa. Wherever and however radical the threats were, Karamaga would intervene. Vincent de Paul Lele and Prof. Simon Dossou, respectively, director of department of Editing and publishing, former mod- erator of the Methodist church in Benin, former African President for the World Council of Churches, and former head of Theology then International Relations and Reconciliation Departments in AACC, both talk of Karamaga’s intervention to rescue Editions CLE 50 during yet another leadership and managerial crisis from 2012 to 2016; they both see the intervention as a “mis- sion accomplished”

Standing Up for CLÉ

Famous in the world for its publications in various fields of literature, includ- ing general literature, the Editions Clé is very little known as an organization of the Protestant Churches in French-speaking Africa. Created in 1963 with the support of the German and Dutch Missions under the name of Center of Evangelical Literature, the organisation was managed long after its creation by missionaries up to 1978. From then onward, there has been mixed accounts over management and leadership crises. One of the dangerous turning points of this publishing house was experienced in 2018 during the succession on the top leadership of the CLE. Hadn’t been the dexterity and firmness of Rev. Dr. Karamaga, at the time, President of the Executive Council, the Board of Directors, representative of the All-Africa Conference of Churches in the General Assembly, no one can say with certainty what the fate of this house would have been today. To understand the role played by Dr. Karamaga, it is appropriate to restore the context of the crisis, then to describe a number of actions he led in this battle and then to see on what other aspects he positively impacted Éditions CLE.

The Crisis

In February 2016, a crisis erupted during the alternance process at the top of the leadership of Éditions CLE. The outgoing Director, whose mandate expired on February 20, 2016 was given a prolongation to stay in office until March 15, at the request of the President of the Executive Council, Dr. Karamaga. Indeed, the new Director elected by the General Assembly, had withdrawn for personal reasons not publicly revealed. It was suspected that there had been maneuvers to discourage him taking office. From then on, an unexpected situation arose: the outgoing director, supported by some members of the General Assembly, felt that he could stay on while the Board of directors considered his service completed and his departure recorded by the General Assembly. Under the leadership of Dr. Karamaga, the Executive Council urgently appointed an interim Director pending the next General Assembly to be held two years later in accordance with the statutes. The ten- sion arose at its peak with insults and threats flowing during the meeting of the Executive Council. The noises quickly reached Christian circles in Cameroon and elsewhere, the media disseminated the scope; the only option remaining was the legal procedures in courts.

Dr. Karamaga’s Contribution

In this overheated atmosphere, Dr. Karamaga’s intervention is interesting to analyze. He was impassive refusing to intervene in bickering, preferring to observe from a distance. He sought to reassure his collaborators and instead invited them to calm down, ignoring the threats of expulsion heard in the heated exchanges. He patiently consulted personalities, including lawyers on the legal conduct to be taken. In fact, the outgoing director had closed the door of his office and had no longer set foot there, probably waiting for the departure of the members of the Executive Council to their respective countries of residence, including the president whose flight to Nairobi was scheduled only a day later. For the outgoing director who had just spent 9 years at the head of the house, a year more than his predecessor, the Executive Council should not use an interim director when there was no vacancy. The handover of service had not yet taken place. Making it impossible to pass on services could thus create a blockage that would maintain the status quo. The Council, for its part, maintained that the director’s contract had expired and that the formalities of good separation had been recorded. Rendering null and void any other claims.

The legal precautions taken, Dr. Karamaga instructed that the door of the office be broken, under legal warrant in the assistance of a judicial officer. This was done the next day in his absence. The new acting director then took up service without passing on duty and worked for two years to recreate a peace- ful social climate that reassured the many staff members who had repeatedly expressed their discomfort to the Council.

It is important to underline the rigour with which Rev Dr. Karamaga led the audit of the management of the Editions CLE’ finances during the session of the Council. He was not at all happy with the deficit budget for 2014, not- withstanding the Director’s explanations. The errors were repeated in 2015, despite the advice provided by the Council in 2014. Pastor Karamaga was very distressed. Strict measures were taken including the establishment of a daily management committee and the approval of the Council for certain major expenses. In the present case, one could well wonder about the mean- ing of the creation of a management committee when there was a director. The implementation of such a decision was also tedious.

The requirements for clean management were radical to some degree of exag- geration for some. Imagine using the signature of 2 or 3 people external to Editions CLE to disburse money to buy a package of paper! Yet the self-im- posed restraint paid off. During the two years of the interim held by Rev. Dr. Simon Dossou, Pastor Kamaraga would work with his team to update a number of points in the Editions CLE. With his international experience,he would work on updating the organic texts of the house (Statutes, Rules of Procedure, Manual of Procedures). Thanks to the trust he inspired among donors, Pastor Karamaga has been able to get the Editions CLE back on track with considerable support for its missions and operations. He diplomatically managed certain demands of the staff.

This concern to see the Editions CLE prosper goes back much further. In 1999, the Dutch Missions and the outgoing director at the time, Dr. Comlan Deh, negotiated to with the president of the Presbyterian Church in Rwanda, Reverend Karamaga, to accept the recruitment of Dr. Tharcisse Gatwa as the new director. It is under the rule of the latter, inspired by the philosophy of self-sufficiency of the African Churches that the Éditions CLE made signif- icant real estate investments to get out of financial precariousness, and also performed well in theological literature production.

With the election of Rev. Dr. Nicodème Ibiladé Alagbada, in 2018 as director for a 5-year term, the Éditions CLÉ remain in the wake of this spirit of rigor, especially financially, thanks to Rev. Dr. André Karamaga who advocated for accountable management.