Walla’s Inspiring Run for Cameroon’s Presidency

Few would blame Kah Walla, 46, if she dropped out of Cameroon’s presidential race. A graduate of Howard University, Walla returned to Cameroon to launch Strategies!, a consulting firm; she is a member of the World Economic Forum and has been honored by the World Bank, Vital Voices Global Partnership, and Newsweek for her work. But that hasn’t stopped Cameroon’s officials from fearing her candidacy: despite her slim chances of winning the Oct. 9 election, she and fellow protesters were beaten by police with clubs in February. In an even more dangerous turn for her campaign, Walla was recently abducted, and two men who identified themselves as police claimed credit. But she hasn’t let these incidents crush her spirit. Shortly after February’s assault, she wrote in an email to supporters that she had learned an important lesson—that “the power is within us. No amount of violence or hysteria can remove it.”