The Hill Barbers

Crafted in a colourful, razor-sharp blend of poetry and prose, The Hill Barbers depicts the wanton destruction of water catchments in most communities in Africa. This is inextricably linked to the traditional practice of shifting cultivation, motivated largely by farmers' struggle to acquire more arable farmland to meet the needs of their rapidly growing families. The immediate consequence is acute water shortages, with obvious health and economic implications. Agro-forestry and other soil management techniques are subtly proposed as practical measures to effectively address the issue of shifting cultivation and the associated problem of encroachment into the delicate water catchments.

"The Hill Barbers is a truly inspiring and accessible piece that reflects the author's commitment to environmental protection. Its simplicity of language and structure, makes it appropriate for community sensitisation." Owona Ebambou, Sociologist, WWF Coastal Forests Programme

"A reservoir of rare artistic excellence embellished with local colour and linguistic elegance, The Hill Barbers provides a wide-spectrum dish that contains both prophylactic and therapeutic ingredients aimed at addressing environmental degradation. Muwanki Abinwi Numfor, Department of English, University of Buea

"Though Ekpe Inyang is best known as a prolific playwright, The Hill Barbers portrays him as a seasoned poet" Dr Henry K. Jick, Department of English, University of Buea

Ekpe Inyang hails from Korup and holds an MSc degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Strathclyde, UK. He has many years of experience, having worked, in different capacities, with the World Wide Fund for Nature, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Pan African Institute for Development---West Africa (PAID-WA) in Cameroon. He is author of several scientific articles and textbooks on environmental education, and has distinguished himself as a committed playwright. The Hill Barbers is his eighth play. His other plays are: Professor Adoniah, Beware, The Sacred Forest, The Swamps, The Game, Water Na Life, and The Last Hope.