Why Cameroon Doctors, Translators, & Advertisers Fought Over Christ's Body during Easter Week
Nchanji Njamnsi
French > English < > 🇨🇲 Pidgin Translator - Interpreter | Communication | Career HUMAN!
April 27, 2025
Easter week represents a significant advertising opportunity as brands scramble to further ingratiate themselves with Christianity's approximately 2.4 billion members spread out globally. In Cameroon, this advertising opportunity sparked an interesting 2025 Easter week conversation between academic doctors, translators, & advertisers. This conversation ended with one realisation: brands ought to be sensitive to the doctrinal ideology that pervades religious feasts like Easter week otherwise they may come off as value-less attention whores.
What Sparked the Conversation
In my part of the world, Easter week Friday was a public holiday. So, I was still in bed, half asleep and half awake, when a call came in, asking me to quickly conjure an English translation for "Bon vendredi saint." Half-mindedly, I blurted out "Happy Good Friday" and waited for the caller to serve me the "thanks" that usually concluded such conversations. Rather, I received unsettling feedback: somebody was not content with my translation because the day is not "supposedly" a celebration and therefore, we cannot afford to use the adjective "Happy." At my wits end, I asked for a moment to research and revert. A quick google search revealed a number of hits confirming that the somebody was actually right. In fact, the search revealed that there is a widespread sentiment in some Christian quarters that it is not appropriate to say "happy Good Friday." One particular article caught my attention and I clicked on the title "Why We Don't Say "Happy Good Friday" – And What to Say Instead." Following a super quick read, I revised my translation to "Good Friday." And the long-awaited customary thank you came through alongside a new line for translation : "Bonne commemoration à tous." Armed with the information from the article, some logic, situational awareness and this new-found religious sensitivity, I translated this tagline as "Blessed commemoration to all!" I delivered my translation, and got a more conclusive thank you this time around. No extra work.
Fully awake up now, I quickly shared the incident on my WA status in the following words, "While Christians commemorate the death of Christ, translators wonder whether it is ok to say "Happy Good Friday" or simply "Good Friday." What do you think?" Ending the status with a call to action was a leftover reflex from my blogger days. And it worked, triggering a passionate debate between two camps.
The Two Camps: Good and Happy
The two camps were drawn along more or less ideological lines. One camp, which we will refer to as the Good, was in favour of using the expression "Good Friday" while the other camp, which we will call the Happy, was in favour of "Happy Good Friday." The two camps were staffed with academic doctors, a translator and an advertiser.
Academic doctor speaks
The Good were of course totally against "Happy Good Friday," anchoring their stance in the waters of Catholic doctrine. Their lead proponent, Dr Hector Kamdem, argued that Good Friday from his "understanding of the Catholic tradition is not something that is wished. Wishing a happy Good Friday (a sad day btw) seems to me a new age fad…It represents, in the tradition, Christ's passion. On this day, Catholics when they strictly respect the tradition wear red to church. The priests and servants wear red cassocks. It is a day of sorrow, as they remember their savior's flagellation." Challenging an argument wielded by the Happy, he added that placed within the Holy Week Cycle "Good Friday is not a day of anticipation for Christ's resurrection, but a day of grief, sorrow and deep meditation." Taking a more semantic approach, another member of the Good camp, Dr Monique Kwachou, argued that "Good Friday" underscored the day's commemorative nature while "Happy Good Friday" implied a celebration. She added, "…I need Cameroonians to understand that not every commemoration is a celebration. There are times for solemn commemoration. Women's day for instance is not to be a celebration."
A translator replies
On the other hand, the lead defender of the Happy, Valerie Epie, a translator, espoused a more Protestant view in the following words: "At the time of the death of Christ more than 2000 years ago, it was a very sad event because nobody knew the grand plan. Today, we Christians (should) see His death as a final blow to the works of Satan -- sin. Good Friday SHOULD be celebrated as the day Christ (by extension we Christians) triumphed over sin." Based on his argument, he proposed that "Bon vendredi saint" should be translated as "Happy Good Friday Celebrations." And added the following argument to buttress his earlier point: "Let me drive this point home with an example. Imagine two countries were in a war and one soldier from country A sacrificed his life to give his fellow soldiers victory. Many years later country celebrates this victory with the image/name of the soldier who sacrificed himself as the mascot. They perform plays about that single moment he gave himself up and tell stories around the event. This soldier becomes the symbol of victory. What's more, in the case of Christ, He resurrected after being buried. Hope you see why I and some other Christians consider this an event for celebration."
An advertiser chimes in
Yana Zumafor Junior, a strategic planner in an advertising agency, framed his argument in the following terms: "The naming of the day "Good Friday" tries to be a contradiction of itself but it's GOOD Friday for the reason. In as much as we are called to reflect (and put ourselves in his shoes, hence the rituals of this day by Catholic Christians) on what Christ did for us, we are meant to think inwards but not from an absolute and abject place of pain or agony but recognition - whilst we may not be enough, he did more than enough. We need to see it beyond the words used and rather look into the intent & significance of this day. Every action was done for our good, and by his stripes we are free. again, the day is one that requires reflection and solemnity. However, it's finality directs us to "celebrate" for Christ gave himself up for us and conquered - an act of God's grace and mercy, which establishes a new order. To say happy good Friday is to acknowledge what Christ did for us - empathize with his pain and all the "bad" done to him, yet rejoice because it was for our good. It's also good because he fulfilled scripture. So, a happy ending for mankind (Please happy ending not in the way the world thinks abeg)." This argument further captured not just the doctrinal and ideological conflict inherent to this conversation but also the semantic ambiguity it provoked: why would a Friday of mourning be labelled "Good" in the first place? If it can be labelled with such a positively-connotated word, adding "happy" to the mix does not really change anything. Or does it? These are the ambiguities and tensions brands must acknowledge before they proceed to advertise.
Talking about brands & advertising
To connect with their customers, brands in Cameroon tend to leverage every opportunity. International days, national days, religious feasts and any other symbolic days are all prized indiscriminately. However, the "Good Friday" or "Happy Good Friday" conversation suggests brands ought to discriminate, inquire deeper, gather more knowledge, and analyse critically before they decide to engage with their audiences through the ideologically-charged advertising opportunities that are religious feasts. Especially as religion-drenched constructs like Easter week can easily polarize and create ambiguity about a brand's values. Brands must navigate these engagement opportunities with caution so that they do not come off as value-less attention whores, ready to hook up with anyone no matter the price. Ideological awareness leads to informed action throughout the advertising process, copy production and translation inclusive.
To ensure that translation elicits customer engagement not repulsion, brands must first know the ideologies and doctrines that underpin religious feasts. Juxtaposing this knowledge with their own values and advertising goals is the only way they will know whether it is best to say "Good Friday" or "Happy Good Friday." Especially because there is no perfect translation when brand equity, ideology, and translation intersect. Only efficiency matters. Remember: ignorance is never a good reason for making choices in translation.