Pascal Monkam (1930 – 27 February 2021) was a Cameroonian businessman. He notably owned the hotel chain La Falaise and was the father of 16 children.

Biography

Monkam was born in the village of in the department of

Haut-Nkam Haut-Nkam is a department of West Province in Cameroon. The department covers an area of 958 km and as of 2005 had a total population of 191,600. The capital of the department lies at Bafang. Subdivisions The department is divided administ ...

to Nganou and Leukam Monkam, both peasants. He lost his father at a very young age and lived with his brother, Michel, in

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. It was home to Central Africa's largest port, now being replaced by Kribi port. It has the country ...

. Monkam founded the Société des Établissements Monkam in the early 1960s. His father-in-law gave him a loan of 300,000 Central African francs so that he could buy his first hotel, "Coin du Plaisir". In 1972, he founded the hotel chain La Falaise, starting it out in the upscale Douala neighborhood of , where former French colonists still lived. He would also open Douala hotels in and , as well as in

Bafang Bafang is a town and commune in Cameroon situated in the Haut-Nkam division of the West Province, Cameroon, West Province. It lies at the heart of the territory of the Bamiléké people, and has a population of roughly 33,324. (2012) Religion ...

and

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the Capital city, capital city of Cameroon. It has a population of more than 2.8 million which makes it the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region o ...

. He opened other locations in South Africa, including twin towers bearing his name and three hotels in

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

. Aside from his business life, Monkam was polygamous, with five wives: Jeanne, Jacqueline, Jeannette, Dorothée and Chantal. He fathered sixteen children, including Paris and London Bar member Alain-Christian Monkam. In 2019,

President of Cameroon The president of Cameroon is the executive head of state and de facto head of government of Cameroon and is the commander in chief of the Cameroon Armed Forces. The authority of the state is exercised both by the president and by the Parliamen ...

Paul Biya Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo, 13 February 1933) is a Cameroonian politician who has been serving as the second president of Cameroon since 1982. He was previously the fifth Prime Minister of Cameroon, prime minister under Pre ...

awarded Monkam a Grand Cordon of the

Order of Valour The Order of Valour is an order of knighthood of Cameroon. History It is regulated by the ordonnance N° 72/24 of 30 November 1972. It is one of the four orders of Cameroon:medical evacuation Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to patients requiring evacuation or transport using medically equipped air ambulances, helicopters and ...

and placed on a

ventilator A ventilator is a type of breathing apparatus, a class of medical technology that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathi ...

. On 18 February, rumors of his death were circulated across Cameroon by numerous media outlets. However, hours later, these rumors were debunked by his son, Alain-Christian and by

Cameroon Radio Television Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) is a major radio and television broadcasting company in Cameroon. CRTV is a government-controlled radio and television service in Cameroon. It started as Cameroon Television (CTV) and later merged with the radio ...

. Pascal Monkam died on 27 February 2021 in South Africa at the age of 90.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monkam, Pascal Cameroonian businesspeople 1930 births 2021 deaths Grand Cordons of the Order of Valour Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Cameroon Cameroonian hoteliers