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Cameroon: Anglophones Feel Like a Subjugated People |
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YAOUNDE, Jan 26, 2012 (IPS)
© Ngala Killian Chimtom (IPSNews) | Correspondance |
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When Cameroon’s President Paul Biya announced that the 50th anniversary of the reunification of French and British Cameroon will take place later this year, it resurrected bitter feelings among Anglophone Cameroonians who say they do not feel like equal partners with their Francophone counterparts. |
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Je suis 100 pour cent d'accord avec toi. Ton analyse résume bien la frustration anglophone
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@atem3H,
Entre nous, que les choses soient précises. Je suis un militant du fédéralisme mais d'un fédéralisme non pas pour le fédéralisme mais d'un fédéralisme au service du développement économique et social, au service de la décentralisation, donc de la démocratie de proximité.
Autrement dit le seul argument qui vaille à mon sens est quelle est la dimension qui sied le mieux pour mettre en synergie une construction du mieux-être des populations et une gouvernance de proximité?
Parmi les nombreux écueils à éviter, celui d'une segmentation factice, sur des sables mouvants, débouchant in fine à un émiettement en bantoustans, peut-être excellent sur le plan démocratique mais sans aucune prise sur le développement économique.
Ce n'est pas à mon sens un problème de langues (européennes ou locales) et encore moins un simple problème de système politique mais, une question de géostratégie économique avec la nécessité d'une masse critique pour enclencher un cercle vertueux.
Au point où nous sommes dans ce pays et sur ce continent, à l'ère de la mondialisation et des grands ensembles économiques, on ne peut pas (continuer à) "diviser" sans afficher des objectifs clairs et nets en terme de bien-être pour tous.
Au bout du bout, ce n'est ni un gouverneur, ni un sénateur de plus ou de moins qui compte mais combien chaque jour, par centaine ou par millier, sortons-nous nos concitoyens, parents, frères et soeurs de la misère, en les élevant durablement au dessus du seuil de pauvreté, en leur offrant des perspectives de soins et d'éducation d'un autre standard que le grand désastre bien connu de tous ici.
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Emmanuel Elangwe United States Internet Explorer Windows
January 28, 2012 at 09:11
@ UPC 1948: You sound like the English version of "ME" a few years back. What you have described above is The Cameroon Problem. It would be disingenuous if I didn't agree with you on that part. What you still can't articulate properly is The Anglophone Problem. I'm not sure why, but I can only guess you are making the popular mistake of thinking the Anglophone problem is an infrastructural and developmental issue. It is not!!! It's a Political identification Issue. Bad roads and corruption are all indicators of The Cameroon Problem, unfortunately they are not essential to The Anglophone Problem. Do you understand where I'm coming from? The is An Anglophone Problem, along side A Cameroon Problem. You can't fix one without fixing the other. The Anglophone problem is not a divisive dogma; it's essentially a quest to accept the reality of our strange history and to recognize the existence of two un-identical systems in the same country. I'm sure you will agree with me that we all want a strong and prosperous Cameroon. But the truth is, you can't build a strong Cameroon without recognizing who we are. The UNION of the United States Of America is strong because it was built upon the differences in the political identity of the 1st 13 colonies. Sir, if history teaches us anything, it has been and will always be a serious mistake to ignore the differences in our political identity. Canada is a prosperous nation today with two language zones, because Canadians at one point understood that they must recognize their differences and only then, will they be able to build a better, peaceful and prosperous nation. This notion that addressing the The Anglophone Problem will lead to an eventual balkanization is...to put it nicely...crazy. The is so much Cameroon has to benefit from Anglophones (gush, forget about the natural resources), I can only cite a few like: The West Cameroon Legal System, The West Cameroonian legislative system etc I don't say this to say nothing good has come from East Cameroon though, don't get me wrong. We will get the best of each other only when we recognize our independent political identities. Oh BTW, The Germans didn't create CAMEROON. That too is a distortion of history. Just to show you how ridiculous that sounds, if you recognize the existence of a Cameroonian political conscience under the Germans, you must accept the existence of an equivalent British/Anglophone Cameroonian conscience since British mandate in Cameroon lasted twice as long as the German protectorate: Kamerun
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UPC 1948 United Kingdom Internet Explorer Windows
January 28, 2012 at 00:26
Parler d'un quelconque probleme anglophone comme certains le font ici et surtout cet article plus haut serait de passer completement a cote de la plaque. Au cameroun, on pourrait plutot et a raison parler de tribalisme,corruption,nepotisme et j'en passe. Peut-on nous repondre aux questions suivantes avec objectivite et sans passion ? D'ou vient le cameroon? Y-a-t'il un coin ou une region du Cameroun ou la misere et la mort ne regnent t'ils pas en maitre? Si d'aucuns pensent que le cameroun est domine par une region a savoir celle qu'on appelle francaise ou francophone et qui n'est francaise que de nom puisque la race, la culture et la geographie nous eloignent des vrais depositaires de ce nom et que par contre nous sommes simplement africains et freres avec ceux-la qui se morfondent dans l'appelation de "anglophone region" qui n'est aussi anglaise et anglophone que de nom puisque tout l'oppose au peuple british qui lui meme n'est british que de nom dans la mesure ou il est un melange heteroclite de divers etats ayant chacun une culture propre et un passe different individuellement. Historiquement le Cameroun fut une creation de l'Allemagne. Apres sa defaite a la fin de la premiere guerre mondiale cette puissance perdit ses colonies qui furent recuperees et partagees par les pays vainqueurs notamment l'Angleterre et la France. Alors ces derniers dans leur politique de "diviser pour mieux exploiter" paracheverent le morcellement du cameroun avec le referendum de 1961 ou une partie du cameroun se rattacha au nigeria malgre les efforts o combien salutaires des politiciens nationalistes tel John Ngu Foncha. Des lors le cameroun redevint un et un seul tel qu'il avait ete cree par l 'allemagne malgre le fait qu'il perdit une partie de lui meme. Voila donc succintement brosse l'origine de notre appartenance commune a la nation appellee Cameroun ou Cameroon selon qu'on veut. Si depuis bientot une vingtaine d'annees un certain groupuscule aux intentions inavouees voudrait rebalkaniser le cameroun comme l'ont fait deja les pays occidentaux exploitateurs a outrance de nos rechesses,c'est simplement a cause de leurs egoismes personnels. Dire qu'il y a un probleme entre les camerounais en utilisant les langues des autres(les langues europeenes a savoir le francais et l'anglais) comme origine du mal serait %%% et tres irresponsables. Nous devons etre sideres et revoltes lorsque certains camerounais rejettent d'autres camerounais sur la base de ces langues qui nous sommes tous etrangeres et qui nous ont ete imposees par l'homme blanc pendant sa pseudo mission civilisatrice du "sauvage". Le cameroun aujourd'hui est un pays completement malade. Tout y est a refaire et ce n'est pas par la division de cette nation que nous y parviendront. Au contraire,desunis nous serons encore plus faibles et plus vulnerables aux attaques de l'occident qui sans cesse veut reconquerir l'afriqu
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@Mesfao,
Je ne pense pas en 1961 quand la fédération existait on avait du pétrole dans les extincteurs de feu. Je ne suis pas naïf non plus d'oublier que les temps ont changé et que la fédération ne réglera pas tous les maux de la politique camerounaise.
T'as écris
" Federalism as a form of institutional and social organization is it able to overcome above thoses difficulties you have quite clearly identified?
Is it a solution to language discrimination?
Is it a solution to ethnic discrimination? "
Avec ton post qui en revient assez souvent, on se rend compte que l'interprétation de la question anglophone n'est pas la même qu'on soit anglophone ou francophone. Pourtant il a eu des "sages" comme Kmet Bantu et Wasih Ike ici sur le CIN qui ont exposé cet malaise. Pour voir plus clair, je vais poster deux postes issue du meme article posté sur Cameroon online; l'un le poste d'un francophone et la réponse venant d'un autre compatriote anglophone
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Here my touch of anxiety, see how you answer completely wrong if not anachronistic to a real problem : a language discrimination system impacting the so call "tribalisme d'Etat".
Federalism as a form of institutional and social organization is it able to overcome above thoses difficulties you have quite clearly identified?
Is it a solution to language discrimination?
Is it a solution to ethnic discrimination?
If you're not careful, this noble tool that is federalism, in some minds, will become without firing a shot, gasoline distributed in fire extinguishers!
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@Atem
At the end of the day, all we all want is a good system. There are merits for and against any political system including federalism. What I tend to hear from my anglophone brothers often sounds like federalism would solve every anglophone problem. No it won't. It would reduce the effect of some and would probably bring along some its own. Our big neighbour Nigeria has a federal system, it is all anglophone but you probably find self exiled Nigerians in every corner of the globe. Maybe one day we will have that federalism that we so long for. And hopefully we will not find ourselves faced with the same dilemas are before, with the new masters being the same as the old.
Have a good weekend!
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End @ The Future
Do you really think francophones are coming to anglophone schools to be anglophones? Don't cite example which initially look attractive but when you dig deeper, it's someone what complex. So you don't know inter-nationality of English couple with visa restrictions for studies in France and other francophone countries have pushed parents to diversify the education of their children to increase chances of them succeeding in countries like US, Canada, UK, Australia etc. In many master program including non english countries are given in English. The number of francophone cameroonians in the US will soon overtake even english speakers which wasn't the case some years back. France is broke and that's the trend. For you to bring it up as if those taking those studies aren't meant to further their studies elsewhere is strange. Last point, I've notice most of your post if not all are always in English on CIN just as if you wanted to keep an english presence (identity) as oppose to me where depending on my humour switches regularly yet the way you are downplaying the importance of this one which touches that same foundation is strange indeed.
The same article has been published on Cameroon online (mainly anglophone forum).
http://www.cameroononline.org/2012/01/27/anglophones-feel-like-a-subjugated-people/
Go and read the comments and tell if your opinions is generally shared by anglophones or if you are an outlier. Enjoy your weekend. shalom
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@The Future
I have gone through your post carefully. First are u afraid to call a spade a spade bro. Can you cite me one region in the SW which is culturally close to the west apart from Lebialem?
I find certain sections of your post arrogant indeed but before you want to get mad rapidly, read me out.
"Back to the Anglophone-Francophone argument, ...Those that are ignorant, incompetent or have had very little contact..."
Should I conclude that the lady (mentioned in this article), Fru Ndi and Foncha fall in one of the category you have mentioned above? What about the majority of anglophones? I like you had the chance not directly by schooling in bilingual school but actually growing up in the french part during my early years before moving to the english zone to master french. However should I think the rest should do like me. Yes if they can but I know they can't and won't term them with the wordings you have used. Now you go on to say they are bigger problems in the country than anglo/franco while citing francophones flooding into anglophone schools. The thing with you is that u take a picture and u analyze neglecting the process in which that picture is just an event.
1)When the gov't attempted to modify the anglophone educational system and there were protestations, wasn't the country facing tougher economic hardship.
2)Events leading to the creation of the university of Buea were tough, wasn't the country as a whole facing a hard time. If anglophones focused on the bigger problems, where would our educational system be today, wouldn't anglophones be flocking to Nigeria or elsewhere for University. They stood their grounds on what was a threat to their identity and now what are the results, francophones are coming to our schools and university because of the discipline and quality yet you ignore those who fought and even died to keep this particularity of our system. So what on earth do you mean by bigger problems? No anglophone candidate at the recent presidential election could avoid bringing up the federal issue. Even Kah Walla who had downplayed the issue before her tour of Limbe and Buea had it on because that's the message she is getting from the base. That's the same message this article is reflecting and for you to come up that those people are ignorant is irresponsible. The furthest you went was to say, there is an "element" of marginalization, really? If you have experience countries where minorities exist, you would know that identity plays further than all the "bigger problems" in your post.
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@Ndole
You have definitely picked the end point of my argument. Now regarding the way forward, are you afraid of the people? Constitutionalists came come out with different scenarios and the people just as the anglophone did in 1961 in which federated state their interest will be best guarded.
@LeJuif
You don't need CIN definitely to settle in Buea. If you have the will and the means, then you simply need to fly back home and negotiate a piece of land there. The climate in Buea especially uppertown is great.
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@TheFuture
"If you have been keenly observing educational demographics in Cameroon, you would realise that more and more so called francophones now send their children to english speaking schools"
Man, you know how to choose arguments and when to choose them. Congratulations!
But the more I read Atem, the more I understand him. Look in Germany! It is a federal country. Each "region" has more or less its "regional law" and a "regional government". So "dividing Cameroon" or "Federalism" is not necassarily bad.
I think that the big problem is: "how to divide?" And because I do not have an answer to that question, I think it is better to "bridge the differences".
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Am really tired to be Cameroonian, Anyway if i go back there i will live in Buea, if some one is from there and have a land, please let me know. I do like Anglophone people, fashion, culture and all.
i am sure my asian wife who speak English only and kids will be proud to live there.
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@Atem
"How homogenous is your argument bro? I thought u wrote that the SW was a natural associate of the center-south. Now you are backing down and implicitly citing Lebialem as being close to the West and of the heterogeneity of the SW region."
My argument does not have to be homogeneous, it just has to be consistent. While I did not mention Lebialem in my post, for you to pick it out of the other regions of the SW means you think they culturally fit in the west. Which kind of corroborates my point. And if you followed me well, you would have read that I believe that we should be thinking along the lines of bridging our differences, rather than how we keep groups separate from each other, because it is almost impossible to avoid conflict, no matter how you draw the lines.
Back to the Anglophone-Francophone argument, it is more a problem of ignorance according to my experience. Those that are ignorant, incompetent or have had very little contact with the other side tend to behave in the way that is described in the article. That happens in the anglophone region too including in public offices.
If you have been keenly observing educational demographics in Cameroon, you would realise that more and more so called francophones now send their children to english speaking schools. Do you really think these people want their children to be discriminated against?
To make my point clearer. Ignorance, tribalism and incompetence are bigger problems than the socalled anglo-francophone divide. I went to bilingual school and have lots of francophone mates. I speak french probably have of the time at home. While I am not denying that there is an element of the marginalisation of anglophones, I say that there are bigger problems that affect everyone in the country.
On the political choices made by of the SW vs NW I believe that each people make the choices that would bring them the most benefit. I do not think that voting the CPDM should necessarily give a region economic advantage. If that were the case, the south would be the most developed region of the country. I believe infrastructure should go to where it is needed most and where it would be most beneficial to the country. If it is therefore necessary to have University in the NW, then one should be built whether people in the NW vote CPDM or not. Now I am not a CPDM supporter but I think your point gives them credit.
I like to count myself amongst the generation that will make the difference. That will dismantle today's corrupt system, that will use the strengths of everyone and build a beautiful country. And I really believe that that not too far away from now...
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@Tomawoak
I think you don't understand the issue here. The issue here is not a problem between the common anglophone lamda and the common francophone beta or between these populations. Those boundaries any way cut through ethnic lines just as with national boundaries anyway. The issue here is how the gov't is organize and how these two groups perceive the gov't. The perception (be it consciously or unconsciously) that the gov't has put in place policies which puts at risk, linguistic minorities. Did you ever ask your self why this has taken importance only during the biya era?
Have you ever ask yourself why Europe is uniting now and not before. Do you think it would have been the case if everyone in the EU had to speak only english or German, or if 40 % of EU delegates came from Germany. Europe is uniting and strong in their unity because they have realize each nation has its particularities which should be suppressed. In this respect virtually each country has its delegate and if you are from slovakia and you ring an EU dep't, you are certain to find someone speaking your language and can address your concern. Look at the successive Biya gov'ts and more so the recent one and try to tick the boxes that apply for the EU and if still you can't understand why anglophones and other fault lines or division exists in Cameroon, then there is little I can do for you. The topic is probably is above your comprehension
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@The Future
Even the southwest itself is not culturally homogeneous!
How homogenous is your argument bro? I thought u wrote that the SW was a natural associate of the center-south. Now you are backing down and implicitly citing Lebialem as being close to the West and of the heterogeneity of the SW region. As a son of Manyu, I see little cultural affiliation with the centre-south if there is any with the littoral apart from traditional dressing which any way stretches eastward into Nigeria. That was the reason I mentioned generalizing the prominent division of the SW and in this case Fako to look as if all the SW is Fako isn't correct.
Now this article per say is not about the ethnic composition of the anglophone regions but the perception of equality and your initial post to me is simply raising dust in the air. So since it is one form of discrimination, let's close our eyes and forget it? What should the lady mentioned in this article do? Go back to B'da and come back when the lady would have learned English? With your style of thinking the GCE board would have disappeared a long time ago. That's a problem we southwesterners (some to be precise) have which is to be fatalist and when we see the NW frowning, we say those (chop broke pot) and dissociate ourselves from them. Almost as if dissociating ourselves from the NW makes us better or gives us any credit.Then we wonder why Buea as a region capital is one of the less attractive in the country despite voting CPDM 200% and Bamenda does simply the opposite but is getting those infrastructures and now even a university.
How do we bridge the gap then, that we suppress English and we all start speaking french? In this case, I have already bridge the gap as my french isn't that bad but I won't generalize my case to that many who didn't have the chance to speak french in their childhood must learn French to build that gap. I would rather say if they can't get a bilingual person in those administrative offices, then let there be two one anglophone and one francophone otherwise one group will feel alienated as it is the case exposed by this woman.
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Atem3H
Belgium
"If the west and Littoral can't get together, nothing stops them from forming separate entities"
I just wanted to show you that the way you see the division of Cameroon ist not necessarily the best.
I think TheFuture resumed my opinion: "the way forward is not how best we break it up, but how best we bridge the differences"
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Guys,
My question is why you guys are thinking of living while in the same time in the West they are getting together with all there differences, to be stronger! Dont you think there must be some thing wrong right here??? That is why we damn stupid negreos we will never make!!! If you to go please make your move and go. We with the rest Anglo-Franco will make it regardless of our many cultural differences! That is the beauty of the world we are living in today!!!
Inch Alhah
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@Atem
I am from the south west! I do not know what difference that makes. If it is the first time that you hear that the SW is culturally closer to the centre-south, then it is a chance to try to find out why I would say that. I suppose you are from the SW, so try to get closer to people from centre south.
Even the southwest itself is not culturally homogeneous! There are parts of it that would fit naturally in the west than in the rest of the SW. If you know Cameroon well, you would know that there are tribes that span artificial provincial boundaries. There are exactly the same people in SW and littoral, speaking the same dialect with no variations whatsoever. Similar thing with littoral and centre. The proximity of languages(dialects) and names is an indication of cultural closeness, and if you find out you will realise that SW and centre-south share quite alot.
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There is no place in Cameroon where one can see development, it's no just anglophone side that lack improvement. The Biya regime , for 30 years spend more time on rhetoric speeches than development.
Division is by far counter productive for the well being of the people.
Let's see there no adequate insfractructure from Douala to Yaounde' the Capital, there's no initiative to better our nation...
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@The Future
"The south west is a natural associate of the littoral and even the center-south, but way off from the north west."
This is the first time I am reading that the Southwest is close to the center-South and I am puzzle given I'm from the South West. If you don't find it too sensitive, can you tell me where you are from? Don't confuse Fako division (close to littoral) and the SW and likewise don't mix Mezam (close to the west) with the NW. The fact that these are the two prominent divisions in both regions doesn't make them generalities for those regions.
So where are from then? Please don't mix anti-bamileke sentiment in the francophone zone with the topic here. If you're an anglophone yo'll probably know we had same feeling towards the igbos before the Chinese came around and we found out we were fighting the wrong war or the wrong people. If you have good mastery of Cameroon history, you won't frame it the way you did and associating with ethnic hostilities
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@Ndole,
Littoral and West???????????? Please, don't understand me wrong
Be sure my friend that the frequent clash here on CIN between SOME of the bamileke tribe and SOME of either the Beti or Sawa ethnic groups hasn't escape my attention.
Do you really think from this side of the Mungo, we care more or less about these conflicts or stupidities. If the west and Littoral can't get together, nothing stops them from forming separate entities.
Le Juif
The long term goal I do agree is not separation but a just and balanced redistribution of powers and resources.
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@TheFuture
Yes!
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correction -
the way forward is not how best we break it up, but how best we bridge the differences.
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The real problem is that we have been forced to main imperialist division lines for over the years. While the south west and the north west may have inherited the english language from the colonial past, they culturally have very little in common. The south west is a natural associate of the littoral and even the center-south, but way off from the north west. Discrimination in Cameroon exists and has many facets, anglo-franco being just one of them. There is a strong anti-bami feeling with the francophone community for example. They could cry maginalisation as well. Differences will always remain, even if we break the country into minute pieces. The way forward is how best to break it up, it how best we bridge the differences.
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I am from littoral, but i would like you guys to know that we and the people of west are not compatble.
The problem of Cameroon is for us Littoral, south west. North west, to be one country. This is the best solution for i think. If we are independant we gonna earn more our living, let's think about that.
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@Atem3H
Littoral and West???????????? Please, don't understand me wrong. It is a good attempt, but I think you and me do not live the same realities of Cameroon?
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There is need for a fundamental change in how this country is run for long term peace. A federation of another kind is needed to bring mobility into a system full of inertia.
We know the major blocks which constitute lines of affiliations and they include, the 3 Muslim regions, 3 Southern regions (East, Centre and South), 2 western regions (Littoral and West) and finally the anglophone regions. As long as this sense of injustice stays and rises, trouble is never far away.
I think the positioning anyway now is towards the after biya era.
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Cameroon: Anglophones Feel Like a Subjugated People |
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YAOUNDE, Jan 26, 2012 (IPS)
© Ngala Killian Chimtom (IPSNews) | Correspondance |
27 Réactions |
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When Cameroon’s President Paul Biya announced that the 50th anniversary of the reunification of French and British Cameroon will take place later this year, it resurrected bitter feelings among Anglophone Cameroonians who say they do not feel like equal partners with their Francophone counterparts. |
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Jannette Ngum, a primary school teacher from the English-speaking Northwest Province, said she would love to never have anything more to do with Francophones in Cameroon. In this West African nation, Anglophones make up a minority, about 20 percent of the country’s 20 million people, and most live in the country’s two English-speaking regions, Southwest and Northwest Provinces.
Ngum’s frustration comes after the shabby treatment she received at the Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reform when she went to Yaoundé to follow up on her job application to the public service.
"When I spoke in English the lady frowned and said ‘Je ne connais pas votre patois –la’, which literary translates into ‘I don’t understand that dialect of yours.’’’
"Instead of serving me, she continued playing cards on her computer. But when a colleague of mine came in and spoke in French, he got what he wanted in seconds. Yet the constitution clearly states that English and French are the official languages in Cameroon, and therefore equal in status," she told IPS.
But Ngum’s experience is a common one among Anglophone Cameroonians. Michael Ndobegang, a history lecturer in the University of Yaoundé, said that Anglophones in Cameroon feel "reduced from partners of equal status to a subjugated people."
According to Ndobegang, Anglophones have been systematically removed from the centres of power, with unwritten laws making it impossible for them to hold certain key government positions. Since independence, no Anglophone has ever been a Minister of Defense, Finance, Education or even Foreign Affairs.
"Anglophones have been appointed mainly into subordinate positions to assist Francophones, even where the latter have been less qualified or incompetent. This is the dilemma of the Anglophone in Cameroon", Ndobegang told IPS.
In June 1990, J.N.Foncha, the main architect of the federal state, resigned from government saying that "the constitutional provisions which protected the Anglophone minority have been suppressed, their voice drowned..."
Economically, Anglophones also feel exploited. "Cameroon’s oil comes from the Southwest Provincce. How come the road network in the region has been abandoned?" Fru Ndi, the Anglophone opposition leader of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), asked during a rally in Buea, in the run-up to the October 2011 presidential election in Cameroon.
He also blasted successive Francophone administrations for killing the vibrant economy of the British Cameroons. "Small- and medium-sized enterprises in the region, such as the West Cameroon Development Agency, Power CAM, and the West Cameroon Marketing Board have been destroyed," he told his supporters during the rally.
Ndi, initially opposed to the idea of secession from Francophone Cameroon, seems to have changed his mind. "If the SDF is again denied victory during this year’s parliamentary elections, then I will be left with no other option than to join the SCNC," Ndi told members of the SDF’s National Executive Committee on Jan. 19. The SCNC or Southern Cameroons National Council is a secessionist movement.
Anglophones are also at odds with what they perceive as discriminatory practices when it comes to recruitment into the civil service.
The historians, Nantang Jua and Piet Konnings, said that in "February 2003, it was announced that there were only 57 Anglophone youths among the more than 5,000 new recruits into police academies. The next month, records show that there were only 12 Anglophones among the 172 recruits into the customs department."
Years later, not much has changed. Statistics from the Ministry of Public Service and Administration Reform indicate that of the 25,000 young certificate holders recruited into the public service last year, less than 2,000 were Anglophones.
This, the authors say, has created an Anglophone consciousness of "the feeling of being re-colonised and marginalised in all spheres of public life and thus being second-class citizens in their own country." Government though denies the fact that there is an Anglophone problem in Cameroon. Instead, its strategy has been to use state violence against secessionist groups. And some of the Anglophone elite have been co-opted into government to down play the existence of a problem.
But Cameroon’s scholar and political scientist, Emmanuel Tatah Mentan, has described such elite as "impostors, unrecognised leaders and emissaries of "La Republique du Cameroun."
Meanwhile, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Cameroon’s reunification will take place in Buea, the capital of the southwest region.
"It is just natural; it is true to the history of this country," says Mbella Moki Charles, the Mayor of Buea, of the celebration that will be hosted by his town. But the national communication secretary for the SCNC has said that Biya will be attending the celebrations in Buea as a foreign head of state. "We have been inviting other heads of state and Biya, the president of La Republique du Cameroun, is also invited," he told IPS.
Political Punch, a regional newsletter with SCNC sympathies, has called for the president to apologise to Southern Cameroonians before going to Buea.
"For the past 20 years, over 700 Southern Cameroonians have been arrested, dragged to court and charged for secession for simply honoring the date of Oct. 1 as a historic and most important date in this country," the publication said, revealing that over 100 lives have been lost in the process.
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