UNPACKING DICTATORSHIP IN AFRICA: MY EXPERIENCE IN CAMEROON

--- On Mon, 8/15/05, Jonathan Awasom <wisesayings10@yahoo.com> wrote:  

Country of birth and citizenship: Republic of Cameroon

Location: Central, West Africa

Aim: Creating awareness about dictatorship in order to safeguard and promote human dignity 

                                   

My experience of Dictatorship  in Cameroon

A true story of an immigrant from Cameroon and how he grapples with the questions of Democracy from a society that is still bed ridden by dictatorship, Exporting and importing democracy, American foreign policy, the call and greatness of America, International Community, 2004 Presidential elections in Cameroon, Preemptive Peace Building in Cameroon. An outside perspective can make a huge difference in the way we see others and ourselves.

Multi-ethnicity in Africa

The origin of every country in Africa is embedded in a complex multi-ethnic group of black multiple races of people. These people of color by no fault of theirs were linked up with a particular cultural identity and ethnic heritage. The natural shifts in customs and other occurrences in the socio-cultural and political relationships and interaction among different tribes and ethnicities resulted into land acquisition and the establishment of boundaries separating one ethnic group from the other. People were easily drawn together through a common element of tribal language, which facilitated communication and social interaction under shared customs and values per their cultural heritage.

In that way, they regrouped and made their own local leaders known as Fons, Lamidos and chiefs in the particular stretch of land( region or territory) where they settled. These traditional leaders represented the heritage of the people who gave ultimate loyalty to them. They ruled the tribes through their own local councils, quarter heads and wise men. It is hard to keep track of how each tribe or ethnic group came into being but the separation of people from one multi-ethnic group to the other across the continent of Africa was made easy through the creation of countries. Countries were separated from each other through territorial boundaries due to the influence of the western colonial powers during the scramble for territories in Africa in the 19th century. Each country was left to deal with their own ethnicity especially as colonial languages and cultures were imposed on them to ease national communication.

I found myself as a Cameroonian in this context. I could be a citizen of any of the countries of Africa if my great grandparents were not Cameroonians. Any African had to be a native of one ethnic group or the other. In fact, they were bound to be in the continent and be defined by the reality of ethnicity, tribes and colonialism. Africans would be neither French speaking nor English speaking if the colonial powers did not storm Africa for territories. Therefore, the history of each country cannot be told without due consideration to the impact of colonial powers on it.

In recent times, the history of Cameroon within the eyes of the international community does not reside with the internal challenges of ethnicity, at least, it is only mentioned in passing whereas a lot of attention is paid on the activities of the colonial powers. In the light of this assertion, it is proper that I proceed to state the history of Cameroon through the lens of colonization . I strongly believe that it will be a fitting account that will suit the purpose of this book on my experience of democracy in Cameroon and the question of imperialism.

History of Cameroon

The Republic of Cameroon also known in French as La Republique du Cameroon is located in the Central West Coast of Africa near Nigeria, Garbon, Chad and Central African Republique and has a population of about 19 million people. Cameroon was colonized by three great powers in Europe. The Germans annexed Cameroon until the end of the First World War one. They built relationship through the local leaders. In the North West Province of Cameroon, a significant landmark of the Germans is the palace of the Fon of Bafut, the Governor’s office and the British Library in Bamenda.It is one of the greatest touristic sites in the North West Province reminiscent of German foothold in Bamenda.

The Germans did not retain their acquired terroritories after losing in the 2^nd World War. They were forced to relinquish the terroritories ,which were divided between the French and the British. The French were given the largest portion of Cameroon and the British had a small part of Cameroon closer to Nigeria. The reason being that the British had already taken colonized Nigeria and the small part of Cameroon was only an addition to the colony of Nigeria. It should be noteworthy that the French part of Cameroon constituted 80% of the country and the English part was 20%. That part of Cameroon under the British rule was further divided into North West and South West of Cameroon now also called Southern Cameroon

These two distinct administrative parts of Cameroon was under the control of both colonial masters as each of them administered the states in accordance with their political systems. The French rule was more direct whereas the English rule was indirect. These gab in the style of administration affected the development of both states. As a matter of fact, the French part of Cameroon was more developed than the English part due to the fact that the French were directly involved in the day-to-day running of the country. As colonial conquest started wavering due to an increasing sense of nationalism, Cameroon was placed under a UN trusteeship after the Second World War 11 in 1946.

At that juncture, Cameroon was still a two separate state with different cultural characters, which was bequeathed to them by their masters. The French people injected their culture into the French part of Cameroon and the British did the same thing to the English part of Cameroon. As a consequence, both parts had different perceptions and appreciation of life out of the circle of their indigenous cultures. The French and British cultures were legalized as the dominant cultural heritage engraved in the French and English languages. These two official languages were the most accurate medium of communication among the numerous tribes and different languages. I have the feeling that it helped to facilitate the cause of unification among the people even though that leaves much to be desired today.

When, Cameroon was placed under UN Trusteeship, Cameroon’s People Union (UPC) was the first nationalist movement geared toward the unification of the two parts of Cameroon. Unfortunately, it was sidelined by the French and projected as a communist movement with a divisive revolutionary desire against the people. It suffered a serious setback and was crushed. Some of the ring leaders were killed. However, part of its agenda was secretly carried through when in 1957  Cameroon became an independent autonomous State. The part that was scary to the French was the campaign of UPC to completely break up from French rule whether direct or neo-colonial and be purely independent from any colonial influence.

The French saw that as a threat to their interest in Cameroon. This was not all about the autonomy. The front-runners to every cause regarding the fate of the two parts of Cameroon were the undisputed persons empowered to form an autonomous government. This was achieved under the leadership of  Dictator Ahmadou Ahidjo in 1959. A year after, in January 1960, Cameroon became an independent Republic and he became the first President of Cameroon. As you would notice, such a sequence of political and diplomatic events took place within the setting of the French part of Cameroon. The English part of Cameroon had a different political set up that was not connected with the French. Yet, there seem to have existed a compelling and appetizing need for the English to reunite with their “brothers and sisters”, known to be the French. That act was committed in February 1961 after all things were considered. It later became a phony agreement because the terms were not respected.

The request that the English part of Cameroon should choose to join either Nigeria or their French brothers and sisters did not have to pose any controversy later. It was deeply rooted in the sub-conscious minds of the English Cameroonians that they should belong together with the French and that their separation was caused by the activities of the colonial masters. Also, the time difference for them to rethink such a reunification with either French or Nigeria was relatively short for a lifelong decision to be made. I wonder if the decision makers such as Hon S.T Muna and Hon J .N Foncha had enough time to explore the consequences of their actions.

I wonder if they were given sufficient time to question the political and diplomatic implications of such an action. Finally, by the time the two parts of Cameroon were reunited, the British were completely out of the show. The only colonial power with a heavy influence on Cameroon was the French. Until this day, Cameroon is known as a former French colony and unofficially Cameroonians know that the French is the post –colonial master of Cameroon, which is also universally acknowledged. I grew up to realize that Cameroon was in two unequal parts. Therefore, those who seek Federalism are justified because it is one of the ways to enhance balance of power.

Post -Colonization

At this period in history, colonization and post –many Africans often view colonization with skepticism. They make a strong case like in the case of Cameroon that because of French investments there and given that it is one of the main markets of French products, the government of France will never be impartial in their relationship with the country. I think they argue further that the French is only interested in themselves and have not bothered about the common people in Cameroon. They accused the French for sponsoring a totalitarian regime composed of people who will protect their interest from real nationalists who rather want to break up from them. This allegation and accusation sounds legitimate because it was the French Government that frustrated the first nationalist party, the UPC.

Cameroon “freedom fighters” see the French as a threat to the prosperity of Cameroon and their wish is that the French should change their ways and deal with Cameroon in a different way. Even though they do not say this out rightly, I have figured out that they are concerned about the post-colonial rule of the French. That is not all the concerns because after the reunification of the two parts of Cameroon in January 1961, the English Cameroonians have not been contented with the reunion. Many of the people of Southern Cameroon have accused the French government and the French part of Cameroon for not being honest in the reunion. The political and cultural landscape is totally imbalance and this has created problems of domination and marginalization by the French Cameroon.

There are also language and communication barriers because the two official languages are French and English (not everybody is able to speak both or even either of them), accusations and counter accusations between the French and English Cameroonians over the reunification question and how the piece of pie is shared between the French and the English. The switching of the political and national identity from United Republic of Cameroon to Republic of Cameroon was a major shift that happened after Paul Biya became President in 1982. This was not embraced by the English speaking Cameroonians because of the history of the former two Federated States of Cameroon. Political experts saw that shift as contempt of the reunification treaty in 1961. As a result Southern Cameroon nationalist started advocating for a revisit of the past.

As a minority part of Cameroon, many believe that a return to the former Southern and Northern Cameroon would be a definite solution to the problem of marginalization by the corporate French meaning France and French Cameroon. Within the rank and file of Southern Cameroon leadership, a consistent message is articulated in the struggle to be free from domination and marginalization. To show that they are serious, the Southern Cameroon National Conference (SCNC) is now a pressure group that is campaigning for the return to the two states. Though there is a flagrant resistance of this notion by the French, it is one of the national movements that cannot be ignored when talking about the English Cameroon and the political problems in Cameroon.

The history of Cameroon was built over time with a dedicated and conscious effort to ensure that the people were united as one and indivisible nation. Both, the founding fathers of the two states did not envisage that such a reunion would cost so much frustration to the English Cameroonians. The English representatives were serious that they wanted to reunite with their brothers and sisters of the French Cameroon. But as human beings will have it, people have not been honest in their interpretation of the reunion and that is why many English Cameroonians feel terrible and betrayed.

I cannot argue completely against colonial rule in Africa or gainsay the benefits of the partition of Africa. On the contrary, many of the powers of the west that colonized Africa made a huge difference in ways that one could not undermine it. They affected our country in the area of education, health care and infrastructures. The British and Germans, like missionaries had no bad intention even though they were accused of exploiting the natural resources of Cameroon and rendering the country poor. I am not sure that the idea of post-colonial rule can be blamed only on the Western powers because the leaders of our country are in a position of changing the state of affairs and turning our country around.

These leaders have enriched themselves with the country‘s natural resources and foreign banks can testify that Cameroonian leader have orchestrated an illegal practice capital flight. The French like any other smart businessperson has benefited from the greed and the divisions among Cameroonians to keep their businesses functioning smoothly in the country. Therefore, I also hold Cameroon leaders responsible for our plight because of their lack of patriotism. The rest of the Cameroonians who want the French influence to be checked are branded as enemies of the unity of the country while the Southern Cameroon advocates are sometimes branded as trouble a makers. To the best of my knowledge, they are fighting for their human rights as a separate state, which in my own standpoint could be achieved through the federal system.

However, the history of Cameroon justifies the quest for the separation of the two states even if it that is no longer desired by the administration. One of the metaphors used to underscore the significance of this separation was the use of religious symbol of marriage. Many described the reunion as a marriage of inconvenience, which will eventually fall apart. One Cameroonian journalist, Victor Epie Ngome described it in strong  religio-political  terms as “What God had put asunder”. This religious rhetoric insinuates that people had put together the two states, which was not what God wanted.

This was a spin on “ what God had put together, let no man put asunder” and in as much as it is a pointer to the challenges that arise from a marriage that is not authentic so too it is with a reunion that was not constructed on sound principles such as freedom, honesty, truth, conscience and transparency. As of today, Cameroon has ten provinces and out of the ten provinces two are English speaking and eight of them are French speaking. Like Canada, Cameroon is bilingual but the French dominate in Cameroon while in Canada, the English dominate!!

This is the country that has defined me for the 29 years that I lived there as an English Cameroonian in the middle of  French and English ways especially in language. I have lived the experience and known the troubles and the challenges of adapting in a country where one was obliged to study both languages in order to survive. Yet it is rewarding to be multi-lingual since I speak three languages. Cameroon like other countries in Africa is a broken union of tribes and ethnic groups that have infiltrated the socio-political and economic landscape of the country. The colonial masters cannot be completely held accountable for the troubles of Cameroon.

In fact, they seem to have resolved some of the problems because I am just wondering how our country would look like without the influence of the western powers? I am really wondering and trying to figure out how life would have been without the British and the French. May be we would have been fighting always and killing ourselves over the rich natural resources and over other issues. I want to be clear that I am completely incompetent to establish a case against western influence because the good of it override the bad of it. I will welcome any contrary thoughts to this anyway from the Cameroon academia. In the meantime, was colonial rule a necessary evil ?

The Totalitarian Government in Cameroon

I lived in Cameroon since I was born till I was 29 before leaving to the US. Before I left Cameroon, I was already aware of its political culture and democracy dating particularly from 1990. I was born and raised in Cameroon. I belong to the Mankon tribe out of more than 150 tribes. I attended the Presbyterian Elementary School in Mankon, Presbyterian Grammar School Mankon, Government High School, Mbengwi in Memo Division in the North West Province and at the Protestant Faculty of Theology in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon.  My story is not about the days before independence and up to 1969 when I was born. If you would like to refresh your memory about Cameroon prior to my existence and awareness, you need to go back to the history of Cameroon, which I have briefly examined above.

Even when I was 12 years, I could barely figure out what was happening in the country in the political realm. I was not very much in tuned with the political games regarding the question of sovereignty, cultural identity and reunification. I know that one thing was clear. When I was in Grammar School we were bound to participate in National Day celebration, which is 20^th of May every year. On this day in 1960, Cameroon became independent from the French. Another National Day was 11^th of February, which marks the day the English part of Cameroon reunited with the French part of Cameroon.

After independence in 1960, President Admadou Adhidjo became the first totalitarian President and he ruled Cameroon from 1960 till 1982 through totalitarian principles. During that period, there were periodic Presidential elections conducted in a wishy-washy fashion in which they were no rival candidates whatsoever. He had denounced the formation of political parties and the citizens who were behind UPC, for instance fled the country for fear of being killed. We had only one party rule and all Cameroonians were forced to identify with. He was chairman and President of his party known as Cameroon National Union (CNU) and no opposition, debates, arguments and moreso no liberals and conservatives in the parliament.

Parliamentarians were often called hand clappers or stooges who did not resonate with the people they were representing. It is essential to know that the disconnect between the parliamentarians and the people is a glaring testimony to the impact of totalitarian rule on Cameroonian political landscape. Parliamentarians were appointed through party organs in the different constituencies and the people were forced to vote them by acclamation. Every moment when Presidential election was announced, it was no event because people were manipulated to vote for one candidate. They unequivocally gave their mandate to President Adhidjo by a kind of acclamation after being rallied and forced to show up at polling stations to vote.

I recall that my father had a voting card and it was unheard of for anyone not to possess one. At one point in time, it was one of the identification papers that men moved about with because if the police asked for it and they did not present it, they would be arrested, tortured and locked up. It was unheard of to criticize the administration or dare say anything that was contrary to the statusquo. After Presidential elections was conducted, the results was an overwhelming score of at least, 99.5 % as an approval of the leadership and government of Dictator Adhidjo.Such political exercise were conducted after every five years and there was a slogan that “five more years”. It went like that after every five years for 30 years before he was overthrown through a bloodless revolution.

Around 1982, I was still in grammar school and we knew very little about the state of affairs at the capital and Presidency. However, based on the constitution of Cameroon, the President was all-powerful in all the arms of government especially as the constitution did not make provision for the separation of powers. As a result, the President would appoint and dismiss the Prime Minister, Judges of the high and supreme courts, Ministers and Governors and other key positions in the national territory. The President had preponderant powers vested on him by the constitution that was drafted to suit the whims and caprices of a few individuals and may be the post-colonial power. In the wake of this circumstance, Cameroonians were subjected to a totalitarian rule marked by unfair trials and hasty judgments and unjust practices by a bunch of unjust judges. The judiciary system was one of the most dangerous arms of the government, which operated in the dark in favor of  the regime and mostly the rich. This type of government transcended the regime of President Ahidjo to that of his successor.

The Resignation of President Ahmadou Ahidjo coming up Next