THE RETURN OF THE EXILES:

Map of the World

Cameroon on a Map of the World

Description from Triple Agent, Double Cross

CAMEROON

On my forsaken deserted niche,

Sounds of silent memories abound,

Their meaning like a dead weight on my soul,

Their images like a picturesque view in my mind.

Our dreams transpire like a train to my goals.

Cameroon sustains my hopes and dreams

            How will I live through my required exile?

            How will I close my eyes to my sick fatherland?

            Can I forget about our Cameroon for a while?

            Can I detach myself from the struggle?

            Can I be apart from the liberation of my fatherland?

    Written while on a train from Moscow-Minsk                          October 01, 1995

An exile is one who lives voluntarily or against his will, out of the country he identifies himself with because of the unaccommodating system back in the homeland. The exile fears for his life, his freedom, his family and the arrested development of the world he identifies with in his home country. Though being threatened by annihilation, the exile continues to see himself as an unyielding opponent that would forever be committed to bring the system down. The exile’s cause is justified if its purpose is to alleviate the wellbeing of the vast majority of the oppressed people he identifies with, and seeks for the advancement of humanity in the process. He is hailed all the more if the progressive ideas he professes are not welcomed by the system because it stands as a threat to their selfish and oppressive rule. As is often the case, the causes espoused by exiles with the human touch are right; and most often, their lives in exile are gruesome.

      Committed exiles with a clearly defined thought formulation, especially an ideology that is understood  or is being rapidly  embraced  by the oppressed  and struggling  masses that need freedom from the oppressive system; and who have an effective organisation, leadership and  resources;  are the  most potent  threat  to the system they oppose  if they are prepared to confront  it  all the way  until they replace it with a progressive, free, democratic and prosperous system.

     It has been observed that the external awareness of the exiles’ cause, the limitlessness of their resources and the wide space within which to operate, make them the winners in a clearly defined struggle.  The committed exiles are the revolutionaries.

      The history of humanity has shown that revolutions have mostly been led by exiles. The French revolution, inspired by the American Revolution, was heavily influenced by Frenchmen from America. Russian exiles, though wretched and deprived, mustered their enthusiasm, ideology and simple purpose, and led the workers and peasants into realising the most far-reaching revolution of the century. Ho Chi Minh returned from exile, rallied the Vietnamese people and rid the north of Vietnam of French rule. His legacy would later chase the Americans out of the south. Mahatma Ghandi was an exile. Laurent Kabila kept alive the Lumumba legacy to return and kick Mobutu out of Zaire. Kagame took Rwanda from exile.  The ANC returned from internal and external exile to realise the most peaceful revolution in Africa. The list goes on and on.

     Today, the vast majority of the people accept that political change through the machinery put in place by the system is impossible. Change can only be realised by a massive uprising by the struggling, cheated, dynamic and patriotic masses who are overwhelmingly in opposition to the system and the current Biya regime; or by soldiers of the future revolution who would have to risk their lives to realise the hopes, aspirations and dreams of the patriotic struggling masses. Logic, rationale, hopes and demands call for adequate preparation and   the spread of the national idea that would have to replace the current anachronistic system. Such a colossal task would require the huge contribution of men who have tasted exile’s bitterness, who cherish the Cameroonian identity; it would require the involvement of men who have been planning, scheming and working for the liberation of the nation in its entirety. Exiles of the revolutionary strain are expected to be patriots and union nationalists to the core; they are expected to be men who in their all-embracing dreams for a progressive Cameroon, prefer to live in any part of the free Cameroon  rather than abroad.

        The system that has been oppressing Cameroonians and the Biya regime that took over its leadership are doomed to fail. They have made dialogue, compromise and understanding impossible with patriots who have suffered to realise Cameroon’s progress, freedom and reputation as an aspiring humane society; and they are continuing to persecute, eliminate and deprive these patriots with noble intentions of their attachment to Cameroon. To deprive a human being the peace he/she requires at home is to deny the person happiness. For no matter how you look at it, Cameroon’s exiles who are hunted at home are the initiated soldiers of the country’s unity, freedom and democratic drive; they uphold the values of humanism that would give the country an honourable place amongst the society of progressive nations. These exiles are the biggest assets for the revolution that a stalled quest for change requires.

     The future new Cameroon would have to reconcile itself with its past. It would have to give every single Cameroonian the opportunity to start a new chapter in their lives and make honourable contributions to the country’s progress. The future new Cameroon would have to forgive. But then , what do we do with the upholders of the outdated system  who do not want to embrace the future, who  are continuing to  ensure that  Cameroon’s children do not return to the fatherland  that they love? The future, new, united, free and progressive Cameroon harnessing the potentials of its returned exiles and guided by its union nationalism, would be flexible or even magnanimous enough in dealing with its unrepentant citizens.

Tchouteu Janvier                                           26-10-1997.

 Culled by Janvier T. Chando, author of “FALLEN HEROES: African Leaders Whose Assassinations Disarrayed the Continent and Benefitted Foreign Interests”

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