New Cameroon Views Blog: The Anglophone (Cameroon) Problem Resurfaces (Culled)

Monday, July 9, 2018

The Anglophone (Cameroon) Problem Resurfaces (Culled)

Cameroon's biggest problem is the six-decade old French-imposed system (under the custody of Mbida, Ahidjo and Biya). The country's second biggest problem and first minority problem today is the Anglophone problem. I wonder who would want to refuse that. I wonder too if there is any Anglophone Cameroonian out there who has not suffered or been disadvantaged because of his/her Anglophone identity. Some people have suffered even more because they have an added coat to their Anglophoneness (Anglophone identity). The issue is the way Anglophone Nationalists (not Anglophone Union Nationalists) present Cameroon's history, especially that of Southern Cameroons vis-à-vis the rest of Cameroon. These our brothers who oppose the system like us, ostracize a broad section of Cameroonians (Anglophone Union Nationalists and Francophone Union Nationalists)who want to get rid of the system and the Biya regime---the majority actually, when they distort or negate(deliberately or unconsciously) the history of our traumatized land.

No thriving society can be built on half-truth or falsehood. Cameroonian Union Nationalists (Anglos and Francos) often feel like pulling their hair out when the distorted history of Cameroon is thrown at their faces by both the evil French-imposed system and some Anglophone nationalist who oppose it. Some of us might not want to accept it, but the system and Anglophone Nationalists strengthen each other on this issue and weaken the core of Cameroonians (the vast majority of Union Nationalists who oppose the system, recognize Cameroon’s history from conception to today, agonize over Cameroon's trauma, dream of the New Cameroon and strive to make something positive out of Cameroon's bilingual heritage and traumatic history.)

When an Anglophone in trying to vent against the system lumps all Francophones as the enemy or culprit, he/she risks alienating the majority of Francophones who are against the system too, recognize and sympathize with the Anglophone problem, appreciates Anglophone values and look at Anglophones as brothers/sisters. And without knowing it , the Anglophone nationalist risks making the Francophone Union Nationalist to regard not only him with distrust, but even Anglophone Union Nationalist too. And only the French-imposed system, the Biya regime and special interest groups benefit from such a distortion of Cameroonian reality.

I respect an Anglophone Nationalist who builds his Southern Cameroons case from 1918. That is based on historical logic if not fact. Beyond 1918, it becomes something else. We can always demand separate identities whenever there was a historical separation. We first became Cameroonians as German Kamerunians. We later became British Cameroonians and French Cameroonians. We are Cameroonians today. And today all Cameroonians whose modern historical evolution began as Kamerunians are victims of a historical deception in the name of the French-imposed system hatched by De Gaulle, Jacques Foccart and Louis-Paul Aujoulat. We have to join hands and free ourselves, and then build the NEW CAMEROON that was first envisaged by our first nationalists--- led by Kamerunians Martin Paul Samba (Mebenga Mebono and Rudolf Manga Bell).