ninehillsRAMBLE in the JUNGLE
Camerounese Senate?
By Wanaku Verdzekov · · The Cameroons
Tags: house-of-chiefs, institutions, 1972
This is another leaf added to the pages of illegalities in this union, as far as former British Southern Cameroons is concerned.
Dismantling our House of Chiefs in 1972 was a deliberate move to completely destabilize the very foundation of the basic structure of our families, and of the framework that builds them up into a community of indigenous people.
For more of the facts, read Bongfen Chem-Langhee's article, The Origin of the Southern Cameroons House of Chiefs. It traces how the Southern Cameroons House of Chiefs, which lasted from 1960 to 1972, grew out of the precolonial organization of the fondoms, the German and British approaches to administration, events in Nigeria, the educated elite's need for the support of traditional leaders, and the determination of the traditional authorities to remain the final indigenous decision-makers of Southern Cameroons.
— Wanaku Verdzekov
Reading & grammar
Reading level: Gr 10–12
Understand
- What did the 1972 dismantling of the House of Chiefs do, according to the author?
- What factors produced the Southern Cameroons House of Chiefs?
- Why might a House of Chiefs matter for families and communities?
Grammar focus: summarizing a source. Instead of a long quote, the post summarizes Chem-Langhee's article in one sentence and names the source. Summaries must be shorter and in your own words, but still credit the author.
Try it: Summarize one of the longer posts you have read in two sentences, crediting the author.
Discuss: Should traditional rulers have a formal role in government today? Argue.