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RAMBLE in the JUNGLE

CAMEROONS Crisis: Oui or Non m'sieu?

By Wanaku Verdzekov · · Africa & the Gulf of Guinea

Tags: france, negotiation, ambazonia

Signing anything with Franco-Cameroun without France is a WASTE of EVERYONE's time, and it is playing the game France has played in Africa since 1944.

If Franco-Camerouneses cannot say "NON, M'SIEU" to France, do you expect them to say "Oui, m'sieu" to British Cameroons (South), aka AMBAZONIA?

Africans, there is an intruder in the house. TURN ON THE LIGHTS (in your mind, your brain) so you don't hurt your own "children".

Ija'iku fɨlasi!

— Wanaku Verdzekov

Reading & grammar

Reading level: Gr 9–11

Understand

  1. Why does the author think signing agreements without France is a waste of time?
  2. What does "Oui, m'sieu" suggest about power?
  3. What does "turn on the lights" mean in the last paragraph?

Grammar focus: code-switching. The author mixes English and French ("Non, m'sieu"). Switching languages mid-text, code-switching, can show identity, irony or who holds power.

Try it: Find another place in the posts where the author switches language. What effect does it have?

Discuss: In a dispute, should negotiators speak each other's language or use a neutral one? Argue.