Glossary of Kom, Pidgin, French and Political Terms

Words from the readings that are not standard English. Meanings are given as the author uses them. Kom spellings use the letter ɨ (a vowel between "i" and "u").

Kom (itaŋiKom)

Term	Meaning
itaŋiKom	the Kom language
Fòyn (Fon)	the king of Kom, a political and spiritual leader
KwiFòyn	the council or institution that guards Kom tradition
Nandóŋ	the founding mother of the Kom people
wâyn nà wom	"child of my mother": how Kom people greet each other as kin
Nchînɨ̀Kòm	the Kom way of life; Kom tradition
ghelɨ ghɨ báŋnɨ / ghel bangnɨ	"red people": the Kom name for Europeans
mukomangoh	Kom people
AsaeNdosɨ	"house foundations": the families or clans that make up Kom
Nyamabo	a person of good standing and good behaviour
Nyamfɨkah	literally "bush animal": a person who behaves without dignity or "home training"
nte'	a village quarter
AfoaKom	a sacred carved figure of the Kom Kingdom, stolen in 1966 and returned in 1973
iBoisɨ, Jvɨ kɨti, Wakikɨki	Kom sign-offs the author uses at the end of posts

Cameroonian Pidgin English

Term	Meaning
potopoto	mud
chop broke pot	"eat and break the pot": greedy, wasteful consumption, especially of public money
bendskin	a motorbike taxi
njangi	a savings group whose members take turns receiving the pooled money
pickin	child
Wuna leave them	"Leave them alone" (to a group)

French

Term	Meaning
gendarme	a member of a military police force
oui, m'sieu	"yes, sir": used by the author for obedience without thought
n'importe quoi	"any old thing": nonsense
la galère	a hard, miserable life
Après moi, le déluge	"After me, the flood": a ruler who does not care what happens after he is gone

Political terms and abbreviations

Term	Meaning
Anglophone / Francophone	English-speaking / French-speaking
Southern Cameroons	the southern part of the former British Cameroons, now Cameroon's North-West and South-West regions
Ambazonia	the name used by those who seek independence for the former Southern Cameroons
LRC	La République du Cameroun: the author's name for the Cameroonian state
UPC	Union of the Peoples of Cameroon, an independence party banned in 1955
CNU / CPDM	Cameroon National Union (single party from 1966) / Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (its successor, from 1985)
SDF	Social Democratic Front, the main opposition party from 1990
SCNC	Southern Cameroons National Council, formed in the 1990s to seek self-rule
BIR	Bataillon d'intervention rapide, an elite army unit
D.O.	Divisional Officer, a government-appointed local administrator
FCFA / CFA franc	the currency used by Cameroon and several other former French colonies
plebiscite	a vote by all citizens on one question
federation	a state in which regions share power with a central government
unitary state	a state in which most power lies with the central government