The System, Not the People

The perception of a Franco/Anglo conflict in the Cameroons is the result of a dominant Franco-Camerounese system, and of an agenda to occupy the State of former British Southern Cameroons and expand Franco-Cameroun in this sub-region at the expense of the citizens of the State of former British Southern Cameroons, who are expected to just say "oui, m'sieu" to being wiped off the map forever. Done. Really?

Now, is this being done deliberately by so-called "Francophone" citizens of Franco-Cameroun? I don't think so.

First of all, if they (the citizens of Franco-Cameroun) simply belonged to the country called Cameroun, where French is the administrative language and the administrative system is based on French models, would anyone have a problem with that? I don't think so.

But here is where the problem lies: expecting the citizens of the State of former British Southern Cameroons, first, to give up their citizenship to become "Anglophones" within Franco-Cameroun and, second, to accept being assimilated or integrated into a Franco-Camerounian culture of sorts. Actually, if you think about it, being called "Anglophone" in the State of former British Southern Cameroons would be an insult. Can you see what this does to the minds of our people? If you don't, I would be surprised, but not disappointed.

The understanding of the people of the State of former British Southern Cameroons at independence in 1961 was not that they would be assimilated or integrated out of existence. But the strategy of erasing a legitimate political entity from the map has been working, and has produced citizens aged 35 and under in this sub-region with a worldview that is quite interesting to unpack.

We really have work to do.

TribalMonk

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Let's get something out of the way.

The citizens of the State of former British Southern Cameroons should not have any problem with the citizens of the State of former French Cameroons (La République du Cameroun, self-declared in 1984).

In the current state, where the Ahidjo/Biya CNU/CPDM regime controls what goes on in this sub-region with the help of the République Française, the conversation about the restoration, independence or self-rule of the region formerly known as British Southern Cameroons creates discomfort, mostly for:

• the gatekeepers of the Franco-Camerounese system of governing;
• French interests in the resources (human and natural) west of the Mungo.

Ordinary citizens do not really have issues with each other over systemic issues. Why? You tell me.

If you ask me, it is because in this system, "ordinary people" really do not count for anything. So if the system in the Cameroons is broken, guess who will fix it? Again, you tell me.

In any nation (or even any community of people), things do not work by magic. A system for doing things, for making things happen, is required. There is a system in the Cameroons. The unfortunate thing for all of us is that the system is kaput, and everyone is running away from fixing it.

Enter the restoration of the State of former British Southern Cameroons. This will result in a new system for our people, and also lead to a sobering reflection by Franco-Cameroun on how to move forward with reforms to its own system. Will it? That's an open question.

All of the above is to re-emphasize that "ordinary citizens" in the Cameroons have little say about their system of governance (creating and reforming it). So stories of "Anglophones vs Francophones" are created and spun by the gatekeepers of the current regime (which has been there for 50+ years; Ahidjo/Biya are one and the same thing) to keep the people apart and better exploit the space in between. You only have to look at who is gaining what in a broken system. You know who they are. Even five-year-olds in the Cameroons can tell you.

— Wanaku Verdzekov