The Anglophone problem has taken the front line in Cameroon news for 9 months now with no end in sight despite all the manipulation, endless lies and government deceit. What was sarcastically described as a “cube of sugar” has metamorphosed into a tsunami that will sweep away this regime if care is not taken. This legendary cube of sugar has refused to dissolve 57 years and still counting. Its like a little grain of sand in your shoe, small as it may be; it prevents you from advancing freely and keeps you in perpetual discomfort till it is removed. If you stubbornly advance with it, you know the consequences; your leg must get SORES. More than 100 Anglophones were abducted from various quarters and ferried to Yaoundé, under the charges of wanting to divide Cameroon, terrorism, secession, violation of territorial integrity and other things. Its quite irritating the way the word TERRORISM has been abused these days the world over. Rest assured that all countries, including the so called leading democracies like USA, FRANCE, GERMANY, BRITAIN and even repressive regimes like CHINA, IRAN, RUSSIA and others hurriedly enacted ANTITERRORISM laws in a bid to justify their repressive actions, deny the people justice, silence dissenting and opposing voices, justify indefinite and illegal detentions, justify extra judicial killings and massive spy programs and travel bans, thereby violating the Rights and Freedoms and privacies of citizens so as to control the world. The definition of the word terrorist is subjective and not objective:
One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.
NELSON MANDELA was branded a terrorist when he challenged the Apartheid regime but today he is the icon and the reference of liberation struggles
CHE GUEVARA was branded a world terrorist when he challenged US imperialism in the Americas but today CHE is the most recognized freedom fighter the world has ever known
OSAMA BIN LADEN is brandished as the worlds terrorist but OSAMA remains a deity, an idol that is venerated and revered in the entire ARAB world.
When the UPC challenged French colonial rule the entire Africa, they were branded as terrorists and executed but today, even those who participated in their execution are calling them martyrs of Cameroon liberation.
Who is actually dividing Cameroon in the wake of Anglophone uprising?
- DENIAL OF OUR HISTORY AND OUR IDENTITY by LRC.
We were a State, we had a Government, we had a People, and we had Institutions of State and Public Establishments which can be verified till date. What have we been hearing over LRC media all along? Denial of our identity as Anglophones means telling us that we do not belong here or better still, cest sont les biafrens/ anglofools. Such a denial is an act of division and terrorism against the Anglophone people.
2. PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHES.
Since his accession into power in 1982, making 35 years at the helm of STATE, BIYA has never made a single speech in ENGLISH, not even now that sentiments are running high and a reversal of issues could calm spirits a bit. We have 3 statutory declarations by Biya per year; (11th February, 31st December and New Year wishes where the Diplomatic Corps is addressed). 35 years gives 105 Presidential Declarations, not counting, seminars, and conferences in CEMAC, AU, UNO, FRANCOPHONIE or any few he ever attends. Even when ERIC CHINGE interviewed Biya in the mid-1980s, the latter responded in French. Biya mumbled a few words in a broken accent when he came to launch the CPDM in Bamenda in the mid 1980s and a few such worlds in BUEA in 2014 reunification celebration and CPDM masses screamed in ecstasy that the President could speak in English because they made it sound as though Biya had broken a taboo by speaking English. Biya also mumbled the I DO SO SWEAR” when he took the oath at the National Assembly with ST MUNA as speaker and that was it.
For 105 or more outings in a life time, Biya has never made an official declaration in English. So who is dividing Cameroon, Biya or the Anglophone terrorists?
3. NO APPOINTMENTS/DECREES IN ENGLISH.
How many decrees have been published in English under biya? Even the English version of the text creating the infamous bilingualism and multiculturalism shit wasnt signed by Biya; his boys simply affixed the official seal on it. This approximate translation must have been done by some agent at the presidency to divert the attention of the Anglophones. We saw the text on MARK BARETA and TAPANG IVO websites. How many appointments have been done in English since Biya took power 35 years ago. Even when we hear anything English it is the CRTV journalists who try their luck on anything approximate so that the Anglophone community does not feel left out. As for presidential speeches, H.E. PETER ESSOKA remains the Anglophone president as his voice is the only one we identify with. Even in the wake of the Anglophone problem we have had several appointments which have all been in French, ELECAM, university VCs, SDOs, SDOs, GENERALS, POLICE FORCE, GENDARMERIE and still counting. None has been in English. This reminds me of a few sayings;
Le Cameroun est bilinge mais les citoyens ne sont pas
Cameroon is bilingual reason why Anglophones dont find it hard to learn French
Cameroon is a bilingual country but the working language is French
LArmee Camerounaise nest pas bilingue
So who is dividing Cameroon, BIYA or the Anglophone terrorists?
4. NEVER SEEN WITH A TRADITIONAL DRESS.
For 35 years Biya has occupied state house as president and for over 50 years as senior statesman, BIYA had never worn a traditional dress even in hiding. He was quick to acknowledge the bilingual and multicultural nature of his country yet he does the contrary. Of the over 300 tribes with diverse cultural regalia, Biya has hardly been seen with one, in public or in private. When he does family portraits at his private residence with his kids, he is in suit and white shirt, well tucked in, yes the perfect foreigner, a French man that has come to rule Cameroon. Im sure that even in his private quarters, Biya is always dressed in a suit; to show how distant he is from the Cameroonian reality.
5. PHAGOCYTE OUR LANGUAGE.
The Constitution talks of two Official languages, English and French (and not ENGLISH or FRENCH). So why is one language outweighing the other? Why is one language tabooed in certain quarters? Who do Francophones working in Anglophone territory oblige us to speak French but it is not the case in Francophone territory?
6. APPOINTMENTS MINISTERIAL.
Of over 60 Ministers and 20 Directors General how many are Anglophones? Even within the present cabinet, how many Ministers are Anglophones? NGOLLE NGWESE of FORESTRY and a powerless Prime Minister. As for Directors General we have ELUNG PAUL CHE of CSPH.
7. KILLING ANYTHNG RELATED TO THE ANGLOPHONES.
Why is it that anything Anglophone in Cameroon dies suddenly? We had all kinds of institutions in the past (check related post; CRY THE BELOVED AMBALAND for details). Even in recent times, AMITY bank which was a strong Anglophone bank was destroyed by ATANGANA MEBARA and co and today Anglophones are nowhere to be found. If truly we are in the same country and we are all Cameroonians of equal statue as citizens, why are some people afraid of the Anglophones? Do we belong to the same country?
8. ABDUCT OUR LEADERS AND DEFER THEM TO YAOUNDE.
When you abduct Anglophones and ferry them to be tried in Yaoundé what message are you conveying to the Anglophones? That we are living in two different countries and governed by different laws, that you dont trust the Anglophone Judicial System so who is dividing Cameroon?
9. DIFFERENT LAWS
To further emphasis the fact that we belong to two different countries, certain vocabulary is tabooed for Anglophones but allowed for francophones. In the wake of the Anglophone problem, Francophones have championed the FEDERALISM cause in open air but Anglophones have been charged with terrorism for voicing the tabooed word and they are about to face the death sentence. So are we living in the same country and do we all have equal rights? I think not, seems to me as though different laws govern Anglophones and different laws govern Francophones. None of our brothers who are detained today ever mentioned secession, not one of them.
10. PROJETS STRUCTURANTS.
Biya once again spat on the face of the Anglophones with his so called grands realizations projects. Of all the projects which we dare not exhaust, none of them, NOT 1 is located west of the MUNGO. I don’t take that for any coincidence. Lets do the count, KRIBI DEEP SEA PORT, MEMVE ELE, MEKIN, LOM PANGAR and NACHTIGAL DAMS are all across the Mungo, KRIBI THERMAL plant, KRIBI GAS plant, MBALAM IRON ORE and the rest. For true, such resources are better exploited where they are located but what about those located west of the Mungo? LIMBE DEEP SEA PORT, MENCHUM FALL, RIVER KATSINA, YOKE POWERCAM and others that have a better potential to serve the Cameroonian people? If BIYA doesnt trust Mungo West enough to invest here it means we are not a part of Cameroon.
11. RECRUITMENTS.
When a Minister of State (BASIL ATANGANA KOUNA of ENERGY) publishes a list of recruitments for his ministry and you find 5 pages on six with names from his tribe and you find just one or two Anglophone names then it raises a question as to whether there are citizens that are more Cameroonian than others. It seems there are special Cameroonians (those from the ruling tribe), then there are average Cameroonians and there are less/non Cameroonians (Anglophones). What is the case with admissions in our universities and our professional schools that are located in the Anglophone regions? It’s the same open discrimination story here. The Northern Regions keep writing strong memos to the government on the utter neglect of their regions in matters of appointment and development and the Government heeds to them but when it is the Anglophones asking, they are branded as terrorists and arrested for claiming their rights. So are we in the same country? Who is actually dividing Cameroon?
12. CHANGE OF OUR NAMES.
Why does someone do everything to change our names if his intentions are genuine? This is our identity and this is who we are, either accept us the way we are or leave us alone. The name change from Victoria to Limbe beats my imagination. Biya claimed that Victoria had no link with Cameroonian identity and preferred LIMBE (which means meandering river), adopted from river Limbe. MOUNT FAKO was gradually transformed to MOUNT CAMEROON and today it is known as such. Anyone can check old atlases and verify the name of this mountain. How many mountains in the world are named after the country in which they are found as opposed to the town or the division where they are found? In US we have the ROCKIES, APPALACHIANS, in Europe we have the ALPS that spans 4 countries, In Africa we have KILIMAJARO that spans at least two countries, KENYA and TANZANIA, in ASIA we have the HIMALAYAS that spans at least 3 countries; INDIA, PAKISTAN and NEPAL. How many of these are named after their countries of location? If we go by Biyas intention of getting names that are in touch with Cameroonian identity, we wont have names like, VOGT, ALFRED SAKER, and MUNGO, KENEDDY and CHARLES de GAUL avenues or even Lycee LECLERC which Biya himself attended. These too ought to have changed. As we speak, the NACHTIGAL dam is under construction.
Where is October 1 which is the actual reunification date? Why doesnt the date feature in official quarters? You cant talk about Cameroon without talking about October 1. So who is fooling who? Who is trying to erode our history? Biya knows so well that a people without a history and identity are a people without a future, reason why he is bent on destroying our history. Yes he has, where is BOXING DAY, EMPIRE DAY and other days that were part of the Anglophone identity?
Of recent, and at a time when the Cameroon economy is on its knees and is begging for support, at a time when the government in calling on Cameroon Diaspora to invest in Cameroon, many Anglophone Diaspora have been deported upon arrival at the airport or have been imprisoned. Examples being ZAMA, FOMUKI FRANLKIN and JUDE NDUMU. if Anglophone Diaspora are deported then it means that they don’t belong to Cameroon anymore.
Who then is dividing Cameroon, who is telling us that we don’t belong here, who is telling us that we either succumb to their dictates or we leave? You have the answer.
Ambe Eemmanuel
For BaretaNews
