Anonymous and Fake Profiles

Let me weigh into this issue of anonymous and fake profiles. When it comes to the struggle of Southern Cameroons, expert like us who have been on social media preaching justice and educating the then Anglophone Cameroon for a number of years can adequately tell you that anonymous profiles on Facebook have greatly contributed to our struggle. Facebook for most part has been the engine of this revolution. In fact, it made September 22nd and October 1st 2017 worked and it stopped the famous night when Tassang et al were having meeting late December 2016 in Bamenda. Arguably social media has its down and low points but this very revolution is a social media revolution and it will continue to be so until Buea. What happens on social media translates on the ground. There are many examples to abound.

Many Southern Cameroonians home have changed their names on Facebook. They have deleted their pictures etc and are using anonymous profiles to engaged on social media. They are doing so not because they love it but because they need to be save too. We must be aware that the regime too has engaged in monitoring social media so those Southern Cameroonians who are using such are very much in line. I do not call them fake profiles, because they are not fake. I call them anonymous profiles because they have a role to play. We have various civil servants including Anglophone military who uses this anonymous profiles on Facebook to engage with the revolution too, they too are not happy. We have children and relatives of government officials who are angry as well and are using anonymous profiles and many more who think that they can contribute well with this. Yes, these individuals with anonymous profiles have added to the thousands of us with known names and faces on Facebook to crowd and own the social media space so that our voices cannot be grounded. We cannot condemn them but appreciate them. Yes, sometimes early last year, I wrote on this same topic and my only caution is that anonymous profiles should not use it as an attack on leaders, groups or as a means of fighting each other. It must be use constructively even if we disagree with each other.

Coming to those abroad with anonymous profiles. I strongly believe that not everyone abroad has the courage to come on Facebook with known profiles. I am not even sure it is because they lack courage, it is not. I see it as a matter of strategic reasons. These individuals though with anonymous profiles are doing very much contributions to the struggle. We may not really know their reasons, maybe they are related to a government official, have businesses in French Cameroun fearing it to be attacked, some may be UN workers that restrict them from doing this or working in an organisation/ institutions that does not permit them engage fully as they could have wanted etc. Whatever the reasons are, we cannot condemn them because they know better. These anonymous individuals if you must know chip in heavily too to the revolution. I know of some who contributed financially whenever duty calls. Those of us abroad with known profiles/faces must not chide at them. Our only best is to make sure anonymous profiles don’t use it as a pass to insult, sabotage etc but to constructively participate.

The only known fake profiles on Facebook are the Francophones from La Republique Du Cameroun. These ones are deliberately done to hurt us, to hurt the revolution and shame us. They are done by people in the regime, their citizens and even some of us who belief that separating the country is a no go area. When you see a profile on Facebook against our struggle especially those with no pictures , few friends and sometimes they try to mimick our names from Southern Cameroons to think that it is your own brother/sister talking then know that this profile is fake and not anonymous.

Therefore, Fake Profiles = La Republique Du Cameroun
Anonymous Profiles = Ambazonians

This morning today, I stand with all bonafide Ambazonians who for one reason or another have changed their names on Facebook, delete their gallery of pictures just because they want to remain anonymous to fight on social media in their own way. These individuals especially on ground zero are our heros and heroines because your being anonymous is for the good course. Our only plea is that using it for sabotage, insults etc should not be your trademark but you can adequately and forcefully disagree with anyone without being insulting etc. God bless all anonymous profiles and make God help us to identify and keep blocking all fake profiles from Camerounese.

Mark Bareta