Father Jumbam continues on the Anglophone Crisis in his open letter to Arch Bishop Kleda:
The cause we are undertaking is (to use the words of St. Augustine), “an abyss so deep as to be hidden from him in whom it is”. Many have only hints and glimpse of what it truly is. It is a herculean task. But it is hallowed by God and no one has to be afraid. Is it too difficult to realize that a constituted people are deprived of sovereign air and autonomous space in the 21st century? Is it too difficult to realize that they are bent and determined on anything to see their goal attained? The good news is that we speak with one voice, thrash out disharmony. It is good news. The British Cameroons‟ struggle, its most significant quality is the re-opening of topics politicians of doom have tried to close down since the rain started beating us. It is a breath of fresh air we should be proud of, to stand tall and speak out, and speak out for future generations.
I am comfortable to cross the red sea with a Moses. It may come out tough, yet there is no complexity that can‟t be worked out with a good crack of Kolanuts, in the mouth. Kolanut in our traditions is symbol of integrity, symbol of unity, symbol of life, symbol of love, symbol of strength, symbol of sovereignty.
Your Grace, Mahatma Gandhi once spoke disapprovingly of the followers of Christ when he read the Beatitudes. He said he was charmed by the magic Christ‟s words held, and therefore he loved Jesus. He could, but he would not be Christian. Christians in India discouraged him. They did not practice Christ‟s beatitudes, and so, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ, ” Gandhi exclaimed. The beatitudes are the secret keys to the Promised Land. They are the magna carta of liberation. The beatitudes are selfdetermination. Self-determination championed by the poor, the meek, the weak, the humble, the voiceless, the persecuted, the upright, beside us: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness: they shall have their fill‟ (Matthew 5:6). Blessed is the British Cameroons under colonial yoke, they shall have their independence restored to them.
Choose what you like, but you can‟t open eyes and not see the valley of tears of our people and their quandary in a despicable Cameroon New Deal apartheid cage. It takes faith to keep their spirits afloat. And what is faith? Faith is a simple „yes ‟ to my heart and my conscience. Faith is Archbishop Desmond Tutu‟s “I wish I could shut up, but I can’t, and I won’t.” Faith is Patrice Lumumba guillotined for an embattled continent. It is Nelson Mandela‟s “if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die”. It is the British Cameroons‟ “enough is enough”. It is a sweet kiss whistled on the lips of a fatherland in the restoration of its Independence.
There is a mustard seed that is deep in the heart of every human being. It is faith. “Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, „Be uprooted and planted in the sea,‟ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:5-10). Let us believe without seeing, and sing when our voices are cracked, and move to victory. And were your faith the size of Mount Fako, you will tell the mountain to move and plant itself in Ndop Plains, and it will do!
Our people say that when the mouse laughs at the cat, there is a hole nearby. That hole for us is God. We are fighting a battle of the oppressed and God has never failed underprivileged peoples. Sometime ago, I arrived at a motto of life which I like to remodel once more and bring to use: “You only Live Once”. Then some weeks ago I shared with a priest-friend, this good news of a rule in my life. The gentleman laughed. He asked me and I gave him the reason for such a pledge. I said I find it atrocious that poverty has been death penalty passed on the crimeless people of the British Cameroons.
Your Grace, there is a recent story of two girl friends, one Bafia(French Cameroon) another Babungo(the British Cameroons) who congregated along buyamsellam lines in Bamenda food market and after petty gossips of what caused the wild fire that consumed the market, they landed on the following informative discussion:
“A young man is suffering terribly in jail in Kondengui, my boy-friend” Babungo said. “It is the right thing for him. Are you for the restoration of Southern Cameroons independence?” Bafia intervened.
Babungo seems startled “of course”.
“You Francophones” she continued. “You‟re so lucky to be free: free internet, free boyfriends, free husbands, free children, free people. But living in the British Cameroons, it‟s impossible to escape brutality, it hangs in the air.”
“You can‟t really blame the air for brutality” Bafia cuts in. “The brutality is generated by you Anglos. 55 years under domination, for nothing, for not taking your destiny into your hands. That‟s quite a prison sentence!” And that is the word: prison sentence. crimeless criminals serving prison sentences. But the rumbling of the people‟s anger is on.
I tell this story to say that it has reached a level where we have to dream our own dreams, live our own views, believe our own beliefs, and do so with dignity. On the recent imprisonments without crime of the cream of our native land, it is difficult to comprehend. But let us be consoled by the brave Martin Luther King Jr. : “I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.” Let this be known: arrests of freedom fighters is an advantage. It hastens freedom. Christ was arrested. The apostles were arrested, but sang alleluias in prison cells and bamboozled their oppressors to shock. They knew, as I know today, they only live once.
The imprisonment of our leaders is a warning: freedom is important but fragile. Sovereignty and liberation are won at great price. We must guard our liberty stance like egg and not allow the British Cameroons’ non-violent revolution be hijacked by exploiters of popular anger. The problem is not Paul Biya, neither is it the military all over our land. It is disunity planted by those who enjoy the flesh pots of Yaoundé and won’t move an eye for a united moral force against a communal threat. But the poor masses are wiser than power seekers know. When the anger of Mount Fako‟s Chariot of God and the Holy Ghost of the Kilum hills will rise! (The time is near): You shall cross the barren desert but you shall not die of thirst. You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way. You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand. You shall see the face of God and live.
To be continued
By Father Gerald Jumbam
Kumbo Diocese, Southern Cameroons
4 comments
After carefully watching Cameroon during the past couple of months and how the so-called Anglophone Crisis has been evolving and even mutating, I cannot help noticing a few givens at this juncture;
– Cameroon will not be the same again, whatever the outcome,
– The crisis is now out of the hands of any one individual to manage but a leader can steer the influences that feed the growing popular discontentment of the people,
– The window for Federalism is fast closing, chewed away by the incomprehensible inability of government to face the times,
– Finally, where is the president of Cameroon and why he is deliberately insisting to act through actors who have lost popular credibility.
Cameroon knows the truth that all of Francophone Africa is slowly but openly voicing now and which Achille Mbembe enunciated very clearly in South Africa. He called it the Defrancophonization of the country.
(As I am writing, France just elected Macron, a different kind of president).
I used to give President Biya some slack but not anymore. If he cannot extract himself from the jail that he has so expertly built to dodge his job but enjoy all the ammenities it come with, I no longer feel for him as the times are difficult ones and 34 years is enough time for anybody to have learnt how to manage his entourage.
It is shocking knowledge now that Mr Biya does not trust that his people can protect him from whatever vindict he anticipates from the French if he delivers his people.
Once again, our president whom the French qualify as “Roi Feneant” is sitting by as another train leaves the station.
What I love the most with this struggle is that we the people of Southern Cameroon some how were able to stick together as one nor matter how hard they tried to divide us.
Their money, guns, intimidation, preaching of hate, all kind of nastiness even for some of our own Southern Cameroon money driven politicians could not break or bond.
We are getting it this time come sun, come rain.
Cameroon, land of promise ???
Cameroon, Land of Promise
Oh Cameroon, thou cradle of our fathers,
Desecrated shrine where in our midst their souls now are haunted by our evil.
Their tears and blood and sweat in vain did water thy soil.
In vain their tillage rose on thy hills and valleys.
Poor fatherland! Thy plight no tongue can tell.
How can we ever repair the wrong done thee?
Thy welfare we’ve sacrificed for devil’s money, greed, power, hypocrisy, tribalism and falsehood.
We wonder if ever we’ll be true to thy name again.
Land, once full of promise,
Land once bubbling with glory.
Thou of misery, pain, desolation and death!
Thine be shame, shame and shame.
Shame till once more the sun shall rise on thee.
Lindjo Joe alpha, SJ
Did anyone ever think that the English version of the Cameroon National Anthem IS NOT a translation of the French Version.
It is a completely different Anthem written by a worthy son of Southern Cameroon, Professor Bernard N. Fonlon. The words are so beautiful. Why don’t we simply scrape off Cameroon and put Southern Cameroon (or Ambazonia) in its place and we have our Anthem. We change the music and keep the words.
Professor Bernard Fonlon surely wanted to give the southern Cameroons a National Anthem just as French Cameroon had a National Anthem, reason why he probably refused to translate the French Cameroon anthem into English.
He was a prophet.
Let’s honour him by reclaiming our national Anthem.
AMBAZONIA, CRADLE OF OUR FATHERS
HOLY SHRINE WHERE IN OUR MIDST THEY NOW REPOSE.
THEIR TEARS AND BLOOD AND SWEAT THY SOIL DID WATER
ON THY HILLS AND VALLEYS ONCE THEIR TILLAGE ROSE
ETC. ETC.