The Concubine Analogy: Inspired by Cardinal Christian Tumi’s recent analogy of the Southern Cameroons concubinage with La Republique Concubinage is rampant in all societies today.

In Southern Cameroons, it is popularly referred to as “Came we stay” and, in as much as most people frown at it, it is still common practice. Cases of happy concubinage abound and ironically compete with happy legal marriages.
The Southern Cameroons concubinage with La Republique du Cameroun could have been one of those happy concubinage experiences if and only if it didn’t start off as a rape case. If the two partners had honestly and openly agreed on the terms of concubinage the story could have been different today. It was instead, a case of rape turned into concubinage to conceal the crime. Unfortunately, what goes around comes around. Once a cheater always a cheater.

There is a kind of dishonesty that lingers on and mars such relationships: On one hand the man exploits the goodies of the woman, wearing her down with persistent rape while deceiving her to look forward to brighter relationship days ahead. On the other hand, the woman, instead of admitting her reality, lives under the illusion that, one day she might be fully entitled to enjoy the comfort of a legal and equal union. Hence, she gives all she can and bears the brunt of the abuse. From time to time when her molester gets too rough on her, she screams out of pain. The villain remembers the need to keep the criminal act concealed. He buys her a nice meal, a few new clothes and invites her family members to a lavish party where he announces in grand style how united and happy they are as a couple. “Everything is fine” neighbors take note.

The concubinage takes a new turn as offspring from the relationship begin to question strongly the status of their mother, realizing that her fast-deteriorating health situation is gradually leading to her death. Afraid of their mother passing into oblivion because of decades of false promises by a man who told everyone he loved her while constantly abusing her in private, the concubine’s children decide to take her out of the exploitative relationship even without any alimony of course as there is no hope for a legal marriage someday between the two. The rapist thinks it is the usual moaning of his victim which he has taken pleasure in, over the years. So he offers the usual treat of a nice meal, some new clothes and a lavish party.

To his greatest shock this time, the victim refuses the offer and is instead packing to leave. Even more shocking is the fact that the oppressed woman has won the sympathy of many neighbors thanks to her children. Her children without any chance to eat at the table with their parents have been forced to feed on leftovers in neighbors’ homes. They have told neighbors about how beautiful and good their mother is and how much pain she has been subjected to. They have exposed all the lies the brutal father has been telling the neighbors throughout the years. Neighbors begin to talk. The shocking news spreads and soon the sheriff is informed.

The sheriff looks into the files of the abusive resident and finds out that the now overgrown problem is the consequence of a small problem that was neglected and left unsolved some decades ago by him and his friends. Too embarrassed to admit his own mistake, the sheriff summons the abusive man and orders him to appease the concubine and take good care of her. The man, now turned into a tyrant, snubs the sheriff, knowing that he was part of the arrangement from the onset. He goes on to abuse the concubine even more as well as her children. Her children agitate on and on to no avail and finally decide to take up arms to liberate their mother. Such is the predicament of Southern Cameroons. Beware of submissive concubines!

Ndoh Emmanuel

BaretaNews Contributor