Frustration Of A Youth: Why the Struggle Must Continue, The Bank Experience

Listen people, last time I mentioned that the problems Southern Cameroonians face was not only limited to education and legal. In “Anglophone Cameroon”, many other sectors find these problems. From the banks to hospitals, to markets, mobile companies, taxation, Water and Electricity companies, post office etc. I once asked people to visit most hospitals in our cities, the doctors and nurses are Francophones, the Communication is poor and sometimes very arrogant. Go to most banks in “Anglophone Cameroon”, the workers are most often Francophones and their communication with our people is very sad and arrogant. The situation is appalling, every sector is affected. Epafred Minuifuong is a young “Cameroonian” entrepreneur who recently voiced out his frustration at a banker transaction in Bamenda. He concluded by saying the struggle must continue. Read his telling frustrations.

Why The Struggle Must Continue !

So I was at Afriland First Bank at commercial avenue, Bamenda this morning. I wanted to do a deposit of 1.290.000 into an account. Note: I had been there yesterday and waited 2 hrs to be served only for the bank to close with lots of us not being served at all due to the fact that only one cashier was present at the counter who was also extremely slow.

So, this morning as my number was called, I walked up to the counter and submitted my form. The cashier told me across the glass, “scatter that money”. I asked, ” what do you mean”? She repeated “scatter one million”. This time I understood she meant I should remove the 10k notes that held the 90k in groups to form 100k each to the amount of 1million. As I started doing that, she said, “remove 29”. I was confused. I said I have 129 notes of 10.000 there making 1.290.000 so what exactly do you want me to do? Do you want me to put 129 notes together? Am lost. One man standing beside me tried to explain what he understood and rather worsened the whole thing. Now I got nervous and told her “il faut parler en français madam, je ne comprends rien de tous ce que tu dire la” . She became comfortable and then explained to me in French. She was struggling to say I should Seperate 1million from 290.000. Scatter means distribute sparsely, spread across an area, seperate in small proportions. So which one did she mean? The right word was “Seperate “.

Sad thing is she wasn’t even humble enough to try to communicate well in English but she claimed she was speaking English. Now here’s the point, this issue of recruiting Francophones to work in English zones who don’t master English cuts across all sectors. It used to be lawyers, teachers and administrators. But am saddened even the private sector now also marginalizes us. Not only are they very rude when speaking poor English to you which makes it completely impossible for you to understand what they mean but they neglect your effort to even comprehend their poor langauge. Those who argue we don’t have a language problem need a rethink. What if I couldn’t speak French, they’d be chaos at the bank and you know security still being a possible francophone will react.

Whether you’ve been a victim or not, know it exists everywhere in the country. I don’t understand how you will recruit people who don’t master English to serve people who’s langauge of business is English. What of a poor mother, father who goes to that bank for his or her pension faces this situation? They’d probably waste his time there for the whole day. Most of these people are even very rude ares was the case with this lady today. If you think this struggle has to end without any tangible change that will guard the respect of the rights of an Anglophone in this country, that’s if the country ever be one, then you fool yourself. There are jobless Anglophones everywhere even better qualified but can they be given the chance to hold these positions ? No ! Just because they are Anglophones.

This is one in many encounters I’ve had especially with bank tellers who only speak French in Bamenda.

Disclaimer : I don’t have an account at Afriland First Bank. So to those of you who like being nosy, I was only sent to do a transaction there.. Don’t see the money and come after me.

Epafred Minuifuong