Running a Liberation Struggle is never easy. There is something happening that means you need to fit more into your day than you think you can handle. But somehow you do handle it. You keep going. Not only that, but a large proportion of the things you have to handle are things that you can’t control – you have to react to the situation.

This brings us to a concept known as Leverage. Leverage is when leadership uses its small levels of resources, but with high capability, to out-perform the oppressor with greater resources. This is sometimes known as the David and Goliath approach to struggles. The oppressed, using initiative, being able to use scant resources very effectively, working together, collaboratively, to out-perform much stronger bullies, and /or much better resourced enemy. By really understanding the want or need properly, it is possible for the leadership with very limited resources, but using them together effectively (Capabilities), to meet the people’s needs or wants.

An example of this can be taken from the Space Race. NASA realized that when astronauts are in the space there is no gravity. Without gravity to force ink downwards towards the nib, pens do not write. So they gave astronauts a “Space Pen”. The space pen had been developed over several years, at a cost of $5 million. It writes upside down and in zero gravity. Lots of expense and time devoted to a problem, using imagination and high levels of technology, and lots of co-operation. [Leadership must collaborate in essence and meaning].

I will try to summarize my 12 pages research paper to a social media consumable summation. Please read accordingly.

Understanding Our Struggle. According to my research result, I have found that every struggle operates in 3 environments, all at the same time. All 3 influencing the struggle and success of the people. Let me categorize the environments as follows:-

1. The Far External Environment, is the one we have No Control Over: We can only respond to developments in the Far External Environment.

2. The Near External Environment, is the one we can Influence: It exerts pressure on our struggle and people, but we can push back. (Sometimes more easily than others).

3. The Internal Environment, is the one we can Control. This is our struggle itself. This includes our goals, how we aim to achieve these goals, and the way we set up the struggle – how we operate.

For each of these, there is a handy dandy way of analysing what’s happening.

A. The Far External Environment: {The PESTLE ANALYSES}

1. POLITICAL; this includes Political Parties coming to power – changes in Government. Changes to Political Parties in Government generally mean changes in Policy. For example, If you casted your hope on the Trumps Government, you might be thinking, what will change with the Biden Administration? So, knowing policy will shift gears, you could start to plan what you would do.

2. ECONOMIC; this deals primarily with the overall state of the global economy. At the moment the economy isn’t doing too well. Most analysts believe it may be some time – years – before the economy picks up. So if you are a leader that was thinking of spending a large on wants and not needs, perhaps you might wait to see what happens.

3. SOCIAL; This deals with social trends – of many different types. If you face genocide or existential problems, there are certain social affairs that become problematic.

4. TECHNOLOGICAL; this deals with any new technologies, and how they might be used to help your struggle. Or it might be becoming threats to your struggle. Things like the internet, which allow people to be teachers without having to go to school, debaters without opponents and students without source material. We can see how poignant the social media is being used in our case. The internet is good because everything is connected with everything and the internet is bad because everything is connected to everything.

5. LEGAL; An offshoot of POLITICAL, these are changes in Law (international law mostly), that might affect our struggle. Generally, we know about changes in Law that are coming into force before they actually do – that’s how it works with Parliamentary Law making. So, knowing this, we can be prepared for it.

6. ENVIRONMENTAL; these are the things to do with what most people think of as Nature. So changes in the environment (nature) and the associated implications of these changes. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic that has hindered travels, hence limiting meetings to virtual kinds only. This allows for leakages and mistrust, as information is greatly insecure.

1. Audience Competition; this relates to the competition (federalists, spoilers and traitors) you are up against to obtain and retain sympathy especially from the International Community. Logically and honestly winning the hearts and minds of your people is primordial too. So make wise laws and decision that protect your people and promises the International Community.

2. Communities Power; this relates to the size of the struggle in relation to the size of the market. It also relates to the ability of the International Community and your People to switch from onside to another to acquire the thing they want. Consider the fact that every country like individuals have specific interests in various spheres. In terms of your struggle, the diaspora constitute a strong size while Ground Zero constitutes both a strong as well as a large size. Treat both with respect and love. People won’t care about you until they are sure how much you care for them.

3. Peers Power. Like Communities power in reverse, this tries to analyse the power of suppliers (friends and partners) over the International Community and your People. For example, if you are the only player in the liberation war, you may easily dictate the pace and narrative. Given that there are players beside you, you must find best ways to influence demand and supply.

4. Threat of New Entrants; while you may know how many competitors you have, and who they are, you also need to be aware of how likely it is that someone else will enter the struggle. The easiest way to think about this is: remember how easy or difficult it was for you to enter the struggle and start operating. That’s how easy it’s going to be for someone else. It depends on how much motivation it takes to start, any special technology that must be mastered, any special friends to make that are needed, and so on. New entrants in our case have a rather different mask___that of traitors, infiltrators and opportunists with no true love for Motherland

5. Threat of Substitutes; Often overlooked, even by leading leaders, it is very instrumental in liberation struggles. Basically, in order to understand this threat – and it is a big one, you need to really understand the Need or Want that you are satisfying for the International community. Then ask yourself: How could DIPLOMATS (Ambassadors, envoys, ministers, charge d’affaires etc), be satisfied with your approach, communication, decisions, actions and reactions! Don’t forget, you have competitors within. Don’t forget there are several other crises in the world. Don’t forget all diplomats represent the interests of their countries. I am not saying your actions should be defined by the subjective desire of diplomats, I am saying their thoughts/actions are largely consequential.

This is your LIBERATION STRUGGLE itself. This is us and what we must do. I will group this into Tangible and Intangible values.

TANGIBLE.

1. Financial Resources; include the money that the struggle has available to it, or money it can easily acquire, that allow it to compete and run. Diplomacy is time consuming as well as money consuming. If you no understand, e look na you. See me oh!

2. Physical resources; include the things that you can touch, that allow the struggle to operate and thrive. This includes machinery for farming, premises, computers, pen and paper. Planty de for ma mop? You like you no hear!

INTANGIBLE.

1. The Brand of the Struggle; is the acknowledged identity of the people and their struggle and the level of Independence or Sovereignty it promises, and is closely linked to the Reputation of Leadership and her ideas. It generally is a measure of how consistently it is perceived by the International Community and the People of Southern Cameroons, to meet their needs well, over time. It is very hard won, and can be easily lost.

2. The Culture of the Struggle; is the Values, behaviors and patterns of judgments that the leadership exhibits over time. It is very difficult to define, but in essence is the Personality of the Leader (s). It might include things like always being honest, valuing comrades, being good citizens and so on.

3. HUMAN; The Knowledge of the struggle is the “Intellectual Ability” possessed by the people of Southern Cameroons and available to the struggle, in order for it to better meet its aims and objectives. It includes knowledge of the History of British Southern Cameroons, knowledge of International Community, what the enablers are doing and might be likely to do, and so on.

4. The Skills; are the trained and experienced abilities of people within the struggle to carry out key tasks and activities. Everyone surely got some talents. But what is talent without training? To convert your talents into skills, you must reduce such via training. The motivation is the people’s individual, internal drive to carry out activities well and to be successful. The Capacity for Collaboration is the ability within the struggle for individuals to work together for the success of the struggle. It includes the ability of people within and without groups to work well with people from other department and or groups for the common good of the struggle, without putting their own department and or department first, ahead of the struggle. Resources are important to the success of the struggle over time. But of much more importance is the ability of the struggle as a whole to use these resources to develop Capabilities.

In sum, our people are dying for doing nothing but being the people of Southern Cameroons. God has allowed some of us to lead this particular stage of our struggle. I enjoin you, leaders to recognize that God will judge you but before then, we shall question you. I am not an expert on struggles, but I do try to read and research issues that matter to me and our struggle. Denounce surrogacy and fly this plane.

Collaborate and save the lives of our people, some of who just expired at Guzang. What for???

Humbly.