Understanding the struggle: The need to be steadfast.
My fellow Southern Cameroonians.
I have read and listened to a couple of audios and text messages which seemingly indicates frustration on the part of our people, some of them calls for an arm shipment to fight and others demand greater action on the ground. In this struggle of ours, I understand that at some point in time people expect a quick solution. Any solution that is quick to come cannot be sustainable. We must understand that we are dealing with an organised annexationist state which has colonised us for 56 years and they have all the financial, diplomatic and military machinery to fight us. However, we must give ourselves a pad on the back because with no financial, diplomatic and military resources, with just our phones, our commitment and hunger for freedom, we have been able to hold the state hostage for months and pushed them to their limits. It is understandable that our people need more action on the ground, at least from what I can gather around, permit me address the following worries in line with our struggle.
1. Ground Action:
Let us be clear that only patience and steadfastness will change the game. Let us also remove the idea that some military or soldiers somewhere will invade Southern Cameroons to fight. That is not going to happen. The soldiers will be us, we will be the foot soldiers. The diaspora can only facilitate in terms of financial, materials and otherwise. Let us know that at no point in time whether freedom or not will the diaspora seize to exist. The hard truth of the game is that only those at home can change the game. We must must be able to overcome fear and take the future into our hands. This can happen through direct collaboration between those home and those abroad. It is only those home to enforce Ghost Towns, it is only those home to keep their children home from taking such a political GCE. The struggle cannot be left in the hands of the diaspora thinking some imaginary people will be transported to act. No, it is only those of us home to act. I used to say, everyone should be his or her own soldier, take unilateral actions that might take the struggle ahead. Fighting a 56 years government is not a days job but with tact and collaboration, we can do it collectively.
So many have questions what the AGC and/or SCACUF is/are doing. The AGC or SCACUF or any other liberation movements are us-we make these movements. As far as I can tell though not part of any of the groups, they are working underground to bring something up but we cannot push them to act in ways that will take the struggle backwards. Everyone is seemingly frustrated on ground game. What is ground game? Ground game will mean everyone home to take action, dismiss fear, join the train and not to rely entirely on an imaginary people to be transported from the Diaspora to come fight. We are all into it and wherever this struggle met us, we must put in our contributions to take it to another level. Our contributions cannot be the same. Let us not give up.
2. The Political GCE.
Since November 21st, 2016 our children have been home and even those who were going to school did not have sufficient studies. Everyone knows that the organisation of the GCE is political just a means for La Republique to show its might on us. But again these are the questions we should ask
A. How many Southern Cameroonians are taking the exams?
B. Under what conditions?
C. Have they sufficiently been trained or studied?
D. What are the parameters and how many centres are involved?
E. How can you compare with neighbouring La Republique whose citizens had a full year?
F. How will they be graded?
Therefore, no one should be worried that GCE seems to be going on. The above questions should sort you out. It is only a means for the government to exert its influence. The blame here should go to those few parents who allowed their children to take such a GCE to downgrade the integrity of the GCE. What do people want? That Southern Cameroonians should invade those few centres and stop the GCE? Those centres are heavily guarded. We do not have the military might to invade. We have done our best to warn against the GCE whose diploma will be useless and not accepted. Have you not seen the halls of the exams? Have you not seen how the exams are being organised? When in the history of the Cameroons have you seen an exam as this current one? Therefore the moves by the government indicates fear etc. Our people should not be disturbed because the few taking the GCE is a non issue. Though we knew the diplomas will be useless, we refuse to sit quiet. It’s our duty to talk about it and continue to sabotage it until it supposed marking and proclamation. At the end of the day, if parents don’t send their children to write, government will not remove them from their homes, so it falls back to us. The good news is that the GCE is massively boycotted.
3. Ghost Towns:
What do we really expect here? Do we expect that the intensity of Ghost Towns will be the same as it were when we started? We have to be real with ourselves. As human beings, we are prone to fatigue. The truth of the matter is that, our people need a new push, a new something to get them there. It is normal to see some cities falling behind Ghost Towns and yes till date ghost towns are still effective except for some towns in which taxis and okadas are heavily boycotting. We must also understand with our people at this stage that it is not easy. They have been sacrificing for months. Yes, the ghost towns hurt the government as well as our people but it is the necessary sacrifice our people are making so let us not go nagging because the intensity of the ghost towns are reducing. As a natural feature, this is expected. The game has to change and for this to happen everyone must get on board. At the end, the spirit of the ghost towns still lives.
My suggestion is that once an Interim PM is voted, there are several ordinances he or she must issue. The first should be concerning next academic year (I won’t give details here now), next Ghost Towns etc. My proposal will be that, ghost towns will have to stop and observed only on particular days on particular occasions. This will see everyone getting involved rather than the current weekly Ghost Towns, until then let’s see how it goes. As this is going on, other defense and military operations as well as diplomatic operations will be going both home and abroad while our people go on with their normal duties. Our only job is to ensure that our people allegiance and obedience is directed to our interim Government rather than that in Yaoundé. Yes, we can.
4. Jailed leaders and Southern Cameroonians.
We must continue the push. In fact, this should hence be our talking points. Nothing should go normally in Southern Cameroons without our people out. Let us be clear that our people in jail also need to enjoy what those out are enjoying. Our mantra is that, should the environment need to be conducive for school resumption, Courts resumption and other issues in our land, our people MUST be released first. So whatever we do, let us remember them. We cannot give up on them.
5. Are we winning?
Yes we are winning FATLY and BIGLY because the Cameroons will never be same again. Some people think we are not winning because they are looking at it from the angle of restoration, from the angle of now now now. It does not work that way. They are looking at it from the angle of what they want not on what should be. Others say, writing the GCE, people in jail, reduce intensity of Ghost Towns means we are not winning. No, we are winning because we have taken the government hostage such that every actions of theirs now, they think heavily about the Anglophones, we are winning because we have finally succeeded in freeing ourselves mentally and everyone both home and abroad is on the same page. We are winning because we have given la Republique a diplomatic blow from all governments and institutions around the world- mark you diplomatic push are not seen immediately. We are winning because our actions are gradually bankrupting the regime economically to a point where they can’t pay some salaries to workers in embassies abroad such as South Africa. We are winning because we have stretched the military of La Republique to work beyond their daily routines . We are winning because Government has taken certain moves both educationally and legally to address the problems but we refuse these moves from the government because we know they are only cosmetic and only government operatives and apologists will benefit and not the people of Southern Cameroons. The list is endless and yes we are going to win if we stay united, focus, avoid blackmail and look at the bigger picture.
If you look at the winning only by having Federation or independence now now now now then you are not true to yourselves, then you will develop high blood. You must look at the winning from the perspective of the foundation we are building, the unity between people from northern and southern zones and how far we have come knowing that there is much work ahead for us to do. We will get there.
6. Now what next:
I like to be honest with Southern Cameroonians. What next should be YOU. Should be what are you doing to take the struggle ahead? Are you sending your kids to write the fake GCE? Are you operating your taxis or okadas on Ghost days? Are you sending text messages, telling those who care to respect Ghost Towns? Are you calling for the release of our people? Are you investing time as you have been doing? Are you supporting financially groups that needs finance to push certain actions? Are you going to mark the GCE which gives La Republique more talking points? What next is YOU. What are you doing now to build momentum? Do you only complain and attack front line leaders or question the genuineness of the struggle? Are you supporting SCACUF and other movements in their mission to help free Southern Cameroons. Do you give a talk in your njangi and cultural meeting houses about the struggle? Do you educate your children home about the struggle? Are you ready to come out and march to call for the freedom of Southern Cameroons?
Yes, what next is not limited only to the leaders or movement. It is our Southern Cameroons. What next should be us, me, we and You. It is a collective push and wherever you are, distance is never a barrier, we must each in our own ways help motherland to get free.
But let me assure you that from my own little understanding, the AGC and SCACUF are working underground deeply to change the game. This will not be an easy ride but we can get there.
But trust me that by 1st July, the game will change and Southern Cameroonians will have reasons to hope and smile again. Our children whose one academic year has been sacrificed, our people whose businesses have been sacrificed, all those who died and all those in jail will have reason to smile again on the solid foundation that will be announced soon that shall galvanise us to another level of the struggle.
Believe in your own self to cause change. Believe in the struggle. Be hopeful that it was never meant to be easy, be hopeful that there shall be thorns on the way and know that he who fights and runs lives to fight another day. Southern Cameroonians are all spartans and spartans never die. They live on, their ideologies live on.
God bless Southern Cameroons
God bless you
God bless the struggle
Mark Bareta
Bui/Manyu Counties
Southern Cameroons
Follow the struggle and not individuals.
5 comments
Mark: I thought I was reading from Ivo Tapang when I kept hearing the suggestion of Federation multiple times, until I got to the bottom of the page and saw your name and that it was actually you insulting the people. Unless you are a mad man, you better stop writing about the “whether we get independence of federation thing”. I have read enough of you to trust that SCACUF was correct to dismiss you on the spot. You seem incompetent with the main issue at hand. This is because you have shown that you cannot be trusted with serious stuff. No body is talking about or interested in federation here. Do you even know what you are writing about? What federation? Assuming we were the same country as LRC, were you expecting a 10 province/state federation? Did we tell you that we were one or two of 10 provinces or came in as two provinces to join LRC? Do you know that we initially were one Southern Cameroons nation with only our respective counties without any NW or SW? Do you know that it was LRC who broke us into so called 2 regions of SW and NW? So, what federation are you talking about? Stop seeming STUPID! Very STUPID!
Our Monday Ghost is ok don’t change the system to weaken the struggle
For how long did South Africans struggled for their freedom. Mandela alone made 28 years in prism. If we are tied then we should not have started
In my opinion, it is counter productive to refer to Ambazonians or Southern Cameroonians as anglophones because it reduces the struggle to language problem. The cause of this crisis is deeper than the language divide. For you Mark, who is one of those at the frontline to continually mischaracterize the struggle despite numerous write-ups I have read here and else advising against calling it anglophone/language problem makes me wonder if you are out on a kind of self destruction. The talking point has to be the same especially the leaders and consistent all the time.
You dampen the drive with your federalism gospel. You have to be consistent. SCACUF has not contracted a law firm for federalism sake. The road to indepence and federalism are not the same. If you are with SCACUF stop undoing their effort with this federalism thing and reducing the struggle to language (anglophones) problem.
I am heading right now to SCACUF website to make a contribution. Please Ambozinians, SCACUF needs dough to run. Let us support financially. Every CFA counts
In my opinion, it is counter productive to refer to Ambazonians or Southern Cameroonians as anglophones because it reduces the struggle to language problem. The cause of this crisis is deeper than the language divide. For you Mark, who is one of those at the frontline to continually mischaracterize the struggle despite numerous write-ups I have read here and else advising against calling it anglophone/language problem makes me wonder if you are out on a kind of self destruction. The talking point has to be the same especially the leaders and consistent all the time.
You dampen the drive with your federalism gospel. You have to be consistent. SCACUF has not contracted a law firm for federalism sake. The road to indepence and federalism are not the same. If you are with SCACUF stop undoing their effort with this federalism thing and reducing the struggle to language (anglophones) problem.
I am heading right now to SCACUF website to make a contribution. Please Ambozinians, SCACUF needs dough to run. Let us support financially. Every CFA counts