Dibussi Tande: Scribbles from the Den

Book Review: Youth and Nation-Building in Cameroon by Churchill Ewumbue-Monono

Reviewed by Dibussi Tande

Churchill Ewumbue-Monono. Youth and Nation-Building in Cameroon: A Study of National Youth Day Messages and Leadership Discourse (1949-2009). Bamenda: Langaa, 2009. 188 pages.

At first glance, Churchill Ewumbue-Monono's Youth and Nation-Building in Cameroon, which is primarily a collection of Youth Day speeches going back to the colonial era, seems deceptively unexciting. However, a closer reading of the book shows that the author has compiled a valuable document which is more than just a walk down memory lane for history buffs. It is a compelling insight into how various colonial and post colonial governments in Southern Cameroons/West Cameroon and then bilingual Cameroon Republic attempted to use the Youth Day as a tool for political advocacy and youth mobilization around key political and ideological goals; adherence to the ideal of the British commonwealth, unification of British and French Cameroons, creation of the single-party state, the dissolution of the federation, etc. In fact, the book is a history of post-independent Cameroon, albeit from the perspective of the political class.

(Audio Report) Meeting in Washington, DC between the Cameroonian Community and the US Ambassador to Cameroon

CMR-DC MEETING REPORT .mp3 -

Report obtained courtesy of the Fomunyoh Foundation

“The Business of Decolonization”: British Business Interests & the Decolonization of Southern Cameroons

Dibussi Tande

“Tilney, a director with John Holt, which was one of the major operators in the region recalls that he and fellow Liverpool MP Norman Pannell had tried to persuade the Colonial Office to grant the British Cameroons its independence as a separate state.”

Practically all books and articles on the decolonization of the British Southern Cameroons focus primarily on the internal and external political factors that ultimately led to the February 11, 1961 plebiscite. There are very few studies (in fact I am unaware of any such study) that focus primarily or exclusively on how British businesses tried to influence the outcome of the decolonization process. This is quite intriguing, considering, as S. E. Stockwell has pointed out in the case of the Gold Coast, that "British companies were much more than by-standers in the transition from colony to independence"  even when they “exercised little influence over imperial policy”.

Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story

In this fascinating talk, Nigerian Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

Exotic and Handmade Home Decor Items from Around the World

Banjul Verdict: Violations Committed by the Republic of Cameroun Against Southern Cameroon(ian)s

Communication 266/2003 decided at the 45th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights - Kevin Mgwanga Gumne et al vs. Republic of Cameroon (Excerpts)

Violation of Article 2 of the African [Banjul] Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights

"Every individual shall be entitled to the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms recognized and guaranteed in the present Charter without distinction of any kind such as race, ethnic group, color, sex, language, religion, political or any other opinion, national and social origin, fortune, birth or other status."

The Complainants submit that Southern Cameroonians are discriminated against by the Respondent State, in various forms. These include underrepresentation of Southern Cameroonians in national institutions, economic marginalisation through the denial of basic infrastructure; such as roads, persistence high levels of unemployment and illiteracy in Southern Cameroon. It is submitted that Southern Cameroonians are discriminated against in the legal and judicial system...

Southern Cameroons vs. La Republique du Cameroun – The Ruling of the African Commission on Human Rights

Dibussi Tande

“The Commission, however, finds also that the Respondent State violated various rights protected by the African Charter in respect of Southern Cameroonians. It urges the Respondent State to address the grievances expressed by the Southern Cameroonians through its democratic institutions." African Commission on Human Peoples' Rights

In a communiqué read on state-run media on October 1, 2009 – the 48th anniversary of the (re)unification of Southern Cameroons and the Republic of Cameroun – Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Cameroon’s Minister of Communications, informed the public that the African Commission on  Human and Peoples' Rights had ruled on the case filed by  SCAPO and the SCNC. He stated that  “In its final decision, the commission has rejected all the secessionist claims made by the representatives of SCNC and SCAPO. The commission has also rejected allegations that the Anglophone community is victim of violence and discrimination.”

Chicago 2016: Game Over! (An Insider Account)

By Makuna Tande in Copenhagen

The day started with promise as President Obama touched down in Copenhagen. But I knew the winds were turning.  We had been afraid of Rio’s powerful emotional message. And when the Rio team showed the world the dreaded map showing where the Olympics had held, we knew the game was up.

Makuna Tande with First Lady Michelle Obama in Copenhagen

This time the map was even more telling. On previous stops, only the names of past host cities were on the famous Rio map. The Brazilians took it a step further this time:  A huge graphic depicting the number of times each continent had hosted the games was added. It was too powerful.

Just Published: "Betrayal of Too Trusting a People" by Carlson Anyangwe

Carlson Anyangwe. Betrayal of Too Trusting a People: The UN, the UK and the Trust Territory of the Southern Cameroons. Langaa RPCIG, Cameroon | Paperback | 260 pages | 2009

There is a growing body of literature on what was originally envisioned as a free political association of the French and British Cameroons and its dramatic effects on the 'British Cameroons' community. Anyangwe's new book is an attempt to write the history of the Southern Cameroons from a legal perspective. This authoritative work describes in great detail the story of La Republique du Cameroun's alleged annexation and colonization of the Southern Cameroons following the achievement of its independence, while highlighting the seeming complicity of the United Nations and the British Trusteeship Authority. In the process, Anyangwe unravels a number of myths created by the main actors to justify this injustice and, in the end, makes useful suggestions to reverse the situation and to restore statehood to the Southern Cameroons. The book is rich in archival research and informed by a global perspective. It convincingly shows the uniqueness of the Southern Cameroons case.

1961 House of Commons Debates on Southern Cameroons - David Ormsby Gore, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs

We are all anxious to prevent any repetition of recent events in the Congo. It seems to us that our best hope of doing this is to continue firmly on our present course. There are always dangers when new countries are born—always the possibility of something going wrong—but these dangers would have been greater if we had tried, or were now to try to enforce reunification with Nigeria in a way contrary to the United Nations mandate and against the wishes of the people. David Ormsby Gore, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs 

My hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Mr. Tilney) has a considerable advantage over me in this debate, as he clearly knows the country very well. My knowledge of it is entirely second-hand, but I was very much impressed by his description of it, and the idea of a warm summer's day. I found it rather attractive on a cold winter's night in London.

The connection of the United Kingdom with the Cameroons began as a result of the First World War, and our responsibilities derive from a League of Nations Mandate which was replaced after the Second World War by the 1946 Trusteeship Agreement between the United Nations and United Kingdom. We have throughout held these territories in trust and it is for the United Nations to decide when that trusteeship was terminated.