The Cameroons Unification Revisited (2): The Endeley Prophesy

On the eve of the 1961 Plebiscite, EML Endeley’s Cameroon Peoples National Convention (CPNC) released a lengthy pamphlet warning Southern Cameroonians of the dangers that lurked ahead in case they voted for unification with the French Cameroons. The message was described as "eternal evidence of the full note of WARNING that is being sounded in good time to all Cameroon people before they make their historic choice of February 11."

The CPNC considered the document of such critical importance to the region that it appealed to the people of Southern Cameroons to "read it in your quiet moments. If you can't read, get a school boy or some other person to read and explain to you. Then sleep over the arguments raised in the pamphlet and wake up with a new resolution..."

Below are ten key points extracted from the lengthy pamphlet released in February 1961. Let the reader judge if these points have stood the test of time...

THE ENDELEY  PREDICTIONS ( Ten Excerpts)

1. Nearly everyone in Southern Cameroons has heard the word FREEDOM. Our association with Nigeria for nearly half a century has made us realize what it means to move about freely; to speak in public freely; to worship freely; to speak our minds without fear of molestation. These freedoms and many more will continue to be ours if we vote for union with Nigeria.
   But if you vote for Cameroun Republic, you will  invite a new system under which everyone lives in fear of the Police and the Army. You will not be free to move about; you cannot lecture freely or discuss your political views in public; you must carry your tax receipt around your neck like a dog; and you can be arrested and flogged by the Police and even imprisoned without a fair trial.
   The CPNC believes that all decent people in the Southern Cameroons who have tasted of freedom will be sensible enough to vote for union with Nigeria. Freedom is too sweet to be thrown away to the dogs.
2. ...Under the French system, you cannot have a fair trial. Anyone accused of an offence in the Cameroun Republic is manhandled and flogged and is generally treated as a guilty criminal. Even the most junior policeman there seems to have the power of  "life and death" over the common people! This is a bad system and must be rejected by the voters.
3. If you vote for Cameroun Republic, you will for ever fail to secure independence for the Southern Cameroons because Cameroun Republic is still a COLONY of France. French troops are still stationed in Douala and Yaounde...The CPNC maintains that it is no use for the Southern Cameroons to move from the British COLONY system. We must move into true INDEPENDENCE with Nigeria.
4. If you vote for union with Nigeria, we shall continue to enjoy the excellent land tenure which protects the natives from becoming tenants on the farms of white settlers. We shall preserve our land for our own farms, and we shall be free to plant our own cocoa, bananas or coffee.
   If you vote for Cameroun Republic, your little farmland will be at the mercy of white French men. These Frenchmen are reliably understood to be planning to take over the CDC plantations in Victoria and Kumba Divisions...
5. Who amongst you would like to live in a country where your life and property are constantly in danger? Who amongst you peaceful citizens of the Southern Cameroons, will like to live in a country where you may be shot at as you move along the street, or your wife killed as she toils the farm?
6. Who amongst you would like to live in French Cameroons, a country red with the blood of thousands of innocent victims killed by terrorists and the Ahidjo regime?
7. Who amongst you, good citizens of Southern Cameroons, will like to live in a land where people's houses and shops are burnt everyday and looted;  where you can be arrested without a fair trial?
8. Who amongst you will like to live in a country which lacks complete respect for human dignity and where you cannot speak out your mind freely or pursue your business in peace? Surely none of you. Who amongst you will like your children to grow up in servitude? Surely none of you.
9. That will be our lot if we join French Cameroun. If you wish to save yourself from the aforementioned indignities, make sure you vote for the Southern Cameroons to remain as it has been in the past forty years.
10. If you want to avert the impending confusion that will befall the Southern Cameroons, and if you want the territory to develop into a county where all will be fairly treated and adequately catered for; where there will be equal opportunities for everyone, irrespective of tribe, creed, race or political association, then cast your vote in the GREEN BOX during the Plebiscite on February 11.
     

The rest, as the saying goes, is history....

Tag: CameroonAfricaSouthern Cameroons

Comments

[Ma Mary]

UN committed a crime by not giving Southern Cameroons option 3, complete independence. Endeley was a true prophet because everything that he said about the french has happened, right down to the sale of CDC Bakweri lands to friends of COG (Camerounese Occupation Government).

[Justice M. Mbuh]

Joining Nigeria would, in the long-run, as long as 45 years, been the better option, no doubt about it! Obviously, the presence of "Southern Cameroons" in Nigeria would have also lessened ethnic and religious strive, which currently plague that nation and even more, reduced the impact of the now too apparent North-South dichotomy, fueled also by religious rivalries.

However, in hindsight, the best option for "Southern Cameroonians" was total independence. The elite of this territory are to blame for yielding, so cheapishly to the tautology of the terms of the Two Alternatives; and even worse, for missing all opportunities that would have reversed the status quo--from failing to invoke a breach of trust when the UN, Britain and France failed to show up at Foumban Constitutional Talks; failing to invoke further breaches when the Union Jack (British Flag) was folded and handed over but to Ahidjo, Cameroun President, instead of to a "Southern Cameroons", or even to Foncha, his questionable origins notwithstanding.

The terms of the Mandated Territory Agreement, as well as Trusteeship Agreements both demanded the "Southern Cameroons" should be led to Self-government and Independence. Having attained self-government when the Doctrine of Benevolent Neutrality was declared in 1953/4, all that was left was for "Southern Cameroons" politicians to declare their country Independent and demand a seat at the UN! INDEPENDENCE IS , ACCLAIMED, CLAIMED, NOT HANDED DOWN LIKE A CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION!

It is not late to correct the wrongs of history. With Ambazonia Republic legal victories and evoted leadership, it is only a matter of time, as small as months for Ambazonia (Southern Cameroons) to be reborn and rejoin the community of nations--while sending Cameroun gangsters and bandits parking and running for cover. The shame of maltreating "Southern Cameroonians" in the illegal union will haunt them forever!
Justice M. Mbuh

[kange williams wasaloko]

It is difficult to say whether a marriage between southern cameroon and the federal republic of Nigeria would have been better because you can only know how confortabe a bed is by sleeping on it. I think that Dr. Endely's reasons for southern cameroon to join Nigeria were influenced by his personal attachment to Nigeria;

Firstly, Endeley's first wife ETHEL ENDELEY of bleessed memory was of Nigerian origin.

Secondly, Dr. Endeley like most educated anglophne cameroonians studied in Nigeria.

Thirdly, Dr Endeley as a student admire the views of great statesment like Tafewa balewa and Nnamdi Azikiwe.

Fourthly,as a typical anglican, he could not tolerate the corrupt and alien french system. Infact his hatred for the french language was an open secret.

Endeley's critics however advanced the following views; that it is alledged he struck a secret deal with the nigerian government without the knowledge of his kinsmen.
they also hold the view that the ibo traders and smugglers were very hostile to cameroonian traders at the time. Stories of how human beings were killed and sold to nigerians were very common in those days.
Nigera at the time was the seat of sects like ;(ogbony society),(olumba olumba)etc.
Talking about a union with Nigeria therefore was a far fetched dream.
Finally while Ahidjo kept on lobbying foncha and the influential anglophone politicians at the time promising better wages with support from the french, neither the nigerian government nor their english colonial master had proposed concrete assistance to southern cameroon.
My honnest view is that while it is important to discuss the past, let us stop blaming our politician and see how we can make up for the past, so that our kids will not blame us tomorrow.

[Ma Mary]

It is not about Endeley's choice being the better of the two. That is not the lesson here.

One lesson is that the UN gave the Southern Cameroons two awful choices and the leaders could not agree enough to reject both.

The other is that those leaders of those days made a thorough analysis and understood what we were dealing with. Southern Cameroonians could not tolerate Nigerian oppression. That is why Endeley secceeded from Eastern Nigeria to found the autonomous government of Southern Cameroons. He thought that Southern Cameroons autonomous federal region would do better in Nigeria than with la Republique. That is difficult to prove or disprove, because it could have altered the modern history of Nigeria.

In regards to the matter of secret societies and cults, I say it is awash. Just read the recent Cameroon news.

[Suh Ade]

Please make sure every Southern Cameroonian reads Endely prediction. This is amazing.

[Galabe Elvis]

Endeley or Foncha, La Repubque or Nigeria, we were not slaves to be sold to one or other. Ours was the right to self-determination through independence which the british violated and the UN consented. They have to redress our plight but we have to press for a redress ourselves. La Republique was double trouble ( marginalisation and recolonisation), Nigeria would have enabled us to maintain our cuture but the marginalisation could have been worse. What did we do wrong to the English monarchy or the UN to the extent that they had to sell us into neoslavery?

[Precious]

I am a Nigerian studying in the UK. I am quite sympathetic about the plight of the Southen Cameroons. But this shows how the choices we make can affect us and also our children. Recently, I listened to the Rwandan president talking about how English Language is more beneficial to africans than the Fench Language. I have also heard about the role the French govt played in the genocide that took place in Rwanda and how they failed to respond to save the situation.

The point is, you can never know the value of freedom until you loose it! Nigeria might not have been the best option for you but whatever was the driving force that made your founding fathers take the decision to join Republic of Cameroon should never be allowed to go in vain. I beleive they thought that freedom will be better achieved under Republic of Cameroon. So fight on until you achieve total freedom.

Well, it would have been nice to have you guys as brothers, Nigeria would have been a more balanced country with you guys. But its okay atleast we are making progress. And that is what matters - progress even when you make wrong choices.

[coco yams]

africa's Problem lieas bach with the partition of africa at the berlin Conference of 1884 and long before that slavery. I think every continent, people and country should be allowed to self determined it way of living. I do not not know who will like to have someone ´to come tounsands of kilometers and tell you have to dress m´, how to eat worhship , speak and where your bounderies should start and stop. The UN being a tool invented by the colonialist can never favor any colony in anyway. Just like money. the countries of the so called 3 rd woröd will never be rich because they never invented money anc capitalism or comunisn. cameroonians and afican in general should open their eyes and unite. Unite not to fight agains the colonialism but to save what they can save. englis´h, french, German or whatsoever could not have been better than our languages had we kept our pre colonial boundaries. but nowaydays everything is interest, money and lobby. since most black african nations have none they are nóbody.

[fsiele]

I think Cameroon today is not different from Nigeria. I don't see women being shot while tending their farms. The situation in Nigeria is even worse than of Cameroon as we have seen with Nigerian critics being imprisoned and executed. This is the situation that is predominant all over Africa. Endeley shouls have campaigned for independent statehood for Southern Cameroons. I will osit here that an independent Southern Cameroon would have seen the same fate like other African countries. There is no country in the continent that is doing well in any regards.

[Brother Bill]

The best option (independence) was denied southern Cameroonians; but going by the other two (joining Nigeria or republique du Cameroun), it would have been better going to Nigeria, reasons being that, southern Cameroons would have been enjoying the fruits of federalism compared to our union with la republique du Cameroun where even basic drinking water is lacking. We would have chosen our own brother for governor and not haven to bear with an imposed francophone governors for so long. Joining Nigeria would have resulted many ddevelopments such as Kumba-Mamfe road and Kumba-Mundemba road. While I live in bitter regrets for this cursed union, I'm still praying and hoping that option three will become a reality some day by the intervention of God.

[Nancy]

just one expression can describe how i feel right now HEARTBROKEN. God please you promised not to forget nor forsake your own. See us frighting for our freedom. You know our intentions are pure. You know we are a peaceloving people. You promised that wickedness will not dwell on the land allocated to the righteous. You are never late to fix what is broken. Whatever our founding fathers did, have we not suffered enough? With tears in my eyes, save us from these devils who seek to destroy and wipe us out. We are tired of colonization. God, just like you did it for Israel do it for us.