THE ANGLOPHONE PROBLEM IS UNIQUE

The Guardian Post Newspaper, Friday 3rd October Edition: Is there an Anglophone problem in Cameroon? My reaction as published.

I am glad the Guardian Post is doing a vox pop on this issue and I think such questions should only be asked to those from Anglophone extraction i.e those from Northwest or Southwest Provinces (regions) because from my experience and interactions addressing this question to our francophone brothers, the answers you will get are " There is Francophone, Bamileke or Cameroon problem" thus the Anglophones are not the only one with problems.

This brings me to defined what the Anglophone Problem is all about. First a little background knowledge is important. Worthy to note is that, the Anglophones are a people, the Anglophones are not a tribe, we are a people that on 11th February 1961 voted declaring our intention to join French Cameroon based on two states of equal status. Till date such Union or treaty does not exist as French Cameroon has merely assimilated or colonized English Cameroon. This is true as on April 5, 2013, historians and constitutionalists gathering in Yaounde, declared that no legal documents were established at the time of reunification between the two Cameroons to bind them in a union. The issue of reunification or unification has been cleared, the Union between the two Cameroons legally speaking does not exist.

Secondly it is important to note that each country has problems, in Cameroon the pygmies, Bamilekes, Doualas, Nordist, Bakweries etc all have problems. Cameroon has a problem of corruption, unemployment, tribalism, nepotism, etc and each region of the Country cry of their own problems. The Anglophone problem is neither of the above nor the Anglophone problem is about marginalization, appointments, developments, infrastructure etc. These are sub-issues of the Anglophone problem.

Again, the Anglophone problem cannot be compared to any other problem in Cameroon because the Anglophone problem is unique and distinct. The Anglophone problem is a Constitutional problem. It is a constitutional problem because a certain people with distinct way of life and culture called Southern Cameroonians voted to join another group of people called Eastern ( French Cameroon) based on certain terms which has not been respected. The problem is an identity problem. Recalling that in 1972, President Ahmadou Ahidjo against the spirit and letter of the constitution pushed through a new document that abolished the federal system, renamed the country the Unitary Republic of Cameroon, and granted the president greater powers. After assuming the presidency, Paul Biya again in their assimilation style pushed through a revised Constitution in 1984. 

This document changed the country's name to the Republic of Cameroon- the name French Cameroon had at independence on 1st January 1960 thus completing the colonilization and assimilation of Southern Cameroon.

This is the Anglophone Problem-The Constitutional problem. The name of the Country was changed and the two stars which binds us removed thus where is the identity of the Anglophones. Worthy of note is that if we had remain in federalism of two states where presidency and arms of government rotates between the two Cameroons, where both states manages their affairs, the issue of marginalization, language, appointments etc would not have arise because the federal constitution would have taken care of it and any other problems would be the usual problems which befalls any country on earth. Therefore to solve the Anglophone problem, the Country must go back to the original idea of joining-the spirit and letter of the federal constitution must be revised and put in practice. I personally think a Federal Cameroon would be the best solution.

Like senior citizen comrade Mwalimu George NGWANE In his paper: Because we were involved (Reflections on the All Anglophone Conference ten years after) said " Whether the Anglophone problem is considered a forgotten scar of our collective memory or an open sore of our collective survival, it will continue to prick the conscience of the Cameroonian body-politic".

God is still saying something

Bara Mark B

Cameroon Anglophone Political Activist

Political and Freelance Writer

Msc. Environmental Sanitation

Faculty of Bioscience Engineering

University of Ghent

Ghent-Belgium

NB/ Bara Mark is a Former Student Union Leader UB, currently he is one of the Student Representative of the University of Ghent Faculty of Bio-science Engineering Council Belgium and the first and only black student representative of that Council.