Biafra and Catalonia fights while Southern Cameroons look on

The Catalonia Parliament recently voted to start independence procedures, however, the Spanish government is fighting in the country's top court a motion passed in the Catalan parliament backing independence from Spain. Catalonians have poured out into the street to support independence. Meanwhile in Nigeria, we are seeing a new wave of Biafra movement protesting freely. These two movements owned businesses, radio houses, newspapers etc. Their protest movement is largely peaceful.

The Southern Cameroons movement has been reduced to writing resolutions and history. SCNC which is one of the most significant movement has somewhat gone comatose if I can use that language. However, the differences in these movements is very much understood. The French spirit has eaten so deep into the fabric of Southern Cameroonians in such a way the Camerounese agenda has become a normality. The Cameroon political system is somewhat complex and the fact that Southern Cameroons have been under a unitary system for more than 42 years makes matter worse. Southern Cameroonians do not yet understand their true history, history textbooks have been truncated to favour La Republique and keep the status quo in such a way that some Southern Cameroonians do not see the need to change the political system.

My understanding is that should Southern Cameroons had remained in a two state federation with La Republique with our own parliament, it would have been very easy for the Southern Cameroons Parliament to vote out of the Union and start a separation process like Catalonia are doing. The same is true for Biafra, the French system has not eaten into them and a federal nature of their government gives them some upper hand against Southern Cameroonians. You will now understand why France advised Ahidjo to collapse the Federal structure in 1972. One of the reasons is to make it very difficult for Southern Cameroons to opt out of the Union as these movements are doing today.

We cannot really compare the Catalonia and Biafra movement with Southern Cameroons on many facets. The underlying point is that Catalonia and Biafra movements are seeking secession because they gained independence with Spain and Nigeria as a nation. Southern Cameroons never gained independence with La Republique. The Southern Cameroons fight is not that of secession . It is that of colonialization and annexation. They are two distinct people who decided to forge a political union based on some terms which has not been respected.

Now, we asked ourselves. Are Southern Cameroonians ready to regain their independence? Are they ready to dare the odds and engage to seek address? Who is that savior to lead Southern Cameroons? Has the force of argument failed? Are we going to continue fighting, seeking independence on social media? The answers lie with you and me.

God is still saying something.