First Published on Sunday, November 27, 2016 by the blog "New Cameroon Views"
By Janvier Tchouteu
The disillusionment, frustration and anger of the peoples West of the River Mungo (former British Southern Cameroonians, former West Cameroonians)---native born and or indigenous (aboriginal) over the bad treatment they have been receiving in the hands of the usurper French-imposed system (the political establishment), a system that is not a reflection of the post-independence government their forefathers had in mind when they voted for independence through (re)unification with the former French Cameroun( that became La Republique du Cameroun---the Republic of Cameroun on January 01, 1960) is real, should not be taken lightly and should be addressed in a serious manner. The Biya regime, like its predecessor the Ahidjo regime, and the French-imposed system as a whole loses any sense of relevance for their gross mismanagement of the reunification and independence project, an outcome that is hardly surprising for people who never fought for, never campaigned for, and never supported the reunification and independence of the lands of the former German Kamerun (British Cameroons and French Cameroun).
Every opportunity to mitigate or resolve the grievances of Anglophone Cameroonians West of the River Mungo should be seized, even though Cameroonian civic-nationalists (union nationalists who honor our forefathers who fought and died for and who voted for the reunification and independence of the lands of the former German Kamerun), believe that an optimal resolution of the Anglophone problem would be realized under a New Cameroon where the anachronistic French-imposed system has been completely dismantled and where the original objectives of reunification and independence would be the cornerstone of building a Cameroon that is progressive, liberal, free, democratic, just and prosperous.
However, even as we set our sights on this optimal or partial solutions, even as we denounce the French-imposed establishment made up of French-puppets and their collaborators drawn from every region, ethnic group, religion, and linguistic entity; even as we oppose this establishment led and dominated in Cameroon by French-favored groups, we should always bear in mind the fact that the establishment is rejected by the vast majority in all the regions, ethnic groups, religions and linguistic entities in the land. That way, the fight to restore the full rights of the people of the former West Cameroon does not make it a fight between Anglophones and Francophones; that way, a rejection of the system does not mean Cameroonians hold the Beti-Fang peoples or the Fulani peoples responsible for the Biya and Ahidjo regimes; that way, the grievances of Cameroonians against France's underhanded control of Cameroon does not become translated into a perception of France as an enemy, but rather as a country with the potential of becoming Cameroon's best friend that got led by governments of bad faith that made it to fail to become a genuine partner, a France that only needs to turn things around and reconcile with a people whose open heart can even accommodate France as a "Brotherly Nation".
Such a prospect of founding this "New Cameroon" would require honesty, genuineness, and adherence to historical truths from all the parties. The French puppets in Cameroon would have to stop parlaying the distorted history of Cameroon that the anti-Cameroonian forces in the governments of France dished out for them to serve to the Cameroonian people, anti-people narratives that succeeded in brainwashing so many over the decades, lies that denigrated the noble and honorable sacrifices Cameroonian civic-nationalists made for the land's reunification and independence. And even the Anglophobes and Francophobes, and even the Anglophone nationalists and Francophone nationalists (minorities on both sides of the River Mungo) who do not cherish the original goals of reunification and independence would need to cease trying to make enemies out of Anglophone Cameroonians and Francophone Cameroonians.
It does not help when we make comparisons of Cameroon, whose situation is unique in the world, with other countries. Cameroon still has the potential to become the pride of Africa or the curse of the continent. The New Cameroon would become the model around which the future "New Africa would be built. Cameroon stands to become "The Light of Africa". We should not allow the detractors to take our eyes away from the source of that light---Union-Nationalism.
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