Anglophone Cameroon Research Articles

Radicalizing Consciousness in the Dramas of Derek Walcott and Bate Besong

The postcolonial period in the Caribbean Island and Anglophone Cameroon continues to witness a deliberate and systematic betrayal of the hopes and aspirations of the citizenry, who in no small way fought very hard for the acquisition of political independence. This period was characterised by capitalist exploitation, with colonialist and their neo-colonial counterparts, who as a result of self interest, had transformed the lives of their people into a “perpetual nightmare”. This paper examines the extent to which slavery, oppression, exploitation, misery and corruption amongst other societal ills have eaten into the fabric of the Caribbean and Cameroonian societies and the manner in which the playwrights address and confront such burning societal mishaps. This paper also argues that the failure of independence to provide immediate solutions to the problems of the colonised people acted as a catalyst for the emergence of nationalist sentiments and open revolutions in most once colonised societies.From a Marxist critical paradigm, this paper reveals that Walcott and Besong are playwrights who hold strongly to the thesis that, morality and the doctrine of equal opportunity are treasured commodities that cannot be led loose on the hostile landscape of postcolonial dictatorship, oppression, exploitation and, above all, corruption. Thus, nationalism and social revolutions are considered, by the playwrights, as the panacea towards the complete emancipation of the impoverished masses from political, economic, social and cultural bondage.

Widowhood in contemporary Anglophone Cameroon Literature

Moving from the premise that widows have been at the margins of literary discourse in Cameroon, this paper examines widowhood in contemporary Anglophone Cameroon literature using John Nkemngong Nkengasong's The Widow's Might (2006) and Alobwed'Epie's Patching the Broken Dream (2012) as the springboard for its discussion. It argues that the factors that influence the lives of widows, especially, the options available to them and the multiplicity of interests touching on their behavior are grounded in socio-cultural parameters that shape communal consciousness. The paper equally aims at showing how these widows attempt to or actually construct new worlds for themselves by resisting such dominant cultural scripts. The paper locates its discourse within the framework of womanist ideology as propounded by Chikwenye Okonjo Ogunyemi and Mary Modupe Kalawole.

Multiculturalism and the African Novel: A Study of Recent Anglophone Cameroon Novels

This paper discusses multiculturalism in the African novel with emphasis on the Anglophone Cameroon novel. In doing this, I interrogate the idea of a multicultural world as a prescriptivist possibility of Western universalism, and draw inspiration from pre-colonial notions of it in Africa in order to suggest a relative appraisal of the term today. The two novels in focus thus serve as mediating points in the assessment of how and why Africa and Europe (the West in general) can partner less suspiciously. In the end, I also suggest the reinforcement of a more objective reliance on African bioethics in order to negotiate a more organic transition into the challenges of multiculturalism today.

WELCOMING THE ‘FON OF FONS’: ANGLOPHONE ELITES AND THE POLITICS OF HOSTING CAMEROON'S HEAD OF STATE

ABSTRACTThis article draws on a political ethnography of the hosting of state ceremonies to engage with erstwhile theoretical accounts of African politics as highly patrimonial and built on a social complicity between African rulers and their citizens. The article examines the patrimonial relationship between Cameroon's head of state, Paul Biya, and political elites of local ethno-regional communities who support the president within the framework of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) in Anglophone Cameroon. It approaches such elite politics of hosting as part of the vast cultural repertoire of patrimonial domination that emphasizes a spectacularization of proximity and intimacy between the head of state and his coterie of supporting elites as the latter seek development resources for their local and regional communities in exchange for their political support. To account for hosting as a practice of patrimonial elite politics, the article demonstrates the complex logics and pragmatics of ethnic and regional competition as well as the deployment of symbolic idioms of hierarchical relations, mutuality and interdependence in the cultural performance and legitimation of Biya's patrimonial domination of Cameroon.

Indemnification of Victims of Motor Accident: A Comparative Study of English Law and the CIMA Code

This thesis highlights the indemnification of victims of motor accidents. It brings out the similarities and differences between English law which was the former applicable law in Anglophone Cameroon and the CIMA Code which is at present the applicable law in Cameroon. This thesis aims to compare and measure the suitability or otherwise of the rules under both systems in matters of indemnification of victims of motor accidents. In undertaking these analyses, the thesis also identifies the innovations of the CIMA Code in Anglophone Cameroon in the domain of indemnifications of victims of motor accidents.

Learner orientation through professional development of teachers? Empirical results from cascade training in Anglophone Cameroon

This paper examines the effects of a professional development programme on the attitudes towards the teaching and learning of teachers in the Anglophone part of Cameroon. The development programme combines a multiplier system with school-based in-service training. The research compares the effects that the training had on the attitudes of three groups of teachers in a control group design: (1) teachers participating in the in-service training, subdivided into (1a) teachers trained as multipliers and (1b) teachers trained by the multipliers, and (2) teachers who did not participate in the training. The study featured a quantitative control group design (n = 292) and is intended to contribute to the discussion on the sustainable effects of in-service teacher training in low-income countries. The data collection was conducted in 13 secondary schools in Cameroon. The results suggest that the programme had effects on the teachers’ attitudes and classroom practices.

Imagining a future in ‘bush’: migration aspirations at times of crisis in Anglophone Cameroon

This article addresses the migration aspirations of young, lower middle-class Cameroonians living in Anglophone Cameroon. Deportations and prevention campaigns portray the negatives of migration, yet often have little impact because they assume that migrants’ aspirations are grounded in the prior success of other migrants. This research takes its lead from the question: Why aren’t aspiring migrants in Cameroon discouraged by migration failure? It is based on an ethnographic fieldwork conducted between September 2007 and January 2009 in Buea (South West Cameroon). Since the late 1990s, the desire for a future ‘away from home’ has come to be expressed in Anglophone Cameroon by aspirations of going to ‘bush’. Taking seriously people’s conceptions of success and failure in places of departure, the article argues that locally voiced claims of ‘global belonging’ exert an important influence on migration aspirations. An understanding of deeply rooted migration desires must include an analysis of identity politics.

Language choice in multilingual socio‐religious settings in southwest Cameroon

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the factors motivating language choice in church in two semi‐urban, multilingual localities of Anglophone Cameroon, namely, Kumba and Mundemba. The informants were priests, catechists, choir leaders and parishioners; and the data were collected through participant observation and a questionnaire. The structural‐functional model proposed by Kouega (2008) was adopted. The findings revealed amongst other facts, that the languages used in these two places were English, Pidgin English, Latin, Lingala and Lamnso’ and those used in one or the other locality were Oroko and Bamileke. These languages were found to be chosen for one or more of the following reasons: the priests were proficient in them, the parishioners understood them, there were religious materials available in them, there were choirs singing in them and, lastly, there existed a collection of captivating lyrics in them.

Approaches to gender conflicts on land ownership in the courts of Anglophone Cameroon: human rights implications

This article examines the Cameroonian legal system on land ownership. It discusses the general underlying principles of the right to land ownership, highlighting land registration as the main determinant. It seeks to find out why there are recurrent gender land-related conflicts and evaluates court approaches in curbing gender conflict over land ownership. The study analyses the existing legislations and case laws relating to land ownership and gender conflict, and a descriptive analysis of findings on the existing registered land is employed to determine whether equal land ownership, which is an inherent right, is respected and protected in the courts of Anglophone Cameroon. Based on the findings, the article argues that the recurrent gender land-related conflicts have their roots in the customary practices influenced by patriarchy. Also, the discriminatory application of the statutory land laws by the common law judges has played a major role in the unequal land ownership in Anglophone Cameroon. The article argues for the institution of comprehensive and harmonized land reform and other machineries that may guide judges in addressing these incessant land-related gender conflicts.

Implications of Customary Practices on Gender Discrimination in Land Ownership in Cameroon

Africa, before European colonization, knew no other form of legal system outside customary arrangements. Based on secondary sources and a primary survey conducted between 2009 and 2010 on the situation of women and land rights in anglophone Cameroon, this paper examines the grounds for discrimination in customary laws against women's rights to land in the context of legal pluralism, and discusses the implications of this custom of gender discrimination. In drawing from Cameroon as an exemplar, it concludes that the strong influence and impact of customs on current land tenure systems have global implications on women's land rights, food security and sustainable development, and that gender equality in land matters can be possible only where the critical role of ethics is recognized in pursuit of the economic motive of land rights.

The paradox of gender discrimination in land ownership and women’s contribution to poverty reduction in Anglophone Cameroon

Land is the core of the predominantly agrarian economy of Cameroon. It is therefore an important factor of production to both men and women particularly in rural areas. While the legal framework in Cameroon advocate for equal rights and opportunities to resources, the majority of rural women who are mostly peasant farmers can neither inherit nor own land due to gender discriminatory customary practices. This study examines some of the arguments for sustaining these customary practices that violate women’s rights over the years and the role of these ‘landless’ women in poverty alleviation. The study is based on a field survey which was conducted among some 2,205 respondents in 2009 using questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions in Anglophone Cameroon. The findings revealed that although women are the livewire of rural households and key players in the struggle against poverty who depend solely on land, they still do not have security of tenure over the land they cultivate. The paper argues that even though women are assuming increasing roles in the education of the children, provision of food and paying for medical services for the homes, there are still some traditional belief systems that work against their rights to land. These belief systems have a strong grip on the attitudes and perception of both men and women on women’s rights to land in that even when men and women are unanimous on the need for women to own land, they both disagree on how they should own the land. The logical outcome of this dilemma is that men own the land while women work on it. The latter have very little possibilities to carry out any long term investment on land without the blessing of the former. We thus, advocate for gender mainstreaming in land reforms and gender consciousness among traditional authorities, men and even among the women as some of the ways of redressing gender discrimination in land ownership rights and poverty particularly in rural areas.

Neoliberal Bandwagonism: Civil society and the politics of belonging in Anglophone Cameroon

Neoliberal Bandwagonism: Civil society and the politics of belonging in Anglophone Cameroon

Interrogating the union: Anglophone Cameroon poetry in the postcolonial matrix

Anglophone Cameroon poetry deals with a peculiar postcolonial political situation in Africa, in which two peoples of opposing colonial experiences were brought together to form a nation. Focusing primarily on the poetry of Bate Besong and John Ngong Kum Ngong, the essay interrogates the rationale for the union by examining the Anglophone Cameroon poets' portrayal of the “Anglophone problem”. The problem is defined in terms of the marginalization, assimilation, dictatorship and fake democratic practices which have hindered Anglophone Cameroonians from having control over themselves and their destiny since British Southern Cameroons joined the French République du Cameroun in 1961 to constitute a nation. Analysis of Anglophone poetry, and of the poets' reaction to the legacy of colonialism, supports the argument that Anglophone Cameroon poetry articulates a network of experiences and visions to offer a severe critique of the irreconcilable union. The poets demonstrate a strong attachment to their history, their colonial heritage and their integrity as leading light for a people who, in a daunting neo‐colonial situation, have been deprived of the basic right to independence.

Non-standard features in English in Anglophone Cameroon New Writing: dilemmas for the education system

One of the ways a language is learned, especially a foreign language, is by personal extensive reading. When people read widely, they are exposed to the linguistic structure of what they read and so learn it consciously or unconsciously. What they come across in their reading remains in their minds and adds to their general knowledge. This includes knowledge of the language they read. General wide reading reinforces the language students have been formally taught in their language classes. Exposure to grammatically correct language would improve their language skills. On the other hand, exposure to incorrect language would negatively affect the language skills of foreign learners and cause them to use wrong language comfortably, not knowing that they are erroneous in their usage.

Anglophone Cameroon in Search of Identity - Obstacles and Prospects

The former British Southern Cameroons opted in a UN organised plebiscite in 1961 to reunify with La Republique du Cameroun to form a federation of two states that were said to be on a footing of equality. But contrary to declarations and expectations, the federation was not one of equal states. It was instead a veiled preparatory stage for the total assimilation of the Southern Cameroons into the highly centralised La Republique du Cameroun francophone unitary state. Through a number of assimilation stages, the Southern Cameroons has lost its autonomy to La Republique du Cameroun, its people marginalised, institutions destroyed, and the territory neglected in terms of socioeconomic development.

The right to self-determination and the anglophone Cameroon situation

This paper evaluates anglophone Cameroon's right to self-determination and explores the possibilities open to a people within the context of an African nation state to exercise this right, including the option to secede. Considering the ‘soft underbelly’ of African boundaries, the intention is to look at the contemporary position of African states vis-à-vis the exercise of the right to self-determination. The paper concludes by exposing the consequences of the persistent denial of anglophone Cameroon's right to self-determination on the future of democracy in Cameroon and on the stability of the region as whole.

University Crisis and Student Strikes in Africa: The Case of the University of Buea (Cameroon)

The deepening crisis in African universities has had grave consequences for stu- dents who are faced with a dramatic deterioration in their living and study condi- tions and bleak prospects for future employment. The authoritarian management style and political control prevailing in most of these universities form formidable obstacles for students wishing to voice their grievances and organize in defence of their interests. However, African students seem not to be resigned to their fate and instead have displayed a growing activism that is reflected in various forms of protest, including strike actions. This study focuses on two recent violent strikes in the English-speaking University of Buea (UB) in Anglophone Cameroon. Like most other student protests in Africa during the ongoing process of economic and political liberalization, the UB students went on strike in an attempt to improve their unsatisfactory living and study conditions and to create democratic space within and outside the university. What was peculiar to the UB strikes was that they were inspired by deep feelings among the Anglophone student community of being more oppressed and marginalized than their Francophone counterparts, owing to their Anglophone identity, by the Francophone-dominated post-colonial state.

The Challenges of Nongovernmental Organizations in Anglophone Cameroon ‐ by Lotsmart N. Fonjong

<i>The Challenges of Nongovernmental Organizations in Anglophone Cameroon</i> ‐ by Lotsmart N. Fonjong

Change Aesthetics in Anglophone Cameroon Drama and Theater, by Hilarious N. Ambe

<i>Change Aesthetics in Anglophone Cameroon Drama and Theater</i>, by Hilarious N. Ambe

Cyber‐nationalism: the imagined Anglophone Cameroon community in cyberspace

Today, with the help of technology, new economies, dominated by information and communication technology have created opportunities for previously suppressed voices to emerge. These technologies of persuasion and dissemination in the public sphere have helped Anglophone Cameroonians to popularize their claims on the Internet. This article argues that though silenced within Cameroon, Anglophone voices critical of the government can still be heard virtually on the Internet. An in‐depth discussion of the various virtual communities of Anglophone Cameroon found in cyberspace will be made and an explanation provided as to why Anglophones had to resort to this new technology of persuasion as an instrumental tool to articulate their nationalism as opposed to the older form of nationalism that requires proximity. As a result, the government of Cameroon finds itself challenged by sub‐nationalism in Anglophone Cameroon.