Political Unrest in Cameroon
It never hit to my conscious of how significant language is to a country such as Cameroon where language is the lingua franca of diplomacy and trade. Not until I figured out the perceived prolonged assault of the Francophone elites against English speakers that understood the direction to which my beloved country is headed. My mind is currently tuned to the ongoing civil war between the Anglophone and Francophone in my beloved country that started in 1984 at the Foumban Conference (Country Reports 24). The conference was first held to discuss unitary terms between the French and English, resulting in the change of the country’s name from “Republic of Cameroon” to “United Republic of Cameroon.” In 1984, Paul Biya changed it to “Republic of Cameroon” leading favoritism for the French speakers at the expense of the Anglophone.
In May 2015, English lawmakers objected the appointment of French judges who were not competent enough to understand the English laws in the courts of law. However, the president ignored their demands which triggered off a strike by the English lawyers last October (Country Reports 27). The president has, since then been heavy-handed on the activists by a ruthless response characterized by hardened antagonisms, two-month internet shutdown and killing of protesters. The strike intensified as students, teachers, and residents joined in as they also felt discriminated by our French president. Police brutality further stoked the demonstrators’ anger and the whole matter turned into a political unrest. Currently, the internet, schools and other important amenities on the English side have been closed as the Anglophone’s lives become more endangered.
This matter bothers me a lot because I am an English speaker. It hurts to see my people suffer brutality from the government, discrimination and the overall political unrest. How can I go back to my country and face the unsociable French people? My life could also be rendered into the hands of our rivalries. I am therefore scared of going back to visit my family and friends or even settle there after my studies. However, my love for my country and my people cannot hold me back here despite how terrifying it may look. I have to be patriotic and fight for equality because the repercussions of our failure will be suffered many generations to come. I therefore believe that the claims of our people concerning political reform are justified because Cameroon is an independent republic.
Apart from the exacerbating tensions and grievances, Cameroon is looking forward to 2018 presidential elections and the 84-year old president may choose to run again he has shown no signs of relinquishing the power. At personal level, the current state of favoritism will drain down all my career achievements because most of the good jobs are only given to the French speakers. To the Anglophone community, discrimination will continue to suppress its welfare hence attracting poverty, and unworthy living standards. English speakers have limited opportunities to excel as compared to the Francophone. This crisis is affecting me as an individual and Cameroon as a nation. It is also worth noting that any developments of the crisis either for the good or bad will impact the future of Cameroon.
Work cited
"Country Reports - Cameroon." Cameroon Country Monitor, Mar. 2017, pp. 1-38. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=122157217&site=ehost-live.
