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Abstract
In 1985, Barrister Gorji Dinka forged the concept “Ambazonia” in an open letter to President Paul Biya. The appointed president had just modified the Constitution and reverted to La République du Cameroun [LRC], a name French Cameroon adopted upon accession to Independence on January 1, 1960. It was constitutionally another arbitrary act of pro-French Cameroonians who had persistently undermined the drive for “Reunification” struck at the Foumban Conference in 1961. As a direct consequence, Gorji Dinka posited the need for “Ambazonia” as a revolutionary trend. I argue that the concept turned out to be neither portentous nor empty rhetoric. It crystalizes the struggles of three generations of Anglophones. If the first generation opted for a democratic and genuine discussion for a Federal State, the second generation, frustrated by the hypocrisy, cruelty, and inhumanity of regimes in place since 1961 has persistently called for either the return to Federalism or to separation. The third generation, all born during the thirty-six years of Biya’s brutal reign, embraced revolution. It is fondly called, “The Coffin Revolution.” The tune changed in 2016 and the third generation has thus been constrained to take up arms in place of pens. Whether in exile or at home, on firm ground or online, they have forced the attention of the world by proclaiming the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. I contend that they have earned their place at the table of renegotiation to turn Cameroon into a new federate or confederate state.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1 The North West and South West will henceforth be referred to as NoSo, an acronym for the French Nord-Ouest and Sud-Ouest.
2 Gorji Dinka certainly forged Ambazonia out the geographical name of Ambas Bay located in the South West. Formerly known as Victoria, Ambas Bay extends to the Gulf of Guinea. Along the coast of Ambas Bay runs the Victoria deep seaport renamed Limbe in 1982. Ambas Bay became a British protectorate on July 19, 1884. Alfred Saker claimed to have founded the city he named Victoria. But it is alleged that the city existed before his arrival. He would then import a colony of slaves to people Ambas Bay. Sir Edward Hertslet writes in The Map of Africa by Treaty: Abyssinia to Great Britain (colonies) [Great Britain: H.M. Stationery Office, 1894] that Ambas Bay would become a German possession on March 28, 1887. By a simple administrative order a few years after Reunification, Ahmadou Ahidjo would dispose the deep seaport of Victoria of its economic power for Douala. Furthermore, he would implant an oil refinery, managed from Douala and Yaoundé, to the detriment of Victoria/Limbe. That meant little or no major tax revenues to the city and of course pollution management. http://dictionnaire.sensagent.leparisien.fr/Ambas/Bay/;https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Ambas_Bay#Colonial_governors_of_Ambas_Bay.
3 By generation I mean a group of people who are slightly below or above the following demarcation years: 1930, 1960, 1990. They are intellectually mature to be able to read and understand major scientific and legal texts in English and French. The third generation are born slightly before or after 1990.
4 In a recent book, Mark Bareta calls his generation the “Never again” or the “Bullets vs Social Media” generation. They were all born during the long tenure and have endured the 36 years of Paul Biya’s hard- handedness.
5 Le gouvernement de l'Algérie, (Paris: Armand Colin, 1892), p. 11.
6 See his Prisoner without a Crime. Disciplining Dissent in Ahidjo’s Cameroon, (Bamenda: Langaa, 2009).
7 Since Ahmadou Ahidjo appointed him as his successor on November 6, 1982, Biya has modified the Constitution many times in order to keep the power. In 1992, he lost the election to John Fru Ndi, the leader of Social Democratic Front. He would place Fru Ndi under house arrest. Years after, Biya would devise a scheme to imprison most of his ministers who showed a threat to his power. After 36 years of repression, Biya has just rigged the October 7 2018 election for seven more years. At 85, the old dictator has declared war on the Ambazonians, the Anglophone Cameroonians fighting for justice. Since 2017, Ambazonia has become the symbol of justice in the darkest of Franco-French tyranny.
8 Under Paul Biya, ascension in military grades becomes a terrain of distributing favor to hardcore supporters. All the armed forces would also be showered with monetary benefits. The budget of the Ministry of Defense would become the most important during his thirty-six-year reign. In the Citation1990s civil servants’ salaries would be deeply cut but for those of the armed forces.
9 https://www.facebook.com/CameroonOpinions/photos/. Consulted on September 20 2019
10 See The Cameroon GCE Crisis: A Test of Anglophone Solidarity. The subtitle clearly indicates the commitment of Francis B. Nyamnjoh to the fight of the Anglophones. In collaboration with Piet Konings, Nyamnjoh has written cutting-edge articles and books on many issues among them, “The Anglophone Problem in Cameroon,” “The Anglophone Identity,” etc.
11 Francophones have always embraced the reunification trend. It was UPC’s first step of decolonization, reuniting the two territories. Mongo Beti, for instance, gave a voice to Ambazonians as early as 1986 though not with the intention of secession. I firmly believe that natural as well as cultural ties demanded reunification. I also think the most indignant Francophones such as Patrice Nganang need to clarify their position. Nganang’s La révolte anglophone [Paris: Editions Teham, 2018] and his call to eliminate the Bulu are extremist discussions that further widen the divide.
12 The concept Ground Zero is used by Ambazonia as a mimicry of US. The sub-text is the reference to LRC which like the 9/11 high-jackers, is a terrorist State. The Structure of the Government is a replica of the White House with the President and the Vice President strongly supported by a Chief of Staff. As in the US, all appointed members of the cabinet have to be approved by the Restoration Council of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. NoSo is also referred to as Ground Zero, a reference to the devastated New York twin towers.
13 Hardly had Sisiku Ayuk Tabe’s government been decapitated than another was put in place with Dr. Samuel Ikome Sako as the acting president. While Dr. Abongwa carries the responsibility of Vice President, Dr. Ayim is the Chief of Staff. The Interim government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia has a webpage. It is yet another proof of the inventiveness of the third generation. On social media, they seem to be better equipped than the corrupt Cameroon government, most concerned with personal enrichment than patriotism. https://www.ambazoniagov.org/index.php/about-us/who-we-are
18 https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/central-africa/cameroon/272-crise-anglophone-au-cameroun-comment-arriver-aux-pourparlers. Consulted on September 29 2019.
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Notes on contributors
Gilbert Doho
Gilbert Doho is Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, the Academic Representative in French Section and Founding Director of the Ethnic Studies Program at Case Western Reserve University. His areas of specialization are Francophone Studies, African Theater, and Cinema. His major publications include Capital Culture: Perspectives in Ethnic Studies II co-edited with Cheryl Toman, Le code de l’Indigénat ou le fondement des Etats autocratiques en Afrique francophone, Désastre à Fodong: Le devoir de resistance, Poésie et luttes de libération au Cameroun, People Theater and Grassroots Empowerment in Cameroon and Au-delà du lac de nénuphars. A playwright and novelist, he is the author of La cicatrice, Zintgraff and the Battle of Mankon, Noces de Cendres and Le crâne. His articles appear in Présence Africaine, Research in African Literatures, African Literature Today, Présence Francophone and Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society.