Cameroon Decolonization Essay
Part one: A brief historical overview of imperialism.
During the Scramble for Africa in the late 19th century, European powers divided Africa and their resources into political partitions at the Berlin Conference in 1884-85. One of the countries that had been colonized was Cameroon. The colonial powers that had imperialized Cameroon are France, United Kingdom and Germany. The territory was first colonized by the Germans in 1884 and after the end of WWI, Cameroon was mandated to the French and British governments. France took the larger sector, known as the East Cameroon, while Britain took over the West Cameroon.
On January 1st 1960 the French sector became independent and was named Cameroon Republic, the West side of Cameroon was independent since February 11th 1961, as a result a unification of the two sides was held on October 1st 1961. One of the reasons why Cameroon was colonized is because it is rich with natural resources especially oil. The other reason why Cameroon and whole of Africa was colonized is because throughout Europe slavery was majorly banned especially in Britain, therefore free labor was not available anymore, and thus they colonized Africa.
Part two: How imperialism helped/hurt the Imperialized region.
In many ways the colonial powers had helped the indigenous people of Cameroon in other cases it did not. For example, under the Germans rule Cameroon has benefited from the economic development and education. Like many other colonial powers Germany wanted to benefit from countries they have colonized. In order to maximize the economic potential of their colonies they did something that all other colonial powers in Africa neglected, they educated their colonial subjects. They built schools throughout Cameroon, which soon far exceeded educational levels anywhere else in Africa. Economically speaking Germany built modern farms, mining, railroads, ports etc. All goods that were made required transportation, so they built a port to ship the food and materials produced. And it also required a new railroad to be built because these goods had to be transported to the ports.
Thus Germany made huge financial and technical investment in order to create all these features, hoping to make profit. However, due to the WWI where Germany was defeated it never managed to get any profit from their contributions. After Germany’s defeat the French and the British came into power. Because the country had been split, the culture, language, and education had also changed. The British practiced indirect rule leaving the local Kings and officials to power, which benefited Cameroon politically and socially. The French on the other hand focused on assimilation, which also benefited the indigenous people. While, forced labor was allowed by the law in French Cameroon, and many workers were unpaid and badly treated with a death rate averaging around 60 per thousand workers. The British abolished the system when they acquired Cameroon and recruited workers by offering good wages. In fact it was relatively attractive prospect throughout the colonial period, thus many migrants from southern Nigeria moved to Cameroon.
However, the negative effects of imperialism outweigh all the positive effects of the colonial powers. Brutal exploitation of the indigenous people was a number one priority to all colonial powers because it was cheap and effective. Any resistance was routinely crushed by force. Many people in the rule of the French and German colonies were forced into manual labor with minimum wage. Socially the country did not benefit from the separation because it created ethnic problems between the native people. As a result of unification of the two sides, there were 54 native African languages in Cameroon. Economically all countries in Africa including Cameroon were essentially robbed. People were forced into labor to obtain resources such as minerals, crops, petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, crude oil etc. for their colonial leaders. African countries were mainly split by the raw materials they produced. This meant that each country had specialized in a specific material.
The problem with this policy is that it is not diversified. Basing an entire nation’s wealth on one commodity would have weakening effects later. In the future this colonial policy is responsible for many of Africa’s modern problems. Because the political system in Africa was crushed and only the European powers were in charge, it meant that the African systems were out dated and no longer effective. Gaining such control meant people desired independence, which lead to rebellions and many deaths. All these negative effects lead only to one conclusion the destruction of
imperialism and independence.
Part three: The process of decolonization from the perspective of the region.The process of decolonization in Cameroon had started since the end of WWII. Political parties started to emerge in both the French and British sectors of Cameroon. The cause of this desire for independence applies to the end of WWII, spread of western education, the rise of nationalism, and pan-africanism. Countries such as Tunisia, and Morocco that were lead by the French colony obtained their independence by force through riots, and protests. Once they were independent Cameroonian political parties became even more motivated to gain independence because it was possible and achievable. Therefore, we can predict that the future of African imperialism was falling apart.
Union des populations du Cameroon (UPC), Parti Democrat (PD), Paysans Independants (P.I.), Union Cameroonaise (UC) are all political parties organized by the native people who strove for freedom. In 1955 multiple revolts emerged in major towns of French Cameroon. The uprising was lead by a political party called UPC. This revolt was put down by the French military with the loss of several hundred lives and massive destruction of towns. In 1956 the French government bans UPC. However, the party continues as an illegal freedom movement. This angered and frightened the French as strikes, protests and demonstrations broke out in support of the UPC. While the UPC proceeded the violent struggle for independence, moderate parties cooperated with the French and therefore, were successful. Ahmadu Ahidjo appointed to be prime minister in 1958. His party, the Union Cameroonaise, lead the French Cameroon to independence. However, to secure his position he abolished all the other parties through the process of “cajoling maneuvering and baiting.”(Nzembayie, 2008)
The western side of Cameroon had a much more complex history of decolonization. The Southern British Cameroon became a separate region from Eastern Nigeria in 1954, causing a political crisis in Nigeria. This was a clear sign that British Cameroons was a separate entity from Nigeria and had to remain that way. However, an argument broke out within the KNC governing party of the British Cameroons. Where a disagreement broke out on the process and timing of the reunification. John Ngu Foncha a leader of the party insisted on reunification while Dr. Enderdeley suggested to solve this problem in the future. Foncha resigned from KNC and formed the KNDP and in 1959 won the general elections, thereby replacing Enderdeley as prime Minister of Southern Cameroons. As Nigeria gained independence on 1st October 1960, Southern and Northern British Cameroons were separated from Nigeria, agreeing that they will decide whether to join Nigeria or Cameroon. At the UN supervised Plebiscites of 11th February 1961, Southern British Cameroons voted for reunification with the Cameroon while the Northern British Cameroons voted to unite with Nigeria. Finally Northern British Cameroons was lost to Nigeria by votes and the Southern side was unified with the Republic of Cameroon.
Part four: Establishment of a free state and the continued effect of decolonization in the modern age.
Whatever the relationship with France, the leaders of Cameroon concluded in 1961 that they had to look beyond France, in order for Cameroon to develop but still remaining a republican country. Thus they established stronger ties with other countries, including the US, Great Britain and Canada. The relations between USSR and Cameroon only involved trading goods. Realizing the great importance and potential of the US, Ahidjo the president of Cameroon, moved quickly to call for the establishment of better and more valuable relations between the two countries. January 19, 1961, Ahidjo sent a letter, congratulating president Kennedy on his inauguration. Ahidjo subsequently had indicated to the French that he would seek close ties with both the US and France to prevent any future conflicts. By engaging with America, Ahidjo hoped to reduce French influence in Cameroon.
Several reasons why Ahidjo sought help from the US are the following. First, Cameroon needed urgent economic support. Second, as a superpower, Ahidjo hoped that America’s intervention would neutralize France’s influence on Cameroon. Thirdly, he hoped to use Cameroon’s bilingualism to enhance the country’s global image. During the visits of Ahidjo to America he mostly encouraged businesses in the US to invest in Cameroon. Between 1963 and
1984, the total of American aid to Cameroon was $278.6 million. This money was provided to agriculture, medical services and construction of infrastructure, particularly railroads. In 1978, the Agricultural Management and Planning Project was started. The purpose of this project was to support government ministries to carry out agricultural census for the entire nation. This aid continued under the new leader of Cameroon Paul Biya.
Between 1961 and 1982, numerous cultural exchanges occurred between the US and Cameroon. With knowledge of American life and politics, Cameroonians have constantly pleaded for the introduction of a democratic system, similar to the system in US, however Paul Biya denied changing the system of governance. Cameroon had immense business potential especially with the help of America. However, after the elections in 1992 in which, Biya won a US agency found serious fault with the electoral process, which questioned the validity of the outcome. Concluding that the elections in Cameroon were rigged, America retaliated by cutting economic aid. It also resulted in many business companies to leave Cameroon, including the Chase Manhattan Bank, and First National Bank of Boston. The negative popularity of Biya’s regime and frequent protest had an adverse impact on America’s investment in Cameroon. Despite their mutual political and economic ups and downs, American culture in Cameroon is very popular. In 2008 Biya managed to modify Cameroon’s constitution and is now supposedly president for life.
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