Special 20 th May : Overcoming Mounting Challenges To Unity

As Cameroon commemorates 49 years of togetherness this Thursday May 20, 2021 though void of the usual fanfare owing to the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic, deep reflection however needs to be given to what separates the people. For, what separates Cameroonians is seemingly taking a better part of what unites them. Dangerous for a people called to live as one though with the linguistic and cultural diversities characteristics of this once haven of peace.

Ironing Out Differences In NW, SW

If Covid-19 has dented National Day celebrations for the second year running now, the situation had not been better either since 2016 when corporate grievances from Common Law Lawyers and English Teachers’ Trade Unions spiralled into rebellion. Accepted by many that the claims of the aggrieved teachers and lawyers that certain values of their respective sectors were eroding in what some people cunningly coined ‘harmonisation,’ the dimension it took thereafter has been, to say the least, regrettable. Destruction of public and private edifices, killings from across the board and the deplorable depravation of youngsters from pursuing priceless education; their inalienable right, is easily the height of the madness. If the situation has raged on for four years now; irrespective of wide-ranging heart-soothing measures taken by the Yaounde authorities, then there is every reason to think that innovative efforts need to deployed to bring the disgruntled population back to the na- tional fold.

Surge In Hate Language

Cameroon’s diversity had, from time immemorial, forced citizens to jokingly adopt certain appellations to identify people from some parts of the country. In the years past, ‘Wadjos’ referring to northerners, ‘Frogs’ meaning Francophones, ‘Anglos’ talking about Anglophones which people readily accepted are now tilted towards insulting the very people the names cajoled in the years past. Cameroonians are increasingly becoming intolerant to an extent that some see others as strangers. ‘Bamenda,’ insinuating a slave, ‘come no go’ meaning invaders are among other downgrading statements increasingly being used by some against others.

In fact, some people feel more Cameroonian than others to an extent that they think some positions are ‘no go’ areas for fellow citizens simply because of their cultural or linguistic backgrounds. Instead of harnessing existing diversities to make for a strong, prosperous and mutually-beneficial country, ill-intentioned people throw the federative one-for-all policy to the dogs and see the country as a cake where the holder of the knife at any moment goes away with the biggest slice caring little about the plight of others. This is simply greed at its peak! This degrading attitude breeds frustration, pushing the inferiority-complexed group to the wall. This is apparently responsible for the surge in hate language in the country, sometimes masterminded on various social platforms by unsuspecting individuals; people whose educational and social backgrounds should logically have made them models of fraternity. Even the two official languages which should have been the ide...