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| Nfon Mukete |
By Dr Eyongbessem Lawrence Ebai-ngoh, Epiahmoh Ma-Emohngoh of Etoko
“The deterioration of every government begins with the decay of the principles on which it was founded” -Charles de Louis
“Et Vous, Que Faites-Vous Pour Votre Delivrance”? (A 1943 editorial headline from “Franc-Tireur”, newspaper of “Mouvements Unis de la Resistance” during the Nazi occupation of France: 1940-1945)
“Evil triumphs because good men do nothing”- Edmund Burke
“…I invite all Frenchmen, wherever they may be, to join me in action, in sacrifice, and in hope. Our country is in peril. Let us all fight to save her”- General Charles de Gaulle
It is now 54 years since the Republic of Cameroun and the UN trusteeship state of Southern Cameroons came together in 1961.
The now bastardized, skewed and imbalanced Unification gave birth to a premature and deformed baby we Christened bilingualism. 54 years after, the hapless child is still limping with one leg while the Union is standing on a tripod of injustice, discrimination and inequality of opportunity.
In honest, genuine bilingualism has never existed in Cameroon. The Francophones have never respected bilingualism in practical terms. What we have on ground is a charade, a Francophone fad and a masquerade- a fake! It is a sleazy stratagem, a shameless swindle, a freaky farce and a spineless political slogan engineered by the Francophones to get what they want from the Anglophones. Now that they have our crude, timber, cocoa…; they shamelessly and with great avarice grab and reserve all the juicy appointments and positions for themselves. The Anglophones are perpetually subdued, victimized and traumatized as house slaves and nannies, carriers of water and cutters of wood in a land where Communal Liberalism is a national mantra.
No Anglophone has ever headed ministries like Finance, Territorial Administration, Defense, Foreign Affairs … No Anglophone has ever been the General Manager of S.N.H., SONARA, S.C.D.P., despite the existence of these state corporations more than 40 years ago. From the current political configuration, it is very likely that no Anglophone can become the President and Head of State in this country in the next 100 years. As a matter of urgency the Anglophones need to begin NOW to protest and insist that as stakeholders in our bigoted and discriminating Union, thy also must start getting and enjoying some of the goodies and special privileges illegally and unconstitutionally reserved only for the Francophones beginning from the next Cabinet reshuffle.
Francophones are using bilingualism as a carrot, a political ploy, a cultural vogue and a hype to hoodwink and placate the Anglophones. It is a well-planned smokescreen to distract the attention of the Anglophones from their predicaments and the negative realities of their marginalization; a strategic cover up to give them a false sense of belonging and to mollify their suppression so as to keep them loyal, subdued, subservient and gullible to their mischievous whims and sneaky machinations.
In Cameroon, our democracy is on trial. Our country is engulfed in the flames a diabolical precipice and senseless cultural cold war masterminded by French language zealots, lingual saboteurs and cultural terrorists. Our bilingualism is under attack and the English language, the inheritance, the pride, identity and legacy of the Anglophones in the Union has been under siege and the target of elimination since 1961. The culture and language of every group of people is sacrosanct to them- so is English language to the Anglophones in Cameroon. This campaign of exclusion and war of attrition against the English language is a colossal and collective gang up spear headed by over ambitious Francophone elites: the ruling class, the academia, politicians, professionals, and the mainstream press including the religious leaders. A repressive miasma of resentment, a paroxysm of discontent and dark clouds of subjugation and uncertainty still hang over the controversial, one-sided and unfair Union.
The scenario that took place in Kumba on September 26 this year once again underscores the point I am trying to make here! On that fateful day, Professor Alexis Njuilo, a Professor of Medicine and the President of the Chantal Biya International Reference Centre, CBIRC, Yaounde wittingly delivered his speech in French to a dominantly English speaking Kumba audience during a public function. This injudicious, abrasive and insensitive action of the Professor incensed the 97 years old Elder statesman and doyen of Cameroon politics, His Royal Highness Senator Nfon Victor E. Mukete, the Paramount Chief of Kumba and the incumbent President of the Southwest Council of Chiefs Conference, SWECC. To the erudite, ebullient and gallant democrat, this was a sabotage and coup before his eyes. An ingenuous confrontation was his next line of action. While the professor was still delivering his speech at the Kumba grandstand, the no-nonsense and indefatigable royal father left his royal seat and went straight to the Governor of Southwest Region, Mr. Bernard Okalai and before all eyes vehemently opposed why the learned Professor should be making his speech to a predominantly English speaking audience in French and not in English- the common language of the people.
All democrats, progressives, and patriots in Cameroon especially the Anglophones should thank the Nfon and praise God for the courage and bold action of the sage, astute activist and social crusader. His audacious action is worthy of emulating and duplication all over the Anglophone zone. Nfon Mukete made all the Anglophones proud on that day. The question of the century is: Where are the Nfon Muketes of our land today?The Anglophones must have to eat up their cowardice, overcome their inferiority complex, destroy their fears and stand up for their alienable rights. This is one sure way to move forward in this country. I give this special tribute to our able leader, Nfon Senator Mukete:
My Distinguished Senator and astute Royal Highness, I salute you. I doff my hat for you. Congratulations for confronting the Francophone hypocrisy, injustice and impunity in this country. We the younger generations are proud of you. You have inspired us and taught us that we can do more than what we are presently doing for our own emancipation as a people. More grace to you from God our Father for standing up for the rights of the Anglophones!
Happy birth day our Fon, the people’s Senator and our quintessential leader! You are 97 years younger this month. Bravo Papa. Peace and love to you!
The befuddled and embarrassed Governor gave an inexcusable excuse for the Professor saying, “…Someone will be sent to help perfect the Professor’s knowledge of English language as he goes back to Yaoundé.” One wonders how many Professor Njuilos are in Yaoundé who’s English need to be perfected 54 years after bilingualism was launched in Cameroon. The one million dollar question is: Why is the learned professor who was born, raised and educated in Cameroon needs his English perfected only now? His action speaks volumes about the attitudes of the Francophone elites towards the English language! This is very bad omen indeed to our democracy!
Come to think of it, Professor Njiolo was just acting a script and following in the long-aged tradition and footsteps of his fellow Francophones leaders and colleagues since 1961. The proverbial maxim, “Like father like son” is playing out in Cameroon. If you doubt me, please check this out: How many times did President Ahidjo addressed the nation in English? Since 1982, how many times have you listened to a presidential broadcast in English? When was the last time President Biya addressed the AU, Commonwealth, the UN or any other international body in English? How many francophone ministers do you know that make public speeches in English even when they are in the Anglophone zone? The body language and the actions of our Francophone leaders posit that Cameroon is a mono-lingual, French speaking country.Some of the Francophone elites deride the English language and treat the speakers with contempt. Such an aversion is a negation of the spirit of bilingualism in this country. By his preposterous, uncouth and perfidious action, the Professor derided and disrespected the spirit of bilingualism in general and the English language in particular. He above all things spat on the faces of all the Anglophones. He dismally showed gross disdain and contemptuously insulted our intelligence as a people. This nonchalant attitude by the Francophones toward the English language is now a national embarrassment. The sage and disciplined paragon of Anglophone activism from Kumba saw the attitude of the professor as obnoxious and unacceptable and it should be unacceptable to every Cameroonian who holds firm to the doctrine of bilingualism in our Constitution.
This faux pas by the Professor of Medicine is the quintessence and an exposition of the warped mentality or locked-in thinking of some of the Francophone elites vis-a-vis the English language. The Anglophones have been enduring such affront and abuse of privilege and power in the hands of the Francophiones since the days of President Ahidjo. I believe it is now time to say no, just as Nfon Mukete did. Never again should we allow any Francophone to insult us in our territory. It is time to stop this “French is 4 superior to English” mentality. The Francophones need an attitudinal change towardsthe English language. The government needs to take stringent measures to nib this negative and calamitous trend in our society. Our Francophone brothers and sisters should know that the English language has come to stay in Cameroon whether they like it or not. They must have a drastic and an immediate paradigm shift, renew their minds, and learn to adopt and adapt to the realities of the Unification. They are not to tolerate English; they are to willingly accept and welcome English; this is the way out from this dilemma. Without this, this country is headed towards a social convulsion and confutation that may unleash an unprecedented convolution.
Many Francophones are suffering from an obsession or mania (psychiatric disorder) in relation to the French language which I call Nfon Mukete Syndrome, (NMS), so named in honour of HRH Nfon V.E. Mukete of Kumba, as the first Anglophone to publicly oppose the official delivery of a speech in French to a predominantly English speaking audience in Anglophone territory by a Cameroonian Francophone without the use of an interpreter.This mania gives the Francophone the false belief that the French language is superior to the English language and so he/she prefers to communicate in French than in English. This mild mental disorder also kills his/her desire and motivation to learn English and give the victim the false mental impression that the English language is difficult to learn or understand; hence some Francophone develops a dislike or hatred for English.
Ironically, some Anglophones suffer from Nfon Mukete Syndrome as well. They choose to communicate in French even when they know the Francophone understands English. This group of Anglophones has a complex and inwardly they are seeking for acceptance and approval from the Francophone (s).They do this to have a “false” sense of belonging and a “fake” respectability from the Francophone(s). They now FALSELY feel they NOW belong to the ivy league of Francophones. NMS is common!
I call on all Anglophones to build on the legacy of His Royal Highness Senator Nfon Mukete. His extraordinary action on September 26, 2015 in Kumba is worthy of emulation and pursuance by all Anglophones at home and in the Diaspora. It is the birth of a new Anglophone FREEDOM movement: the Nfon Mukete Movement (NMM). It is a non-violence movement to fight for and to stand up for the rights of the Anglophones in the SAME bold and courageous spirit of the Nfon Mukete without fear and prejudice.
I move a motion that September 26 should become Bilingualism Day in Cameroon.
I also move a motion that the Anglophone lawmakers in the Cameroon National Assembly should introduce a bill to establish September 26 as Bilingualism Day in Cameroon.
Thanks you for reading! God bless you.
Long live bilingualism in Cameroon!
Long live the Republic of Cameroon!
Dr Ebai-ngoh is the President/CEO of African Affairs Council (AAC), Dallas, Texas, USA. He can be reached at:africanaffairscouncil@gmail.com
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