The Rise of Anglophone Nationalism in Cameroon: 1960 to the 1990s

Abstract

This paper is focused on the failing nation-building process between the minority Anglophones and majority Francophones in Cameroon as per the aftermath of unification in 1961 which has given birth to the present political, economic and socio-cultural upheavals that characterized the republic. The Anglophones are the people of the northwest and southwest regions of Cameroon who constitute two out of ten regions in Cameroon. The Anglophones are a “People” of the former British Southern Cameroons who entered into a union based on equality with the Cameroun Republic at Foumban in July 1961 with the aim to form a single state. This paper also tries to answer the following questions: What are the grievances of the Anglophones? Are the Anglophones recognized as part of development of Cameroon? Is the rise of Anglophones Nationalism in Cameroon more of a minority issue or an issue of social cohesion? By social cohesive, I mean both people living together as a unified country with different ideologies and systems of governance. The objective of this article is to portray the unification of the former British Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun in a union of equal states at Foumban in 1961 as stated in the “Federation Clause” and how the violation of the “Foumban Clause” has led to the marginalization of the Anglophone in the union.The paper is divided into two main sections. The first section gives a historical analysis of the Cameroons and explains the union between both people at Foumban. And the second section elucidates the non-respect of the “Foumban Clause” based on equality leading to Anglophone problem (s), marginalization and the Rise of Nationalism in the 1990s.

Keywords: Anglophones, Francophones, Cameroon, Marginalization, Nationalism.