The Africa Forum symposium on Cameroon: new wine in old skins?

In characteristic “African Union” fashion, the African Symposium treats their business with such woeful lack of conviction that once again, pan-Africanists can only look away in disgust. In fact, the Swiss have done a better job observing the potent actors and factors driving the colonizing war waged by Biya on Ambazonia. Examples from Africa’s history, South Sudan and Eritrea, are lessons these Africa Forum peace makers ignore. It is of little wonder therefore, that Ambazonians do not afford second thoughts to the much hyped initiative. 

A gathering of African presidents without Cameroon's Biya, of course

If you offer a loaf of bread to a toddler crying of thirst, it will shake its head to the risk of severance off its neck. Why, because even a 2 year old knows, a misdiagnosis leads to a wrong solution. John Minang made this folk rhetoric question popular: “How you go do get malaria, di take na treatment for highblood?” In English, how can you be taking treatment for high blood pressure instead of anti-malarials when diagnosed with malaria? To push the medical analogy further, one may find the Africa Forum a little belated in offering a condom to a pregnant woman to prevent pregnancy.  

Ex-President Rawlings of Ghana, following in Nkrumah's footsteps but....

A laughable issue, but then it is not exactly laughable when you consider the actions of the Africa Forum’s All Cameroon Symposium.  Their website talks of “an initiative for peace and dialogue” in the face of Cameroon’s “multifaceted crisis” without first calling for an end of military hostilities, as if the ongoing killing of Ambazonian civilians is of no consequence. I wonder if these former African presidents realize that Ambazonians are busy dodging Biya bullets and would not be able to hear or talk to this symposium. One is yet to hear from them on how they hope to make Ambazonians talk through the telecommunication blackouts imposed by the Biya regime. Unless, of course, in their haste to help, they forgot that Ambazonians too could have a contribution to make in understanding the crisis. I cannot remember any former Ambazonian president being a member of the Africa Forum to give them an insider’s view of the Ambazonian case.

If these two capital issues are addressed, then one can begin to do business on procedural but no less important issues. Firstly, the website of the Africa Forum’s symposium on Cameroon uses Camerounese terminology and toponymy to the extent that one immediately understands that either this Africa Forum have a hidden pro-Camerounese agenda or they are grossly mistaken in diagnosing the problem of Cameroon. Whichever the case, the consequences are the same. Consider the following. 

To make sure they use agenda setting theory to frame the Ambazonian issue into oblivion, they take all the pains in the world to dig up non-issues and populate their agenda with dead wood of the sort: lack of roads, lack of schools, lack of hospitals, lack of political appointments, etc. It does talk of one or more restorationist movements, but one wonders if these African leaders are not aware of the genocidal actions that has made headline news from Cameroon over the past 3 years, or the condemnation to life jail of Ambazonian citizens and leaders abducted by Nigeria and refouled to Cameroun in utter disrespect of every law on earth, including the laws by which the African Symposium works. Mixing these issues may prevent this initiative from having a cutting edge towards a resolution of the war. A good mediator understands the dynamics and what to focus on. Ultimately, there are two parties to the war itself: Southern Cameroons vs La Republique du Cameroon. Mixing Kamto elections, Boko Haram, LRC internal economic development and distributive justice issues, makes one doubt the Symposium’s ability to deliver. Such generalities could be a sign of a conflict not well mastered.

In fact, further evidence of the collusion between Cameroun and the African Symposium, and the partiality of the latter, is the long list of Camerounese political parties visitors to the site are compelled to choose from, in order to be allowed to communicate with the site owners. No! No mention of SCNC, SCYL, AGC, Consortium, Morisc, IG, ROA, etc. Believe you me, the African Symposium operates by the laws of La Republique du Cameroun, therefore, to be able to talk on political issues to the Symposium, you must be recognized and legalized by the kangaroo. What of the tribunal of the Gambia? It seems that too belongs to the African. What of the UNPO? What of the Abuja Court rulings? The former African Presidents have never heard of these, you will agree with me. So, what makes them think they can solve a problem they do not take the pains to understand?

Ambazonia, Africa's wannabe newest nation

On toponymy, visitors of the site are prompted to indicate from which part of Cameroon they hail…. A drop down menu and a search reveals only Camerounese names, including for the various parts of Ambazonia. To an unsuspecting mind, these are minor issues. But to the trained eye, this is a chilling revelation of the intentions behind the African Symposium. Thus they wittingly impose on all visitors on the African Symposium platform citizenship of La Republique du Cameroun, clearly showing once again that they do not understand or seek to obscure and obviate the identity problem posed by Ambazonians.

Do they expect Ambazonians to trust their impartiality in judging this problem, if they do not take the pains to make room in their African Symposium Court for Ambazonia’s case to be heard?  Once you accept the Camerounese identity they impose on you, does it not delegitimize your problem? Will you accept to become just some deadwood in the “multifaceted crisis” these people so gleefully and misguidedly seek to resolve? We understand that they must have been induced into errors and misinformed by the African Union appointees of Biya: a long list of Cameroonians, including linguists, from former Southern Cameroons serve the African Union. It is no doubt to whom their loyalty is owed. But if African Symposium wants to solve this problem, one would expect them to spread their net further to capture all shades of opinion.

Equally suspicious of contributing to this misdiagnosis and misprioritization of the problem in Cameroon, is the very misguided militancy of individuals claiming to head Camerounese political parties, most prominent among which are Akere Muna, Coloniality infested Prophet Frankline and Edith Kabang Walla. They are not very intelligent, it is common knowledge. It is thus not unexpected of them to mix issues. While the rest simply deserve no attention on account of their small clout, the first does. Akere Muna participated in elections rigged in advance by Biya, elections organized during a war. I do not need greater evidence of stupidity, no politician, talkless of one with backgrounds in public law, would take part in elections while a country is waging an internal war. Unless of course, they understand and approve of  it as a war waged on a colony, just as Sudanese did on South Sudan or Ethiopia on Eritrea. Many people are awed by this guy’s friendships in high places, but his personal judgment can prove to anyone that his law career depended entirely on the brilliance of his Brother Ben Muna or the high political standing of their father, ST Muna.

Given the Akere Muna friendship with Kamto, the person the African Symposium seems to be interested in liberating from Biya’s claws, and with former African Presidents, one would not be surprised to learn that he is the brain behind the African Symposium. I first received documents about this whole farce from him, and many of the hypotheses that inform the symposium initiative seem to be his. However, this write up should serve as another opportunity to inform Akere Muna that the problem at hand, in the former Southern Cameroons, which we have now decided to call Ambazonia, is not one of a disputed re-election of Biya. His kinsmen in Mbengwi are not being killed on sight by Biya because of Kamto’s claimed election. The people of Mbengwi, like all Ambazonians, seek to liberate themselves from the shackles of a slavish existence caused by re-colonisation by Cameroun, a problem which his own father admitted. ST Muna joined JN Foncha to apologize for their enabler role before their demise.

On Biya and Cameroun’s disdain for Africa

Biya is a notorious disrespecter of Africa. He does not attend African meetings, does not respect African icons like Mandela. For African Symposium to be banking on using their influence as former African presidents to influence Biya’s actions is like hoping to make the equator to meet with the tropic of cancer on a map.

The chronically Afrophobic Biya smiling at his calamities

Cameroon, under Biya’s political patron and coach, Ahidjo, was foremost among the African countries that spearheaded the divide in the OAU and fought such genuine pan-Africanists like Kwame Nkrumah.

Never has the French proxy government in charge of the banana republic made positive contributions to any truly African interests or shown its love for pan-African artists like Bob Marley who in his hey days visited almost all the continent’s countries. Never has Cameroon taken the forefront in any African initiatives like NEPAD. At best, you would see it taking a comprador role of facilitating some western agenda, or struggling to do dirty work of quenching a fire lit by its French masters. The example of the peace keeping contingent in the Central African Republic comes to mind. Even in such cases, the result shows the underlying motive of the Camerounese leaders: soldiers on their return from this campaign mutinied over unpaid wages. Cameroun had participated just for the opportunity for its leaders to steal. And they kept peace in the Central African Republic but returned to make war in Cameroon.

Never has Cameroun spoken up for a beleaguered African caught in the web of neocolonialism: Robert Mugabe, Laurent Gbagbo, etc. Cameroun rushed, like a fool, into where angels fear to tread by signing the economic partnership agreements, whilst the other Central African Countries were in the midst of joint negotiations, thus taking its fellow members of the sub-regional grouping unawares and destroying their collective bargaining power. Its president, like a rat, shuns the day and operates only at night, and gets involved only in shady deals: like colluding with Nigeria to violate the refugee rights of Ambazonian leaders. Never has the President of Cameroun talked to any members of the African Symposium. It would be a waste of them for them to expect any civility from Biya and his Cameroun.

Akere Muna and his pals...an internal enemy of Ambazonia?

It would be putting new wine into old skins to expect such a leader, and his government, to give a second thought to the African Symposium; never mind listening to its talks, answering its questions or obliging by its recommendations and injunctions. At best, Cameroun will send some low life spin doctors who would try to bribe their way (if they still have part of the stolen booty in Switzerland) out of facing its crimes or to lie and obstruct justice while gaining time to kill and cover as it has been doing for the past 60 years.

 It is true that true Africans hail effort as a virtue, but what an absurd virtue are these former African leaders showing: trying to squeeze blood from a cabbage! I wanted to use “squeeze water from a rock”, but common, Cameroun is no rock!

I am Metighe Tendum, thanks for your time. Feed back will be welcome on how we improve the process if it is worthy of further attention.