Divine Verkijika

Even without detailed analysis one can safely say that AAGC I and AAGC II have very little to show for as results. If AAGC I and II were successful, we shouldnt be talking about an anglophone crises in Cameroon, at least not with this much loss in life and resources. So the big question is, Why an AAGC III and even if it happens, what role can it play to bring concrete solutions to our people? First, the generation of AAGC I and AAGC II were naive enough to think that simply meeting up and drawing up a list of demands for the government on behalf of a people whom the conveners do not legitimately represent will be considered and implemented to the letter. What i mean is is that, the AAGC is not a Cameroonian institution and can therefore only act as a lobbying group. In the days of the Federal Republic of Cameroon, West Cameroon house of assembly could legally and legitimately represent the people's concerns, however we no longer have that, but the people still seem to think t...

In general, the Anglophone Community currently in crises situation has often laid very legitimate concerns and anyone in his right senses would at least be sympathetic to this concerns, but somehow it seems the Francophone community is not, or are they? One thing for sure is that even if they are sympathetic, the general opinion held by anglophones is that francophones have done nothing signifcant to show solidarity with them or have they? Cameroon as a country has allot of issues. When one party stays in power for that long, there are bound to be problems. When a government is ineffective and inefficient no matter how lofty its ideas may be, there is bound to be problems. In Cameroon, Fancophones like Anglophones all have allot of issues that need to be resolved and most of these issues are fundamental and matter of survival but they sure need each other's support for this issues to be resolved. So why are francophones so lukewarm about the anglophone crises? Just one re...

I remember sometime in 2016 when Anglophone teachers and lawyers were having some form of negotiations with the government, and despite the fact that the government tried to yield in to some of their concerns though with somewhat cosmetic solutions, the crises began to escalate, and when Issa Tchiruma the then minister of communications was interviewed, and asked why the dialogue with the teachers and lawyers in Bamenda couldnt fully succeed, he said, the government believes that the teachers and lawyers had a hidden agenda. It is worth noting that by this time, the concept of inependence for Southern Cameroons was not yet evident in public opinion. Tchiruma was of cause ridiculed by these lawyers and teachers, who on their part said the government was trying to bribe some of them into giving up. But after looking at the course of events, Could it be that Tchiruma was right, and the citizens of former British Southern Cameroons are dancing to some other persons agenda thinking its the...

Its no doubt, Cameroon as a country is plaged with many challenges, from ineffective governance, to curruption, etc And its understandable that the idea of seperating from Cameroon would sound appealing to those who are tired of all the suffering and bottlenecks to progress that Cameroon offers, but could it also be utopia? One thing, Separatists forget is that, If Independence happens right now, they will be inheriting  Cameroonian Institutions, which if can at all be changed will be a very slow process. hence even if independence came, "Ambazonians" would still suffer for some years under ineffective, corrupt and incompetent hands. Secondly, even if "Ambazonia" gained independence today, It would not have enough financial resources to handle the country. Cant rely on oil, It does not have investment to exploit it, and even if we did, it wont feed the whole country. Government poverty will make things even harder for the people for minimum 10 years and that ...

Cameroon has been a united and integral bicultural country, since its union with Southern Cameroons in 1961. In fact the progress of cultural integration in Cameroon is amazingly positive especially considering the delicate political changes that have happened in the country in the course of its evolution. Since the separatist movement gained popularity in 2016, Allot of Elite from the Anglophone Regions who could otherwise have played an important role towards solving the crises, have remained quiet, not because they are indifferent but because they can't understand why the need for separation. They don't reject that we have problems which may be particular to us,  but they don't think those problems warrant a separation or the heavy penalty the populations are currently suffering under the ongoing armed conflict. They believe there is still hope for constructive development and that energy should be put towards making realistic steps in the direction of better living c...

With the numerous challenges Cameroon continues to face, most at times solution seekers tend to focus on issues like form of state, who gets appointed where and who gets funding for what,  ignoring something which is very crucial : The actual policy of the state and it's leaderships view on what our society should be. If you have read the Book, Communal Liberalism by President Paul Biya, and seen how lofty and ideal his concept of balancing western capitalism with African communal systems, The first question you would ask is, with all these, why is Cameroon still a struggling economy. As a youth leader and civil society member in Cameroon, this question has bugged me. And I decided to do some careful observations in the sectors I understand well, which I believe could throw a light on the issue. In a genuine Communal Liberalism system, Cooperative societies are the basis of its economic and business system. As observed, the Cameroon Government funding policy especially in t...