Basic HTML Version
INTERNATIONAL DESK
CAMEROON
Not
Just Another Country!
by
John Halford
1
don' t suppose most
Plain Truth
readers
know very much about the Cameroon
Republic, or even know where it is.
If
they
do, they probably think of it as being just
another country somewhere in Africa. But
there is something about t his West African
nation that sets it apart.
In a region where progress is often measured by
how far things haven' t gone backward, the Cam–
eroon Republic has been quietly solving the prob–
lems of nationhood.
Since it became an independent nation, Cameroon
has followed a path of common sense and realism. 1
asked an American government official who had served
in that count ry to describe it in one word. He thought
for a moment and then said, ..Hurnility." Humil ity–
tbat's a strange way to sum up a country. But in the
Cameroon's case, it fits.
You will find the Cameroon Republic in West Afri–
ca, right underneath the bulge.
lt
is about the same size
as California, and has a population of about eight mil–
lion. The name
Cameroon,
incidentally, comes from
the Portuguese word for prawn. The Portuguese
explorer Fernando Po was astonished at the number of
prawns in the rivers and offshore waters. So, not very
imaginatively, he named the area Rio dos Camaroes
(River of Prawns).
At first impression, the country does indeed seem like
a typical Third World nation. An elaborate visa uses up
two pages of your passport, and upon arrival there is the
usual airport hassle. The officials are not beyond receiv–
ing a little financia! token in exchange for speeding
things along. And once in the country, everyone seems
concerned about your taking photographs of anything
that might be considered government property. (1 was
pol itely asked by a policeman not to take a picture that
included a mailbox.) But the visitor should not be de–
terred- Cameroon is not a totalitarian state where one
travels in fear. You will feel and you will be welcome.
Cameroon is one of the most stable countries in
Africa. The first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo,
remained democratically in power longer than any
Apri11983
other elective African head of state-nearly 25 years.
He resigned recently, voluntarily, in favor of the prime
minister, Paul Biya. Such an orderly transfer of power
is unusual on a continent that is more used to changing
governments by coup d 'etat, civil war, assassination or
military takeover.
Cameroon is by no means a rich country. Like most
African states, it has a long way to go before it reaches
its full potential.
lt
has sorne built-in handicaps. Until
1918, the area was a German colony. After the First
World War the Cameroon territory was divided
between France and Britain. Then in tbe rush of Afri–
can independence in the late fifties and early sixties,
the United Republic of Cameroon was formed from
the ex-British and French colonies.
At first the Republic was anything but united. Four
fifths of the population were French speaking and
accustomed to French administration. The remaining
20 percent, who lived mainly in the Southwest, were
familiar with the British colonial systems. To compli–
cate matters further, the north of the country was
31