The Cameroon Condition

Chapter Seven. Why We Must Build Bridges Instead Of Walls

91 Chapter Seven Why We Must Build Bridges Instead Of Walls There is therefore a Northwest/Southwest divide. This is what constitutes the Anglophone file. Anybody ignoring this will not only be subverting Anglophone Unity but will be as hypocritical as a Francophone who ignores an Anglophone/Francophone divide. The Northwest/ Southwest divide is built in the psychology of the people; it is one that has left scars in the minds of the old. It is indeed the bitter memories of a fratricidal conflict, provoked by personality clashes, escalated by diverse behavioural patterns and exploited by bread and butter politicians. It is a case of a breach of trust and crisis of confidence between two brothers who are nonetheless bound to share a common vision if they must avoid an imminent cultural holocaust. After charting a course full of bends is not our duty to make the paths straight? The weary winner of yesteryears must produce a common stand of sublime spring. A look back into our history shows that we (North West/South West) all blundered. Some blundered more; others blundered less. But we all blundered. Some blundered by actively making things go wrong (others blundered by passively seeing things go wrong). It is our collective duty therefore to make things go right now. Self-Examination Etekele Endeley once made this remark “like it or not, the North Westerner will always be ‘hot blooded’, wary of 92 making concessions when he thinks he is right; a born fighter and an uncompromising radical while the South Westerner will always be a ‘Gentleman’ ready for conciliation and concessions, even when he knows the other party is wrong. In short he is a dedicated moderate”. We all want National Unity but we need union with ourselves first and then with the rest of the nation. To this effect the North Westerner must be seen to have trimmed his excesses and abuses. He must be seen to have respect for the Southwest territory if the creed of Provincial Autonomy is to be realised. He must be seen to accommodate his South West brother given the unparalleled liberal hospitality of the latter. He must be seen to have the democratic virtue of tolerance and fair play in his political and social agenda. He must be seen to make a clear difference between Provincial Solidarity and tribal discrimination. He must be seen to have moved from the desert of caustic invectives and vile machinations to the oasis of openness and honesty. The North West opinion leader and elite have the supreme duty of educating and if need be reprimanding its masses when the cup of irrational hysteria spills over. For the opinion leaders and elite to ignore and even defend the wanton and erratic behavioural pattern of their kith and kin will not only lead to an interpretation of complacency but also that of complicity. Where are the Anglo-Saxon values that we all talk about? Our new unity should be based on the principle of “ours is ours”, but mine is mine. We are quite aware that to change one’s mentality and behaviour is an uphill task and so laws within a constitution are supposed to act as safeguards and safety valves in the conduct of human affairs but like the Chinese Saga Confucius once said “Lead the people by laws and regulate them by penalties, and the people will try to keep out 93 of jail, but will have no sense of shame. Lead the people by virtue and restrain them by the rules of decorum, and the people will have a sense of shame, and moreover will become good”. On the dawn of a new dispensation, the South Westerner like the North Westerner must brace himself for the challenges that lie ahead. No people, no matter how traumatised and marginalised should remain stuck in the mire of hallucinations. African Americans after their slavery and Africans after colonialism are still forging ahead. The Southwesterner must break free from his psychological shackles and persecution complex and face with optimism not cynicism the fierce competition that lurks in the horizon. He must face the blatant truth that he may never avoid the stranger element and it is not by puerile jitters, escapist theories and futile shadow boxing that he will make his voice heard, his identity asserted, his personality felt and his rights protected. It is not only by bequeathing to the...