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93 Chapter Three: A History of Bambili/Babanki-Tungoh and the Genesis of the Boundary The above examples illustrate how dear to the communities the Westmacott decision has been. It remains a puzzle that the two communities are still clinging to this decision long after it was decided upon. Perhaps, this appears like the tip of an iceberg given the fact that Africa South of the Sahara today tend to believe so much on European decisions that were taken in their territories. The two communities have traditional councils and one wonders the functions of a traditional council if the boundary question could not be resolved by them. One is tempted to call the Westmacott syndrome, a myth. The mystification stems from the fact that it has taken fifty years or so and the communities as well as the administration still feel that they should attached importance to the decision, surprisingly when the top level administrator like the Senior Divisional Officer attempts even to strike a balance he also refers to Westmacott. Conclusion The chapter has focused on the origins, migratory and geo-political setting of the Bambili and Babanki-Tungoh. It has further examined the period in their history when they were fraternal friends. In addition, the causes of the boundary feud have been examined. These causes are centred on a fertile piece of land. This chapter has ended with a discussion of the various ways the boundary conflict has manifested itself since the 1950s. Between 1995 and 2005 there existed a period of “silence”. That means that no major war or outbreak of the nature before 1995 occurres. The next chapter sets out to examine these “cool years” and its impact on the boundary misunderstandings. Notes 1. The Bantu languages are spoken in Africa South of the Sahara in a line running roughly from the Bight of Biafra to the Indian Ocean near the Kenya-Somali border. The group includes more than four hundred languages, all as closely related to each other as are Germanic languages. The Bantu-Speakers occupy a huge area not only in Africa but in Cameroon. For more on Bantu and Semi-Bantu see Philip Curtin et al., African History, 26-30; Joseph C. Anene & Godrey Brown, Africa 94 Sons and Daughters of the Soil in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (Ibadan, Nigeria: Ibadan University Press 1966) 283; George Murdock, Africa: Its Peoples and their Culture History (New York: McGraw Hill, 1959), 46-50. 2. E.G. Hawkesworth, “Assessment Report on Bafut Tribal Area of Bamenda Division,” 1926, NAB; Interview with Shomboin David, Bambili, North West Province, 28 December 1997. 3. Ibid. 4. Interview with Buteh Joseph, Bambili 8 August 1997. This view was further confirmed by Akuli Innocent a retired, police officer who is an indigene of Babanki-Tungoh, 10 November 1997. When I visited the field again in October 2008 I met this informant who repeated the information cited here without mincing words. 5. Hawkesworth, “Assessment Report on Bafut Tribal Area of Bamenda Division,” 1926 R. J. Hook, An Intelligence Report on the Associated Village groups occupying the Bafut Native Authority Area of the Bamenda Division of Cameroon Province” 1934 (N.A.B.). 6. M.G. Bawden and I. Lagdale-Brown (eds.) An Aerial photographic Reconnaissance of the Present and Possible Land Use in the Bamenda Area, Southern Cameroons (Department of Technical Cooperation, directorate of Overseas Surveys, Forestry land use, 1962), 1- 2 Cited in Mbutruh, “The Economy and Society of Southern Cameroons under British Colonial Domination C. 1916 - 1961,” 42 -43. 7. For reasons why the Germans penetrated the hinterlands see Harry R. Rudin, Germans in the Cameroons 1884 - 1914: A Case Study in Modern Imperialism (New York: Yale University Press, 1938), 76 - 78; Ngoh, History of Cameroon Since 1800, 77. 8. Files No. A B 3 (b) B 30665 (N.A.B.), Ab 3 B 3065, Interview with Joseph Buteh, Nkwen, Bamenda 22 December 1997. This view was also confirmed by James Kohfor, Quarter Head Membi, Bambili, interviewed 24 December 1999. 9. For more on ethnicity see, Katsuyoshi Fukui and John Markakis (eds.) Ethnicity and Conflict in the Horn of Africa (Athens: Ohio University Press, 1993), 4-6. Some Bambili informants failed to admit the fact that they have never had anything in common with the Babanki-Tungoh. A case in point was traditional elite, James Kohfor, interviewed, 28 December 1997. But historical evidence has shown that the two ethnic [3.235.140.73] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 14:37...