Nso and Its Neighbours. Readings in the Social History of the Western Grassfields of Cameroon: Readings in the Social History of the Western Grassfields of Cameroon

Introduction

xiii Introduction Regional studies provide us with a wider view and make for a better understanding of the forces that help shape the development of areal and ethnic phenomena and histories. They bring into focus the forces that produce conflict or cooperation among the various ethnic groups in the region and ensure their interdependence. But they are very often sketchy and sometimes superficial. On the other hand, areal and ethnic studies or studies on specific topics provide the necessary background for a fruitful comparison and very often delve much deeper into the subject. But they are by their very nature narrow. It is with this background knowledge that, in order to maximize their advantages and minimize their disadvantages, this volume is organized to include regional, areal and ethnic studies and studies on specific topics. The aim is not to provide a single volume with a unifying theme as is the case with most books. It is to provide a book of readings in social history with diverse sections which pursue a large number of different theses. In section 1, The Regional Background, Warnier has established, through the use of linguistic and archaeological data, that western Cameroon, in which Nso’ is situated, has been settled for several millennia, very probably continuously, and that its landscapes are very ancient and have resulted from many human and natural forces other than the simple clearance of the forest cover of the region at an uncertain date as some authors have postulated. He has stressed that this thesis runs contrary to that of Ghomsi which has depicted three waves of immigrant settlement of the region, the first two of unspecified dates and the last occurring in the 17th century, a view he has described as a considerable advance over the largely colonial view that a sparsely populated or empty region was settled in about the 17th century by successive waves of migrants. Nkwi has also demonstrated in the same section that the various polities of the Western Grassfields were interdependent and linked to one another in the 19th century through trade, alliances and other djplomatic devices, and that contiguous ones tended to be more hostile to each other and more friendly to less contiguous ones which provided them with specialised or scarce products. The relations among the various polities at the time were thus both friendly and hostile, a view which questions the largely colonial view that the polities of the region lived in a state of anarchy until pacified by the Germans. In section 2, Precolonial Studies, Fowler has demonstrated that Babungo xiv iron industry was clearly superior to and more efficient than those of Oku and We in terms of labour productivity, technical know-how, and organizational skill; it was over twice as efficient and productive as that of Oku and more than eight times more efficient and productive than that of We. But, while they comparative advantage Babungo technology enjoyed over that of We is certain, that which it enjoyed over Oku technology is uncertain and “might well have been lost altogether in the inherent variability of the productive outcome.” With specific reference to the Oku iron industry, he has shown how local conditions and needs of the iron industry and Oku people fostered the spirit of cooperation among them and thus laid the foundation for the ease with which the Oku people later embraced modern modes of cooperation. Focusing on traditional modes of cooperation, Chem-Langhee has advanced the view that cooperation among individuals for self-betterment, an ancient institution in Nso’, was simple, informal, largely labour-centred, geared towards social welfare, and free from the mismanagement, fraud and crookedness associated with modern modes of cooperation in Nso’, although both modes of cooperation served or are serving the same objective, the maximization of social wellbeing and selfadvancement . From Precolonial studies, the volume moves on to The Colonial Impact the focus of section 3. In this section, Niba has shown how Bafut, initially an incorporating fondom, feared by those it subjugated and admired by those who sought its protection, from the outset had unfriendly relations with the Germans who later subdued it humiliatingly and exiled its Fon to Duala. But, forced by circumstances, the Germans soon restored its Fon and maintained its territorial integrity without actually winning over the Bafut people. On the other hand, Fanso and Chilver have demonstrated that Nso’-German relations were not unfriendly until a German detachment, without genuine cause or provocation, attacked the Nso’ and burnt down...