Virtual Activism on Cameroon: The CamNet Files

VI. On International Affairs

133 Chapter VI On International Affairs On International Affairs Introduction Camnet participants sometimes had the opportunity to conduct discussions on matters such as Cameroon’s relations with other countries or even matters totally unrelated to Cameroon. I often found that due to my background as a specialist in international relations, I was in a position to shed some light on key issues. Besides, I enjoyed conducting academic research and I was always willing to share information with others. In this chapter I have attempted to put together some of the material that reflects the general tenor of Camnet debates involving diplomacy, international political economy, and foreign affairs. The first posting below tries to answer a question regarding Cameroon’s geo-political position in Africa. On March 13, 1998, Nicoline Ambe wrote: Sometimes for social, political or economic reasons, Cameroon is placed in West Africa or Central Africa. Can anyone clarify the dynamics of Cameroon’s geographical location in Africa? Date: Sun, 15 Mar 1998 15:19:28 -0500 Sender: CAMNET From: Isaac Endeley Subject: Re: Is Cameroon in West or Central Africa? 134 Dear Nicoline: Cameroon is officially in the Central African region. Soon after the creation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963, it was decided that, for diplomatic and caucusing purposes, particularly within the United Nations (UN), the African States should be split up into five regions, namely, Central, East, North, Southern and West Africa. Further, since continental integration (or African unity) has been one of the leitmotifs of the OAU since its inception, it was agreed that this could best be achieved by starting at the regional level. It was on this basis that the regional economic groupings (e.g. UDEAC--now CEMAC--, ECOWAS, SADCC, UMA) were constituted. The primary criterion for the division is geography, meaning contiguity or, in the case of the island nations, proximity. However, other criteria such as cultural ties and trade relations also come into play. Please find appended below a table detailing the *official* geographical distribution (by region) of the 53 African States that are also members of the UN. It probably needs to be pointed out that it is *mostly* Anglophone Cameroonians who consider their country as belonging in the West African region. This may be due to the fact that during the British colonial era in Cameroon (~1916-1961), the Englishspeaking parts of the country were jointly administered with Nigeria, which marks the eastern limits of the West African region. Francophone Cameroonians, on their part, tend to have no difficulty placing their country firmly in the Central African region. This, too, has its origin in the fact that during the French colonial administration of Cameroon (~1916-1960), most of the country was considered part of French Equatorial Africa. The latter, together with the former Belgian colonies, today constitute the core of the Central African region. Obviously, the dominant Francophone culture is one of the main reasons why Cameroon today officially belongs in Central Africa rather than in West Africa. 135 (I would be quite willing to carry out a *private* discussion with you or anyone else who may be interested in exploring the myriad implications of this geographical distribution.) Best regards, Mola Njoh Endeley. **** Geographical Distribution of African States (March 1995) Central Africa (10 States) 1) Burundi 2) Cameroon 3) Central African Republic 4) Chad 5) Congo-Brazzaville 6) Congo-Kinshassa (Zaire) 7) Equatorial Guinea 8) Gabon 9) Rwanda 10) Sao Tome and Principe East Africa (12 States) 1) Comoros 2) Djibouti 3) Eritrea 4) Ethiopia 5) Kenya 6) Madagascar 7) Mauritius 8) Seychelles 9) Somalia 10) Sudan 11) Tanzania 12) Uganda North Africa (5 States) 1) Algeria 2) Egypt 3) Libya 4) Morocco 5) Tunisia Southern Africa (10 States) 1) Angola 2) Botswana 3) Lesotho 136 4) Malawi 5) Mozambique 6) Namibia 7) South Africa 8) Swaziland 9) Zambia 10) Zimbabwe West Africa (16 States) 1) Benin 2) Burkina Faso 3) Cape Verde 4) Gambia 5) Ghana 6) Guinea 7) Guinea-Bissau 8) Ivory Coast 9) Liberia 10) Mali 11) Mauritania 12) Niger 13) Nigeria 14) Senegal 15) Sierra Leone 16) Togo Source: Permanent Observer Mission of the OAU to the UN 346 East 50th Street New York, NY 10022 U.S.A. Telephone: (212) 319-5490 Fax: (212) 319-7135 Contact: Dr. J. Sorie Conteh, Political Adviser **** Re: Model United Nations Introduction An American student seeking information in order to represent Cameroon on...