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6 From foot messengers to cell phones: Communication in Kom, Cameroon, c. 1916-1998 Walter G. Nkwi Abstract This paper explores the history of foot messengers and the introduction of cell phones in Kom, a marginal area in northwestern Cameroon. The process of marginalization in Kom was due not so much to the absence of the state but rather to the lack of developmental projects organized by the state. While state control in the form of taxation, bureaucratic measures and police presence influenced the region ’s history, state services – such as educational and health institutes, infrastructure and development projects – were only brought to the region on an extremely limited scale. Such services by and large rested in the hands of private initiative. The paper uses the model of Das & Poole’s idea that marginalization is not only a matter of the absence of the state but also of the nature and quality of state interventions . Using archival works, interview and secondary data the chapter contends that, contrary to popular beliefs that the cell phone has brought development to Africa , the cell phone has in reality increased the misery of many and, in this, is not dissimilar to the colonial programme of foot messengers. Introduction The state is always unstable. This is a feature best seen when one moves away from the centre. It is at the fringes of the state, in its margins, where law and order continually have to be re-established. Das & Poole (2004: 3-33) have shown three main ways in which the margins of the state can be imagined. Firstly, they are seen as areas that are yet to be penetrated by the state, and secondly they are considered as ‘spaces forms, and practices through which the state is continually both experienced and undone through the illegibility of its own practices, documents , and words’. And finally the margins of the state are viewed as ‘space between bodies, law and discipline’. This chapter critically engages with this framework of marginality and the state and examines the history of foot messengers Walter Gam Nkwi 114 and the introduction of cell phones in Kom, a marginal area in northwestern Cameroon . The process of marginalization in Kom was due not so much to the absence of the state but rather to the lack of developmental projects organized by the state. While state control in the form of taxation, bureaucratic measures and police presence influenced the region’s history, state services – such as educational and health institutes, infrastructure and development projects – were only brought to the region on an extremely limited scale. Such services by and large rested in the hands of private initiative. This in itself qualifies Das & Poole’s idea that marginalization is not only a matter of the absence of the state but also of the nature and quality of state interventions. My conclusion may best be stated at the outset. Foot messengers and cell phones were introduced to Kom during the colonial and post-colonial periods and were at this time to ensure the ‘development’ of the region. Yet, these new ICTs in the final analysis only accentuated the marginality of Kom by reinforcing and increasing existing hierarchies. This point ties in with the broader discussions on ICTs and development. The chapter contends that, contrary to popular beliefs that the cell phone has brought development to Africa, the cell phone has in reality increased the misery of many and, in this, is not dissimilar to the colonial programme of foot messengers. Certain reasons were fundamental in the choice of the study area. Kom was chosen because it appears to represent marginality and mobility in the Bamenda Grassfields and is also one of the largest Fondoms. And as my roots lie in the Kom area, I could converse easily with the informants in the study and did not need to have interviews translated. I was also already familiar with many of the region’s historical and cultural aspects. This not only facilitated my research in a practical sense but also allowed a view ‘from inside’. The chapter starts with contextual information by situating the Kom region and providing a brief historical overview. This is followed by sections on flag post relay runners in Cameroon Province, the relay mail runners in Kom and Native Authorities messengers who were an expansion and consolidation of the flag post relay runners by the British Authorities. They were people employed by the British colonial administration who delivered summons and mail on foot. The final section discusses...

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