Understanding Confusion in Africa: The Politics of Multiculturalism and Nation-building in Cameroon

Contents

iii Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………..vii Cameroon and Africa…………………………………………. vii Book’s Driving Forces and Importance……………………….. viii Central Arguments……………………………………………..xi Chapter 1: Advanced Multiculturalism and the February Story: The Politics of National (Dis) Unity in the Hinge of Africa………………………………………………………... 1 Issues Experts Want Addressed………………………………. 1 Advanced Multiculturalism and the Palm Wine School………. 8 Defining Culture……………………………………………….13 Is Culture without History Culture?........................................... 16 The February Story: Disuniting by Uniting?................................ 19 The Intimacy of the 1972 and 1984 Name-Changes………….. 22 Disuniting by Uniting One History/Culture?............................. 28 The 1984 Name or History Case………………………………33 The 1985/83 Education Case…………………………………. 42 Chapter 2: The Perfect Nation Is an Anathema to Multiculturalism……………………………………………… 57 (The Usual) Democracy and Collective Participation…………. 58 Kontchoumeterized Participation and the Case of the Educational Systems……………………………………………………….. 61 Minority Politics and Self-Determination in a Unitary Centralized State?......................................................................................... 62 Minority Exchange……………………………………………..68 The Territory and Population of the Minority………………… 74 The Educational Systems are Different but Not Different and at War?........................................................................................... 84 The Constitution and the Education Domain………………… 86 The Philosophy of the Education Law…………………………89 iv Chapter 3: The One-Party System (Or ‘Pluralistic Democracy’) Is an Abomination to Multiculturalism……………………… 105 Monosity: A Prerequisite for ‘Pluralistic Democracy’?................ 105 Sexing Patriotism and Equality: The Illustrative Case of 1997 Legislative and Presidential Elections………………………… 109 The 1990 Multipartism Law and the Irreplaceable One-Party System………………………………………………………… 115 On the Justification of the Single-Party State…………………. 117 Deconstructing the Multipartism Law………………………….124 Chapter 4: Colonialism and the Leadership Mess in Africa: When History is Not Historical – From Cameroon to Njangawatar?.............................................................................. 135 On the Importance of History to Development………………..136 Theories Drawn from the Name-Changing Justifications……...143 From Cameroon to Njangawatar?............................................... 144 “Intellectuals in Politics”: Questioning the Discoverer Theory?....................................................................................... 146 From Pidgin to Njangawatok?.................................................... 155 From Victoria to Limbe: Biculturalism in Cameroon?................. 160 From Bilingualism/Bijuralism to Ngoa-lingualism/ Unijuralism……………………………………………………. 162 Purpose and Objectives of Education plus Epsi As Preventing Biculturalism………………………………………………….. 168 Chapter 5: Leadership Non-Charisma and Non-Challenge of Historic Trivia: The Uniting of One History Is Why Cameroon Is not Championing in the Development Business in Africa 187 Understanding the Political Economy of Cameroon 188 Original Quality of Cameroon’s Environment 192 The Natural Qualities of the Cameroon People 194 Health and Intelligence in Development in Cameroon 197 Confusioncracy Passing for Balanced Development 199 The Anglophone Factor and Absence of Known Rules 201 v Turning the English-Speaking into the French…………………203 Operating Without Local Governments and an Independent Umpire………………………………………………………... 211 Stifling Industrialization………………………………………. 217 Developing with Confusing and Incomplete Rules and Laws…. 220 The Role of Agriculture and Poverty………………………… 224 Closing Observation………………………………………….. 228 Conclusion…………………………………………………….. 233 References…………………………………………………….. 239 vi ...