THE FRENCH CAMEROON (1914 - 1946)
The French Cameroon (East Cameroon) was part of the former German colony of Cameroon (in German: Deutsche Kolonie Kamerun) administrated by France in 1916 (in practice) but in 1919 (de jure) to 1960; it was first acknowledged as “mandated territory” of the League of Nations (SDN), then as “trust territory” of the United Nations (UN), and also as a member of the French Union. It became associate territory, state trust land Cameroon and finally a member of the Community.
Similar to Eastern Togo, Cameroon has never been a French colony in the legal sense as it is often written; even if the colonial style and colonial administration methods were applied to him.
This part of Cameroon was given to France by the League of Nations after the First World War. This part was the largest (431 000 km2), yet sparsely populated (about 2, 000 000 inhabitants).
France practiced a policy of assimilation like what they did in their other colonies. They established Cameroon as a Commissioner of the Autonomous Republic, which means a non FEA (French Equatorial Africa) integrated territory.
This part of Cameroon was then headed by a High Commissioner and was placed under the colonial indigenous regime to let the natives handle problems relative to them by themselves through their traditional authorities. The capital of French Cameroon was transferred to Yaounde.
The French authorities led the people of Cameroon to forget that they had ever been under German Protectorate. They started teaching them how to love France and become French. Several measures were taken to achieve this goal:
- Teaching French: Teaching of French was implemented throughout the whole territory of Cameroon
- Assimilation: French authorities imposed the French legislation on Cameroon
- Economic development: A program for the development for Cameroon’s economic resources was laid out
- Authority: Indigenous policy customary law remains with traditional leaders, but France maintains a strong hold on the judiciary and the police
- Medical development: Management of population as in Epidemic (For instance, the case of Dr. Eugene Jamot in the fight against sleeping sickness) was also laid out
- Francophiles Promotion: Charles Atangana and other indigenous leaders were invited to go to France. Paul Soppo Priso was promoted to be the president of the FCY (French Cameroonian Youth)
- Destruction of German Infrastructural remains: The French authorities employed people to destroy all the remaining German mark and to show their hostility toward all Germanophiles populations
The French colonial authorities cultivated cash crops including rubber plantations, cocoa, bananas and palm oil. The railway line from Douala to Yaounde which was already begun by the Germans was completed. In addition, many roads were built to connect the main cities together, and various infrastructures such as bridges and airports were constructed.
During the night of 25th to 26th of August 1940, Captain Leclerc and 22 (twenty-two) of his men invaded the marshes of Douala that connected the detachment of Captain Louis Dio. The regular French army in Cameroon who planned for the cause of free France was returning from Fort-Lamy (Ndjamena-Chad) with a detachment of Senegalese riflemen. They began the Legion of Cameroon; ancestor of the 2nd Armored Division. The city and the colonial administration fell into the hands of General Leclerc during their rallying to the detachment of Captain Louis Dio. On October 8, General De Gaulle arrived in Douala to prepare the conquest of Gabon.