Cameroon: Writing history with an eraser!

Permit me to; first of all, thank Charly Ndi Chia for reminding me of a piece, Julius Wamey (another erudite journalist) wrote in Cameroon Post of yore, titled: ‘Writing History With An Eraser’.

Why are we, in the Cameroons, always celebrating historical dates under things that have nothing to do with those dates? Is that not a way of erasing history?

Why was an anti-terrorism march organised on February 28 – a day dedicated to youths who were killed for rioting against hunger?

The issue, as is coming out now, that the march was organised; not informed or driven by patriotic but by pecuniary motive, is another matter.

All of us know what happened in February 2008. From February 25 – 28, 2008, youths snatched the opportunity offered by a strike called by transporters against the increase in fuel prices, to pour into the streets and riot against the resultant increase in food prices and the high cost of living. The nationwide protests, which were nonetheless violent, were generally and have since, been referred to as the February 2008 Hunger Riots.

As the youths protested, the Biya regime unleashed its repressive machinery and the result was - according to independent sources - 139 youths butchered; though the regime claims only 40 died. So, many families lost their loved ones, many people were maimed while some were imprisoned.

Lapiro de Mbanga was imprisoned and, during his time at the New Bell Prison in Douala, he contracted a disease or was ‘enabled’ to contract a disease that eventually took away his life in the United States of America where he had sought asylum, following fresh trumped-up charges being prepared to be pressed against him after he left prison.

Lapiro’s crime? He took part in the riots; though we know that it was because he sympathised with the youths especially because he joined opinion leaders and civil society organisations in the campaign against the change of the Constitution to let President Biya rule for life.

Many such anti-establishment activists, like the Mayor of Njombe Penja, Paul Eric Kingue, were also imprisoned on trumped-up charges, for sympathising with the rioters.

International legal consultant, Barrister Chief Charles Taku, posits that citizens have the right to take up arms against an irresponsible Government. This international covenant might have informed and brought pressure to bear on the Biya regime and he, surreptitiously, declared an amnesty and some of those imprisoned were freed.

But each time civil society organisations (CSOs), political parties and family members of the Martyrs organise a commemoration of the February 2008 incident, the Government, through local administrators, reacts with a lot of vim and venom, claiming it will ‘disturb public order and peace’.

If you doubt me, ask Littoral SDF Chairman, Hon. Jean Michel Nintcheu and CSOs in Douala. In one instance, Nintcheu was even arrested, in spite of his honourable personality.

Atavism Or Self Realisation The events that led to the February Hunger Riots seemed to have turned the eyes of the youth inside-wards; an introspective inspection of their consciences. Youths in the Cameroons, hitherto, were lethargic to the plight of their parents. Parents had been complaining that it was difficult to run homes; to feed children with the pittances that they earn, as the cost of living goes higher and higher by the day.

The youths, demonstrably, gave a deaf ear to the sufferings of their parents who were merely ensuring the youths’ own very upkeep and wellbeing. But each time elections came, these youths went and received a miserable FCFA bank note and beer and voted for the same people, who were making life difficult, to stay in power.

Then came the February 2008 Hunger Riots. This is when I saw pent-up anger, deep-seated anguish, which had been simmering, suddenly erupt and the youths spilled into the streets like a tsunami and vented their venom against the high cost of living, galloping unemployment and hunger.

That is when the Biya regime realised that they have been playing with a volcano; that the youth, as lethargic as they appear, are a time-bomb. That is when the Government, in their subsequent face-feeding calculations, factored in the 25,000 jobs for the youth - a means of pacifying them.

I remember telling the youths, in this same column, that the regime has just answered one of their unanswered questions; which was that they never knew the language the regime understood. Hellas, the regime just demonstrated to them the language it understands!

Putting The Records Straight By celebrating different things on historical dates; the regime might be trying to copy what Scholars in the Scriptures hold, that, though Jesus Christ was birthed on a different date and in a different month, the celebration of his birth was moved to December 25 for a reason?

The spiritual leaders at the time, according to the scholars, found that there was a pagan feast that took place every year on December 25, with a lot of fun and fanfare. But the date on which the Saviour was actually born, celebrated by Christians, didn’t have the pomp and power of the pagan day. So, the spiritual leaders moved the celebration of the birth of Christ to December 25.

Feting his birth on December 25, systematically and eventually, erased the pagan feast and, since then, it is known as the feast of nativity or Christmastide, celebrated every year around the world.

Is this what the regime is trying to do about February 28 - the Day of Martyrs - so that it should now be celebrated as Anti-Terrorism Day?

Terrorism is a very serious issue, in fact, the greatest issue, in the whole wide world today. Just as youth matters are a very delicate issue now and here, every time and everywhere. If we want a date set aside for reflection or demonstration against terrorism, we could chose the day Boko Haram first attacked the Cameroons, or the day we registered the highest number of casualties in the terrorist attacks, or the day President Biya declared war against the terrorists.

In China, June 4, 1989, remains the day of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, while June 16, 1976 in South Africa, remains the day of the Soweto Massacre. Let February 28, in the Cameroons, remain the day youths called off their rioting that almost brought down the regime, and be celebrated as ‘youth patriotism day’’ or simply; Youth Day. Otherwise, celebrating February 28, with an anti-terrorism mindset, is like telling the youths who marked that day, that they are terrorists!

February 28 should, rather, become National Youth Day and then, February 11 - the day Southern Cameroons voted in a Plebiscite to unite with La Republiuqe du Cameroun - resume to be celebrated as Plebiscite Day and October 1; Reunification Day. That way, each of these dates would be tied to its historical happening and meaning.

Take, for instance, if you were to ask a student; what is the significance of February 11 in the Cameroons? Will you accept as answer: the day when youths are celebrated or the day when a Plebiscite was held in the Southern Cameroons? Are We Together?