Political Philosophies and Nation-Building in Cameroon

Aseh Andrew

Description

This is a comprehensive text on the function of thought in the history and political sociology of Cameroon. The book brings out how the �hidden hand of history� fashions a political thought which, in turn, creates its own history. Instead of Cameroonians making history, history makes Cameroonians. The book shows how political ideas are fashioned in a post-colonial context in which Europeans impose a superordinate arrangement on a people together with its philosophers. �Thinking the nation� in Cameroon on behalf of Europeans, especially after the leaders of the national liberation struggle were all eliminated, European philosophers put in place a �repressive machine� under which Cameroonians were subjected between 1958 and 1990. Repression gave way to a refined form of enslavement � a modernised version of slavery. Cameroonians joined the bandwagon and have been producing and reproducing Western industrial economies while day-dreaming of what they will never become. The whole idea of nation-building in post-colonial Africa is put in question. This book offers students of political studies, sociology, anthropology and history compelling evidence to grapple with questions as to whether Cameroon is a state or a nation and questions of sovereignty and citizenship.

Sujets

• Politique
• History

Informations

• Publié par: Langaa RPCIG
• Date de parution: 15 octobre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9789956764617
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

POLITICAL PHILOSOPHIES & NATION-BUILDING IN CAMEROON

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POLITICAL PHILOSOPHIES & NATION-BUILDING IN CAMEROON: Grounds for Remaking the Postcolony

Aseh Andrew

Aseh Andrew

Political Philosophies & Nation-Building in Cameroon Grounds for Remaking the Postcolony

Aseh Andrew

L a ng a a R esea rch & P u blishing CIG Mankon, Bamenda

Publisher: LangaaRPCIG Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group P.O. Box 902 Mankon Bamenda North West Region Cameroon [e-mail] www.langaa-rpcig.net Distributed in and outside N. America by African Books Collective [e-mail] www.africanbookscollective.com

ISBN: 978-9956-763-44-3 ©Aseh Andrew 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or be stored in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher

Table of Contents Acknowledgements……………………………………... v Preface…………………………………………….……. vii Corrigendum……………………………………….…… xi Definition of Concepts…………………………………. xiii Chapter One Fault Start at birthing a National facing a historical challenge……………………………………. 1 Chapter Two Um Nyobe’s Political Philosophy within the UPC National Liberation Struggle…………….…….. 23 Chapter Three Ahmadou Ahidjo’s Political Ideas for Nation-Building……………………………….…….. 45 Chapter Four Paul Biya’s New Deal Political Philosophy for Nation-Building……………………………………... 75 Chapter Five The lethargy of a post-colonial Political Experiment1…………………………………… 121 Chapter Six The Pitfalls that thwarted the configuration of a nation in Cameroon………………………………... 163 Bibliography…………………………………………...177

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Acknowledgments It is with a heart of appreciation that I acknowledge the contributions of the following: Prof. Jean Mfoulou, Prof. Chindji Kouleu Ferdinand, and Prof. Daniel Abwa, all of the Faculty of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, for their incisive comments after reading through the preliminary sketch of this work, part of which constituted the substance of what I presented at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of the University of Yaoundé 1 in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of a Master’s Degree in Political Sociology.

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Preface For quite some time now there has been a need for a comprehensive text on the function of thought in historical studies in general and the political sociology of Cameroon in particular. When the first edition of this book made its appearance in 2006 and proved to be an essential text for students pursuing studies in the historical sciences and political studies the exigency to revise it to bring out the role of thought in these sub disciplines became apparent.. This edition brings out how history is subject to political thought. To address this dynamic, the book delves into Sociology, Philosophy, Anthropology, Political Science, History, and even Economics which underpins bourgeoisie political thought. Bourgeoisie stands as a superordinate configuration and an externalised economic system. We see philosophy not in definitions but in its practical application - philosophy at work. The reader discovers how the “hidden hand of history” fashions a political thought which, in turn, creates its own history. What we see in the final analysis, instead of Cameroonians making history, history makes Cameroonians. It is a sad political story not only of how political ideas are fashioned in a post-colonial context but of how Europeans impose a superordinate arrangement on a people together with its philosophers. We see, beginning in the 1950s, philosophers mandated by Europeans to “think the nation” on behalf of post-colonial subjects even on behalf of Cameroonians. “Thinking the nation” in Cameroon on behalf of Europeans, especially after the leaders of the national liberation struggle were all eliminated between 1958 and 1971, European philosophers put in place a “repressive machine” under which Cameroonians were subjected between 1958 and 1990. Repression gave way to a refined form of enslavement – a modernised version of slavery. Cameroonians joined the band wagon and have been producing

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and reproducing Western industrial economies while day- dreaming of what they will never become. The whole idea of nation-building in post-colonial Africa is put in question. Students of political studies will grapple with questions as to whether Cameroon is a state or a nation and questions of sovereignty and citizenship. The law that reproduces dominant relationships between Africa and Western industrial countries makes post-colonial subjugation possible. Because political philosophy nourishes its foundation, the treatment of these issues makes it obvious to the reader that political philosophy separate from its foundation. Political philosophy has deeply entrenched foundations in foreign sources. How that establishes an externalised and materialistic history; a history of foreign worship for material benefits. In turn material benefits invigorate foreign foundations and keeps oblivious Cameroonians slaving endlessly in attempts to attain a foreign objective. Thus slavery is sustained. While sustaining Cameroon does not stand on a home-grown philosophy but yields to an externalised historical process. Thus foreigners who are the dominant actors in the historical process determine a people’s history. Citizens become passive participants. This bespeaks of a history of citizens bereft of thought acted upon by external forces charting the course of history. The direction of the lives of citizens as passive audience in the historical process must takes place, beyond their understanding. Call it mental slavery reproduced by the slaves themselves and kept alive by an understanding of the world imposed by post-colonial ideological contraptions. Note to the reader. The reader will observe that as a study of political philosophy, facts of occurrence and dates have not been treated in greater detail. While the details of facts of occurrence and dates are important, the concern here has been with cause and effect. Therefore, the details of facts of occurrence and dates have been left for the historian. In other words, when I set out to write this book my intention was not to write the history of Cameroon but to sight the role of thought viii

in historical studies. Hence, what you are about to read is not the historian’s history but a theory of how history is a progression from motive to event. Then again, if we resorted to digging up the past; the intention was not to usurp the position of the historian. Digging up the past was done as a methodological prerequisite to show the processes through which political thought develops. Aseh Andrew 2016

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