Gaullist Africa: Cameroon Under Ahmadu Ahidjo

231 Pages·1978·8.077 MB·English

by  Richard A. Joseph, J. F. Bayart, Mongo Beti, Abel Eyinga, Philippe Lippens, Reginal Herbold Green

Gaullist Africa :
Cameroon under Akmadu Ahidjo
G a u l l i st A f r i c a:
** <
C a m e r o on u n d er A h m a du A h i d jo
edited by
Richard Joseph
H
FDta
FOURTH DIMENSION PUBLISHERS
1978
G a u l l i st A f r i c a:
** <
C a m e r o on u n d er A h m a du A h i d jo
edited by
Richard Joseph
H
FDta
FOURTH DIMENSION PUBLISHERS
1978
' >* r.
4"\ first Published 1978 by I
C o n t e n ts
v N
Fourth Dimension Publishing Co. Ltd.
1-3 Hassan Lane, P.O. Box 553,
Enugu, Nigeria
- I
Page
© Fourth Dimension Publishers 1978
Acknowledgements * vi
ISBN 978 156 004 5
Selective List of Abbreviations viii
Preface ix
PART I: Introduction and General Framework
1. France in Africa 1 3
2. The Gaullist Legacy 12
3. Cameroon under Ahmadu Ahidjo 28
PART II: The Political System
J. F. Bay art
4. The .Birth of the Ahidjo Regime 45
5. The Structure of Politieal Power 66
6. The Neutralisation of Anglophone Cameroon 82
PART'III: Political and Social Critique
i
7. The Hidden Truth about Cameroon
Mongo Bed < 93
CONDITIONS OF SALE
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in 8. Government by State of Emergency
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, Abel E'yinga , 100
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior
9. The Power and the People
permission of the Publisher.
Philippe 'lippens'and R. A.Joseph 111
Jacket design by Reno Psaila
PART IV: The Political Economy
Photoset and printed in Malta by 10. From African Socialism to Planned Liberalism
Interprint (M*alta) Ltd. Abel Eyinga 129
' >* r.
4"\ first Published 1978 by I
C o n t e n ts
v N
Fourth Dimension Publishing Co. Ltd.
1-3 Hassan Lane, P.O. Box 553,
Enugu, Nigeria
- I
Page
© Fourth Dimension Publishers 1978
Acknowledgements * vi
ISBN 978 156 004 5
Selective List of Abbreviations viii
Preface ix
PART I: Introduction and General Framework
1. France in Africa 1 3
2. The Gaullist Legacy 12
3. Cameroon under Ahmadu Ahidjo 28
PART II: The Political System
J. F. Bay art
4. The .Birth of the Ahidjo Regime 45
5. The Structure of Politieal Power 66
6. The Neutralisation of Anglophone Cameroon 82
PART'III: Political and Social Critique
i
7. The Hidden Truth about Cameroon
Mongo Bed < 93
CONDITIONS OF SALE
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in 8. Government by State of Emergency
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, Abel E'yinga , 100
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior
9. The Power and the People
permission of the Publisher.
Philippe 'lippens'and R. A.Joseph 111
Jacket design by Reno Psaila
PART IV: The Political Economy
Photoset and printed in Malta by 10. From African Socialism to Planned Liberalism
Interprint (M*alta) Ltd. Abel Eyinga 129
VI Contents
11. Economy and Society
R. A.Joseph 142
12. The Political Economy of External Dependence
in Cameroon y * , \ForJ.LJ. J i * /!
Reginal Herbold Green 162
PART V: Epilogue and Conclusion
13. Contemporary Cameroon 181
14. Conclusion 189
Appendices
Appendix I 203
Appendix II 208
Appendix III 215
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
"Without the financial support, 'material facilities and secreta
rial assistance provided by the Institute* of Development Studies
at the University of Sussex, this project might never have.pro-
gressed beyond the planning stage. At the point when the editing
work became onerous I was able to benefit from the full-time
services of a most gifted editorial assistant in the person of my
wife, Jennifer. My colleague and friend, J. F. Bayart, was very
helpful in many ways, including sending xeroxed copies of rele
vant articles published in France. Warm thanks must be expressed
to those individuals who provided useful information and their
own acute opinions about the politics and society of contempo
rary Cameroon but whose names must be withheld. For per
mission to include material here which formerly appeared in
their publications, I am most grateful to Francois Maspero, the
Revue Francaise d'Etudes Politique^ Africaines of 97 Bid d'Auteuil,
Boulogne, France, and the International Commission of Jurists,
Geneva, Switzerland.
VI Contents
11. Economy and Society
R. A.Joseph 142
12. The Political Economy of External Dependence
in Cameroon y * , \ForJ.LJ. J i * /!
Reginal Herbold Green 162
PART V: Epilogue and Conclusion
13. Contemporary Cameroon 181
14. Conclusion 189
Appendices
Appendix I 203
Appendix II 208
Appendix III 215
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
"Without the financial support, 'material facilities and secreta
rial assistance provided by the Institute* of Development Studies
at the University of Sussex, this project might never have.pro-
gressed beyond the planning stage. At the point when the editing
work became onerous I was able to benefit from the full-time
services of a most gifted editorial assistant in the person of my
wife, Jennifer. My colleague and friend, J. F. Bayart, was very
helpful in many ways, including sending xeroxed copies of rele
vant articles published in France. Warm thanks must be expressed
to those individuals who provided useful information and their
own acute opinions about the politics and society of contempo
rary Cameroon but whose names must be withheld. For per
mission to include material here which formerly appeared in
their publications, I am most grateful to Francois Maspero, the
Revue Francaise d'Etudes Politique^ Africaines of 97 Bid d'Auteuil,
Boulogne, France, and the International Commission of Jurists,
Geneva, Switzerland.
Selective List of A b b r e v i a t i o ns P r e f a ce
AN (or MANC) (Mouvement d') Action Nationale
BMM Brigades Mixtes Mobiles
BPN Bureau Politique Nationale It occasionally happens that a* cloud of silence envelops deve
CCCE Caisse Centrale de la Cooperation lopments in particular countries-. In such situations it is often
possible to discover deliberate efforts at concealment on the
Economique
CFDT Compagnie Francaise pour le part of the ruling authorities. In the case-of Cameroon, there
have certainly been aspects of the political and socio-economic
Developpement des Fibres Textiles
CDC Cameroon Development Corporation system which the -Ahidjo.regime has preferred to see little publi
CNU (or UNO Cameroon National Union cised, both at home and abroad.1 Yet, such'an explanation does
CPNC Cameroon Peoples National Council not fully account for the general low level of awareness, even
CUC Cameroon United Congress among. Africanists, about the evolution of this country over the
DIR.DOC Direction Generale des Etudes et past two decades. Part of the blame, I believe, can be placed pn
de la Documentation those whose task it has been to report on and analyse contem
FAC Fonds d'Aide et de la Cooperation porary politics in Cameroon, as well as that of countries governed
FIDES Fonds d'Investissements pour le by similar regimes elsewhere in Africa.
The first reason for this inadequacy is ideological and derives
Developpement Economique et Social
from the riatural tendency of writers to present the most flat
de la France d'Outre-Mer
JUC (and JUNC) Jeunesse de l'Union (Nationale) tering image of governments with whose political aims and oper
ations they' are in general agreement. Of course, sirice studies
Camerounaise
KNDP Kamerun National Democratic Party of a particular country or subject are often written by individuals
OFUNC Organisation des Femmes de l'Union of differing ideological standpoints, the reader is usually able to,
arrive at his1 "or her own assessment by weighing the conflicting
Nationale Camerounaise
ORSTOM Office de la Recherche Scientifique arguments and information. In the event, however, that all major
works which have appeared on a particular country, and a parti-
et Technique d'Outre-Mer
PDC Parti des Democrates Camerounais
i. When the security police play as large a part in creating, as in uncovering,
PSC Parti Socialiste Camerounais intrigues .against the government, even intense publicity is no guarantee
SEDOC Service des Etudes et de la that full explanations of particular events will ever emerge. On the 1970
"Ndongmo Affair" involving the arrest and trial of the Cameroonian
Documentation
Catholic .bishop, along with the UPC guerilla leader, Ernest Ouandie\
SNI Societe Nationale d'Investissement
and a scqre of purported UPC activists with whom he was accused of
UC (and UNO Union (Nationale) Camerounaise being in coljusion to topple the regime, see Mongo Beti, Main Basse sur le
UDEAC Union DouanieYe des Etats de Cameroun (Paris: Francois Maspero, 1972), 97 ff., and J. F. Bayart, "Les
l'Afrique Centrale rapports entre l<s Eglises et l'Etat du Cameroun de 1958 a 1971," Revue
Franqaise d'Etudes Politiques Africaines, 80 (August, 1972), 101-103.
UPC Union des Populations du Cameroun
Selective List of A b b r e v i a t i o ns P r e f a ce
AN (or MANC) (Mouvement d') Action Nationale
BMM Brigades Mixtes Mobiles
BPN Bureau Politique Nationale It occasionally happens that a* cloud of silence envelops deve
CCCE Caisse Centrale de la Cooperation lopments in particular countries-. In such situations it is often
possible to discover deliberate efforts at concealment on the
Economique
CFDT Compagnie Francaise pour le part of the ruling authorities. In the case-of Cameroon, there
have certainly been aspects of the political and socio-economic
Developpement des Fibres Textiles
CDC Cameroon Development Corporation system which the -Ahidjo.regime has preferred to see little publi
CNU (or UNO Cameroon National Union cised, both at home and abroad.1 Yet, such'an explanation does
CPNC Cameroon Peoples National Council not fully account for the general low level of awareness, even
CUC Cameroon United Congress among. Africanists, about the evolution of this country over the
DIR.DOC Direction Generale des Etudes et past two decades. Part of the blame, I believe, can be placed pn
de la Documentation those whose task it has been to report on and analyse contem
FAC Fonds d'Aide et de la Cooperation porary politics in Cameroon, as well as that of countries governed
FIDES Fonds d'Investissements pour le by similar regimes elsewhere in Africa.
The first reason for this inadequacy is ideological and derives
Developpement Economique et Social
from the riatural tendency of writers to present the most flat
de la France d'Outre-Mer
JUC (and JUNC) Jeunesse de l'Union (Nationale) tering image of governments with whose political aims and oper
ations they' are in general agreement. Of course, sirice studies
Camerounaise
KNDP Kamerun National Democratic Party of a particular country or subject are often written by individuals
OFUNC Organisation des Femmes de l'Union of differing ideological standpoints, the reader is usually able to,
arrive at his1 "or her own assessment by weighing the conflicting
Nationale Camerounaise
ORSTOM Office de la Recherche Scientifique arguments and information. In the event, however, that all major
works which have appeared on a particular country, and a parti-
et Technique d'Outre-Mer
PDC Parti des Democrates Camerounais
i. When the security police play as large a part in creating, as in uncovering,
PSC Parti Socialiste Camerounais intrigues .against the government, even intense publicity is no guarantee
SEDOC Service des Etudes et de la that full explanations of particular events will ever emerge. On the 1970
"Ndongmo Affair" involving the arrest and trial of the Cameroonian
Documentation
Catholic .bishop, along with the UPC guerilla leader, Ernest Ouandie\
SNI Societe Nationale d'Investissement
and a scqre of purported UPC activists with whom he was accused of
UC (and UNO Union (Nationale) Camerounaise being in coljusion to topple the regime, see Mongo Beti, Main Basse sur le
UDEAC Union DouanieYe des Etats de Cameroun (Paris: Francois Maspero, 1972), 97 ff., and J. F. Bayart, "Les
l'Afrique Centrale rapports entre l<s Eglises et l'Etat du Cameroun de 1958 a 1971," Revue
Franqaise d'Etudes Politiques Africaines, 80 (August, 1972), 101-103.
UPC Union des Populations du Cameroun
X Preface Preface XI
cular regime, share the same uncritical perspective, it is not more polemical intent; thirdly, to place these discussions into
surprising that little advance has consequendy been made in an immediate (as opposed to abstract) theoretical framework, and
producing perceptive analyses. one which elucidates1 the historical role of the French/African
The second reason, though not unconnected to the first, con connection; -and, finally, to try to open up avenues for future
cerns the clarity, quality, and even-readability of many available research on Cameroon and ex-French Africa which have been
studies of post-independence Africa. At times it appears that some prematurely closed because of unquestioned assumptions.
writers are more determined to obscure rather than to elucidate In Part I, a brief outline of France's colonial impact in Africa is
the systems they set out to examine.2 This obscurantism, I believe, given, followed by a more detailed discussion of the complex
results from the exacerbation of tendencies inherent in certain post-colonial relationship 'between France and Africa seen as a
schools of Western social science. These include the urge to con direct consequence of Gaullist rule in France. The basic character-'
coct theories of increasing opacity, the compulsive coining of istics of the regime of Ahmadu Ahidjo in Cameroon are then
scientistic neologisms, the insufficiency of attention paid to his sketched to show how they fit into a particular pattern of the
torical modes of explanation, and the conversion of loose ways of neo-colonial polity as well as to illustrate a successful solution
speaking, i.e. "modernisation," into self-complete theories of to the specific problems involved in operating such a polity.
political, social and economic change.
In Part II, written exclusively by J. F. Bayart, we begin with
The third reason is more broadly applicable to the world of his careful tracing of the establishment of the Ahidjo regime,
scholarship and is usually summed up under the phrase "acade examining the tactics used to overcome the various obstacles
mically respectable," with "academic" taken to imply "objective" to his party's monopolisation of power. The actual mechanisms
as distinguished from "polemical" meaning "partisan." The of government, as well as the operative principles and the evolving
following gratuitous statement by a student of Cameroon politics structure of the political system are covered in his next chapter.
illustrates this point: His final chapter is devoted to analysing the ways in which the
constitutional autonomy of Anglophone West Cameroon was
In view of all the coercive and preventive measures taken by the regime
progressively undermined by the central government.
of President Ahidjo, some speak of systematic repression while others of
simple legitimate defense. It is not up to us to enter this debate . . .3 Part III begins with excerpts from the controversial book by the
exiled Cameroon novelist, Mongo Beti, which was banned upon
If it is not the task oT individuals who have become most in
its first appearance by both the French and Cameroon govenu
formed about the basic political practices of a given regime to
ments. One consequence of the usually harsh reactions of the
assess how much its repressive behaviour exceeds "simple legi
Ahidjo regime to any published work which criticises its actions
timate defense," then whose task is it? From this standpoint,
and performance is that the writings of Cameroonians have ten
fundamental questions concerning the exercise, and abuse, of
ded to be either sycophantic or highly polemical. Since Mongo
governmental power should not be taken up because of the risk
Beti excoriates journalists as well as "professors of political
of soiling one's academic hands. science'1' for their disservice to the truth about Ahidjo's Camer
With these criticisms in mind, the aim of this study has been oon, it is appropriate to include in this study a few pages of his
four-fold: first, to present as accurate an account as possible of treatise. Abel Eyinga's discussion of such unsavoury features
the major dimensions of contemporary Cameroon life; secondly, of Ahidjo's rule as the maintenance of the State of Emergency
to combine academic critical analysis with contributions of a for over fifteen years, the throttling of the judiciary's indepen
dence, and the heavy reliance on the political police has relevance
2. See the relevant comment by Immanuel Wallerstein in "Dependence in an beyond the case of Cameroon, as contemporary developments
Interdependent World: The limited Possibilities of Transformation within in such countries as Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, the Phillipines, South
the Capitalist World Economy," African Studies Review XVII 1 (April, 1974), Korea and Uganda demonstrate. In an article by Philippe Lippens,
2.
revised and elaborated by'myself, an attempt is made to show
3. Michel Prouzet, Le Cameroun (Paris: Librairie Generate de Droit et de
the direct ways in which the arbitrary and often brutal methods
Jurisprudence, 1974), 282.