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Sunday, May 26, 2013

RE: OFFICIAL BILINGUALISM IN CAMEROON IS A MIRAGE

the only thing that works in cameroon is '33'!
 
CC: camnetwork@yahoogroups.com; ambasbay@googlegroups.com; mankonforum@yahoogroups.com; cameroon_politics@yahoogroups.com; accdf@yahoogroups.com
From: gamya39@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: OFFICIAL BILINGUALISM IN CAMEROON IS A MIRAGE
Date: Sun, 26 May 2013 11:17:58 -0400
To: ambasbay@googlegroups.com

Camerounian bilingualism is not only a mirage
but a disgrace. It has serves as a tool of domination 
an exploitation of a people.

A condition precedent for the existence of unadulterated bilingualism in a multilingual 
federation, at official and individual levels, is 
the maintenance of the autonomy of the states. 
The abolition of the autonomy of the states, 
such as occurred in the de facto Cameroonian 
two-state federation of 1961, create fertile 
ground for the marginalization and eventual 
disappearance of the English language of the former 
minority state of West Cameroon. 

The elimination of the identity of the latter state also 
generates ridiculous and ludicrous expressions like, 
"Chasing my dossier", "cashing my Bon de caise", 
signing the "Bon d'engagement", "the prefect or 
commisaire issued my laisser-passer" 
and a zillion other such rigmaroles. 

Is it not generally said about Cameroun, 
where 
"Le ridicule ne tue pas", (the ridiculous does not kill),
that, 
Le Cameroun c'est le Cameroun
 (Cameroun is Cameroun)
L'impossible n'est pas camerounais
(Impossibility is not Cameroonian).
GA


Sent from my iPad

On May 25, 2013, at 10:26 AM, Mishe Fon <mishefon@yahoo.com> wrote:

Professor Bernard Fonlon as one of the main architects and experts who elaborated the implementation principle of Cameroon Bilingualism as enshrined in the 1961 Constitution said; "Un état bilingue ne suppose pas nécessairement des individus et des citoyens bilingues mais pour nous au Cameroun, ce serait une méconnaissance des avantages qui s'offrent a nous et un manqué regrettable d'idéal que de nous contenter d'avoir crée un état Bilingue. L'objectif que nous devons viser doit être un Bilinguisme individuel grâce auquel chaque enfant qui suit le cycle de notre système d'éducation sera capable de parler, écrire, et communiquer couramment l'anglais et le Français partout"...Bernard N Fonlon
 
Unfortunately, Prof Fonlon's prophesy has not been fulfilled and he must be shaking and ruminating in shock and awe in heaven where he is presently at observing what now passes for official "Bilingualism" in Cameroon today. The unfortunate truth is: Official Bilingualism in Cameroon has FAILED woefully. Several studies are available to buttress this assertion. I hereby post one of those studies by Stephen Ambe Mforteh, not as a typical case analysis but simply to spark a debate amongst ourselves in view of looking for a way forward.
 
 
The residential patterns in Yaoundé for example also show an affinity for linguistic and cultural groups to stick together. This is not however limited to the obvious Francophone and Anglophone divide but manifests itself further down to the individual ethnic groups. For example, Tsinga and Briquetterie are predominantly occupied by Northerners i.e. people from the three Northern provinces - Adamawa, North, and Far North. Other quarters like Madagascar, Carriere, Mokolo, and Nkomkana are inhabited mainly by the Bamilekes; while Melen, Obili, Etoudi, Etoug-Ebe, Damasse, Biyem Assi, and Mendong are predominantly and overwhelmingly Anglophones.
The tendency to regroup around one of the official languages has spread among the Anglophones and spurred them to the realization of certain religious, cultural, and educational projects. The Anglophone community has therefore constructed church houses and schools in which English is the medium of interaction. One may here cite the Presbyterian Churches of Bastos, Etoug Ebe, Nsimeyong, Ekounou, and Soa; the Roman Catholic Churches of Mvog Ada and Nsimbog; the Baptist Churches of Etoug Ebe and Nkondengui, as well as pockets of other missionary chapels. These churches have introduced social services like hospitals and schools, basically for the Anglophones. For example, the Presbyterian Eye Department, located in the premises of the Presbyterian Church in Bastos, belongs to the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon. It receives an average of 350 patients a week, 60% of whom are Anglophones. Schools such as the Christian Comprehensive Secondary School Etoudi, Mervick Secondary School, City Bilingual Academy, Oxford Comprehensive High School, St. Joseph's Anglophone Nursery and Primary School, and Queensway Nursery School were established mainly to provide the Anglophone community with avenues to promote and consolidate the commonality of the English language, which according to Wolf  represents a new ethnic belonging: "The feeling of unity is so strong that 'being Anglophone' denotes a new ethnicity, transcending older ethnic ties."
The adoption of an official French and English bilingual policy as far back as 1972 gave rise, in the course of the years, to the main distinguishing linguistic markers: Francophone and Anglophone Cameroonians. As many researchers have pointed out, this distinction has rather attenuated than solved the linguistic deadlock in which many Cameroonians find themselves. This deadlock is propagated by the educational system. Even up to now English and French, the so-called official languages in which Cameroonians ought to be bilingual are still taught as second languages. The policy of bilingualism has been more on paper than in practice. For Anglophones, French and German are taught as foreign languages. And for the Francophones, English, Spanish and German are taught as foreign languages. Although Cameroon inherited English and French from colonialism and declared them as the official languages of the independent state, and despite being a member of both the Francophonie and the Commonwealth, some factors favour the domination of English by French in national administrative services. The first of these factors is geographical. Firstly, Cameroon shares borders mainly with French-speaking countries (Chad to the North, Central African Republic to the East, Congo and Gabon to the South) of the Communauté des Etats Membres de l'Afrique Centrale (CEMAC). It shares borders with only one English-speaking country of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Nigeria to the west. Secondly, the demographic distribution of Cameroonians along the lines of the official languages put in place by colonialism gives French more speakers. Since France annexed 70% of this former German territory after the First World War and Britain only 30%, French is now spoken by over 70% of Cameroonians and English by a meagre 30%. Of the ten administrative provinces, eight are francophone and two Anglophone. Because of this unequal distribution in the number of users of these different languages, French basically became the language of power and leadership. The home languages were restricted to ethnic or tribal settings and for the transmission of the cultural heritage of their respective communities. The functions and purposes of these home languages were therefore quite specific….
The entire article by Stephen Ambe Mforteh can be found at:
 

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