Voicing African Voices

Author

John Percival

John Percival—Anthropologist, Writer, Television Broadcaster of many innovative BBC series on the environment, history and anthropology. As a young graduate he was recruited and sent to serve in the Southern Cameroons as a Plesbiscite Supervisory Officer in 1961. He died in 2005 after a recent return visit to Cameroon with Nigel Wenban-Smith who writes an epilogue. This posthumous memoir has been edited by his wife, Lalage Neal.

Central Africa History Political History & Theory Politics

The 1961 Cameroon Plebiscite

by John Percival

Choice or Betrayal The United Nations-organised plebiscite on 11 February 1961 was one of the most significant events in the history of the southern…

The mission of Langaa Research and Publishing Common Initiative Group (Langaa RPCIG) is to contribute to the cultural development and renaissance of Africa. This is achieved by conducting research, providing training in research and writing, and publishing and promoting African scholarship and creative writing. Langaa, not set up for monetary profit-making, is supported by founding members and other contributors, financial grants and efforts of volunteers. Langaa is physically located in Bamenda and Buea (Cameroon), although its members and volunteers operate from different parts of the world. So far, Langaa has published over 500 titles, mainly on Cameroon, but also on other African countries like Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Outstanding scholars and ordinary people familiar with the Cameroonian and African context provide editorial guidance. Each manuscript is systematically reviewed before a publication decision. Peer reviews, reader reports, and editorial changes are stored as evidence of the rigour of Langaa ’s processes.