The Reunification Debate in British Southern Cameroons

written by Joseph Nfi Lon

The Role of French Cameroon Immigrants
This book is a succinct account of the role immigrants from French Cameroon played in the Reunification politics in the Southern Cameroons. The study reveals that these “strangers” organised themselves in Pressure Groups in order to fight for equal opportunities with the indigenes and when such opportunities were not coming, they initiated the Reunification Idea, propagated it and converted many reluctant Southern Cameroonians. They militated in pro-reunification political parties such as the KNC, KNDP, UPC and OK and successfully shifted the reunification idea from the periphery to the centre of Southern Cameroons decolonisation politics. The immigrants convinced the UN through petitions and reunification which was the most unpopular option for independence became one of the two alternatives at the 1961 plebiscite. They and the reluctant KNDP campaigned and voted for it. The Reunification of Cameroon was therefore the handiwork of French Cameroon immigrants.

Joseph Nfi Lon

Nfi Joseph Lon studied in BCGE NSO, Lycée Bilingue Essos and in the University of Yaounde where he obtained a BA History in 1987, Maîtrise in 1988, DEA in 2007 and PhD in 2012. He taught History in many secondary schools in Cameroon before joining the University of Buea in March 2010. Since then, he has published many articles on the issues of minorities, ethnicity and identity in Cameroon Politics. He was promoted to the grade of Senior Lecturer in 2012.