CAMEROON BILINGUALISM: A MIGHTY FRAUD AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF THE SOUTHERN CAMEROONS!
1. One of the things imperial Cameroon brandishes to the world as a success is its bilingualism. No one seems
to see that Cameroon bilingualism is an act of fraud; that it disrespects the Anglophone component of the
imposed nation; that it is an arch example of colonization and assimilation; that nowhere else in the whole
wide world is this form of bilingualism practiced. Today, we lift the veil, so that the fraud may be exposed.
2. What is bilingualism? Bilingualism is a situation in which the administration of a country uses two
languages to serve two groups of its users, each of which uses only one of the two languages in question.
A country adopts bilingualism only when it has two groups of its population, each of which understands
or is presumed to understand only one of the two languages in question, and not both. In that situation,
the government makes it its responsibility to serve every user in one of the two languages of the country.
3. Bilingualism exists to honour and respect the identity of each of the linguistic groups of users; it recognizes
the language of each of the groups as part of its identity and therefore will never impose upon each of
the groups the language of the other group. Whether you take the example of Canada or of Switzerland,
this is what you will find. In Canada for example, the official language in Quebec is French, not the English
of the majority. It is only in imperial Cameroon that English is not the official language of the Englishspeaking
peoples! Nowhere else in the world is this form of fraud practised.
4. In Cameroon, bilingualism has taken the form of the imposition of French on the English speaking peoples
of the Southern Cameroons; the refusal to recognize their own language, English, as the official language
in the Southern Cameroons; the absence of any law which makes texts issued only in French illegal in the
Southern Cameroons and therefore virtually no responsibility for the government even to translate official
texts. No citizen can sue the government for issuing a text only in one language or reject a document
served to him in French. Translation by government is done on an optional basis. They say that English is
also used in La Republique du Cameroun, but this is a mere hoax since no English administrator dares
serve anyone there a text in English. On the contrary, French is the language in which most administrative
texts are served to Southern Cameroonians within the Southern Cameroons; French is the official
language in the military and polices forces and virtually all professional schools; everywhere in the
Southern Cameroons you find government sign boards in French, but you cannot see one single
government sign board in English in Republique du Cameroun.
5. The absolute and primary condition for the existence of bilingualism (or the use of two languages in the
administration of a country) is that each linguistic group should keep its own language as its official
language and not be imposed the language of the other group. Once the two groups are forced to learn
each other’s language, the administration is bound to become monolingual. It is the language of the
minority group that will die, for the simple reason that the minority must first learn the language of the
majority and thus establish communication in that language!
6. For bilingualism to exist in Cameroon (and not the assimilation that is now called bilingualism), English
must become the official language in the Southern Cameroons and French to be the official language in
La Republique du Cameroun. This would dramatically increase the need for bilingual services, because all
French documents must be translated into the official language in the Southern Cameroons and all English
documents be translated into the official language in La Republique du Cameroun. Interpretation services
will also increase because all conferences must be interpreted.
7. It is the monolingualism of individuals which forces the administration to be bilingual. That is to say, for
the administration to be bilingual, those who use that administration must be monolingual or at least
have the choice of using only their own language! Bilingualism of individuals must necessarily end the
bilingualism of the administration or the state! If all or most citizens are bilingual, what need would there
be for the government to translate any texts? In Cameroon, bilingualism was introduced only because
there are Anglophones who don’t understand French. If Anglophones who don’t understand French
continue to diminish in number every year, the need for bilingualism must also decrease! Translation of
government texts is done only for this group! As you can see, it is only a matter of time before the
generation of Southern Cameroonians who don’t understand French is phased out. When that happens,
all Southern Cameroonians will be speaking French. At that point, it would be completely useless to use
English in the Cameroon administration.
8. Language is simply a tool for communication. Once communication is established, there is no need for
another language! The more so-called Anglophones learn French, the more communication is established
in French, and the less need there is to use English any more, especially in the administration. Always
remember that English was introduced into the colonial Cameroon administration only for the colonized
Anglophones who could not yet speak French! It was not introduced so that Francophones should learn
English! No, it was a measure to accommodate their colonized Anglophones while their assimilation is
completed. Consequently, once communication is established through French, English must naturally
cease to be valid as a means of communication in the administration.
9. If I can speak your language, what would be the need for you to learn my own? Even if you can learn my
own, what purpose would it serve since we are already able to communicate in your own language?
10. In the current imperial Cameroon situation, translation and interpretation services must naturally dwindle
and finally die. It is an impossibility to continue to translate texts and interpret conferences for those who
already understand the original language in which the texts were written or conferences held! It would
not be long before everyone would discover the enormous waste of time and resources, and also the
hypocrisy involved.
11. When Southern Cameroonians meet people from La Republique du Cameroun, what language do they
speak? French, of course! Why? Because Anglophones are the first to learn French and so communication
must occur only in the language which both sides understand.
12. If most or all Southern Cameroonians begin to speak or even merely understand French, what would be
the need to use English in the Cameroon administration? And if Anglophones continue to speak in French,
who will speak their own language? Does this not tell you that English is programmed to die in the
Cameroon administration?
13. Yes, only the language that is used in the administration counts as an official language or as part of the
bilingualism. A sizeable portion of English people speak French; that does not make England a bilingual
nation. Similarly, a sizeable portion of Germans speak English, that does not make English one of the
official languages of Germany. Many French people speak English, that does not make English an official
language in France. An official language of a nation is only a language that is used in the administration orin public offices.
14. As further proof, let me ask you this question: In 1961 or even 1972 what percentage of Southern
Cameroonians understood French? What is the percentage today? Probably in 1961 and later on in 1972,
less than 20% of Southern Cameroonians understood French. Today, probably 70%! Does that percentage
that understands French today need any translation or interpretation? If the need for translation and
interpretation is constantly dwindling, what does that tell you about the future of bilingual services in
colonial Cameroon?
15. The questions above prove to you that Cameroon is moving towards a single language, not bilingualism.
Colonial Cameroon is therefore guilty of fraud, misrepresentation, swindle and cheating. Its version of
bilingualism is an act of fraud against the people of the Southern Cameroons; it is part of its colonial and
assimilation policy, not bilingualism at all.
16. The only way for bilingualism to survive is for English to be the official language in the southern Cameroons
and French to be the official language in La Republique du Cameroun. That is what will promote bilingual
services such as translation and interpretation.
17. Southern Cameroonians, you now see the gigantic fraud, the misrepresentation, the hoax, the swindle
that is practiced on you by colonial Cameroon! Wake up and claim the right to your own language. No
more should French be accepted as the official language in the Southern Cameroons; no more should
French sign boards be accepted; no more should administrative texts be served in French in the Southern
Cameroons.
18. Francophones learn English today, not so that it can be used in the Cameroon administration, but for the
enormous advantages that English gives them in the world. Do not be deceived. Even Francophone
Ministers who study in English countries use only the French language when serving in the Cameroon
administration. The Anglophone Prime Minister uses only French and so do all other Anglophones in the
administration. They must do this, to prove to their Francophone bosses that they have been thoroughly
assimilated; to pretend to belong, to gain favours and so on. No one dares point out the programmed end
of bilingualism in Cameroon.
19. There you have your so-called bilingualism, one more crime against the people of the Southern
Cameroons!!!
Source: Denis Atabong