Before I moved to YaoundΓ© in 2016 I had long heard tales of Anglophone suffering. From the silent and disgruntled voices right to our very own history books. The plot centered around theΒ ‘ππ£πππ ππ πππ’πππππππ‘πππ’ and that tale we have carried with us. It is hard to hear an Anglophone complain without blaming the reunification.
It is rather funny how no one realizes that we have always been the victim, right before 1961. Of course, history records it, we were tossed around until we eventually landed in the reunification hell hole (or so we like to see it).
If we’re honest enough, we can identify the problem with our history. I read history in the university and while we cannot boast of a very rich history, the Anglophone history is terribly lacking in objectivity. All I see is a story of victims who have always been victims. I hated section C history because it told of the crisis the Anglophones and their political parties faced, crisis that were too many for such a small group of people. Even at that our story blames everyone else except ourselves.
In 2014 the literary text ‘π΄ππππ π π‘βπ πππππππ’ was introduced to the delight of most Anglophones. It told of the tales of the Anglophone on the other side. The central theme was ‘Marginalization’, and it became a song of praise on our lips. When I eventually had to move to YaoundΓ©, I knew what to expect. Aside from the misunderstandings which ensue from language difference I realized our story was magnifying issues to suit the narrative it sold.
In all honesty my years in Ngoa Ekelle were far from pleasant but I cannot tie it to my being an Anglophone. I saw Francophones struggle too. I am or probably was an A grade student but in Ngoa Ekelle I never got a GPA of 3. I wasn’t bothered then because I had mastered the anglophone art of “blame it on anything other than yourself”. Maybe it was the system, but God knows I never really tried harder, and I am not a fan of our victimization tale but hearing it all my life affected me more than I cared to admit.
The same victim mentality landed us in what has turned out to be an unending cycle of self-inflicted disaster in the guise of a fight for freedom. We have translated our story to a retribution quest (I personally think it’s trying to get back spilled milk, story for another day). So, our story focuses on how the government has and keeps failing us. All together ignoring the evils our own brothers commit on a daily. We go on and on about how much has been taken from us, how much we deserve, but never about our responsibilities.
I do not deny that this government has failed us woefully, but they do not bear that cross alone. We are the engines that run the car of failure.
Another misleading part of our tale is how much pride we take in seeing ourselves as cultured, hardworking, deserving people and Francophones are nonchalant, lazy, greedy and undeserving. 7 years in YaoundΓ© and I will strongly differ (story for another day). An obvious illusion because excellence is reflected in our societies, and we cannot say so for our societies.
Trending now is the fact that influencers from our side were snubbed for the world cup. Another tale we will add to the already exhausting ones we have. We honestly believe that we are under some sort of attack or snubbed because we’re the minority. Easier than identifying where we fall short and grow. The same way it is crazy to think we are deserving of special treatment because we’re minority. This trend will pass, and we will go back to our lives until another misfortune shows up. If you doubt look back and be alert, we only rally behind misfortune or supposed injustice.
There are two articles on our website I’d love for you to read, that is if we really care about having a change. Links will be in the comments section. Except of course we’re just all about solidifying our victim identity and will hate to lose it because it forces us to bear responsibility and step up.
If we realize the power of stories to shape our reality, we might tone down on the victim stories we tell and have been told. If what we’ve been told all our lives we are victims, we naturally assume that identity and act like it, but are we truly victims?
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