| Throughout history, Cameroon has been a site of refuge for people of different origins. The penetration of Islam as early as the eighth century and, later, both the trans-Saharan and the Atlantic slave trades created a vast movement of people inside the African continent. Colonization came as a result of the European industrial revolution that needed raw material for growing industries. Colonialists carved up the territories, irrespective of existing boundaries. Cameroon became one of the most diverse countries in the continent with more than 250 ethnic groups. The colonizers used ethnic diversity for a policy of "divide and rule," which enhanced their implantation and exploitation of the land. Divide and rule became then the precious policy of the Germans, the French and the British.; At independence, the social policy of the first and the second governments was the continuation of that of the colonizers. The "national unity" policy that led to reunification of the French and British Cameroons and the single national political party effectually put the powers of the country in the hands of one individual. The year 1990 saw a strong move toward multiparty democracy. But that multiparty policy is built on ethnic lines, and has rekindled ethnic tensions and rivalries to the point that the country seems condemned to ethnic explosion.; This research, built on historical and ethnographic sources, contributes to the search for solutions to avoid an ethnic explosion that could be worse than in other countries in the central African region. Central is the proposition of building a national identity on the bedrock of diversity. Western models might be critically applied; however, the new policy of national integration should be inspired by African wisdom. The government must implement policies that limit the number of political parties being created, which essentially further fragment Cameroon. Ethnicity is not divisive or oppressive. If it is well understood, productively oriented, and creatively guided for the purpose of inclusion, it can be an impetus for coalescence, thereby creating a national identity that would not singularly be Bamilike, Beti, Bakwere, Bamoun, Maka, Ewondo, Bulu or Fan, but rather a Cameroonian identity. |
