The blood of the innocent already wails. The land itself cries from beneath. The land is tired of swallowing flesh and blood. Cameroon today faces a most tragic event that can ever happen to a nation. The gunshots have alarmed for too long. The swords have cut deeply already. It's time to speak peace; time to act peace; time to think peace; time to live peace. The concept of Peace has been defined by scholars for ages now gone. It has been defined by scholars from Oxford, from Cambridge and from Harvard. But the incapability of Cameroon and Cameroonians to understand those definitions, married with the present state of things in the country necessitates a REDEFINITION OF THE WORD PEACE. Concepts are bleak every day because of the inability of a people to apply it to their context. There is thus a necessity to Redefine Peace.
By peace (in Cameroon) we imply a situation of living filled with tranquility as per the self and the other. The ability for an Anglophone to live the freedom given to a Francophone. The ability for Francophones to feel free in an English town as if it were theirs. It is the ability for us to choose to be neutral. "I choose not to be a Francophone or an Anglophone; I choose to be a Cameroonian. I choose to master neither English nor French; I choose to do a melange of both. This is the language of the Peace we are talking about. Today is the day to live this peace.
The whites played the game and won it. It is left for us to either rise and continue for a better future or allow errors of the past keep us low. When each man is free of any dispensation or disposition to inflict or afflict the other, then Cameroon is in Peace. Thousands have died uselessly. Many have become homeless. Many homes, schools, infrastructure etcetera, have been shattered. Thousands of wives have lost husbands, children are parentless; parents, childless. Pregnant women are forest beast, but now is time for Peace. A house divided against itself cannot stand.
It's no more time to give orders; it is time for communal agreement. No more time for revenging or avenging; it is time for forgiveness, passiveness and oneness. We, with surety Know men of other ages have spoken on the issues in Cameroon. Men of all calibers, standards and status quo have embarked on the journey of returning Peace in this fevered nation. We are neither of any calibers, nor standards nor status quo but we hope our voices can also be heard.
With the nation at Heart I won't hate another. With the nation at Heart I won't cause tribal differences. Canada lives and progresses; Cameroon can. Is this the Cameroon we hope to keep for our Children generations to come, A Cameroon of war, killings, maiming, and underdevelopment? Of course not!
Peace in Cameroon will not be a spontaneous glorious achievement; but a spontaneous glorious journey, as of the state of things today.
We visualize the president, all the ministers, combined with the almost 14 thousand military population and the almost 26.5 civilian population matching down the streets demanding peace, this in fact is the move that will bring Peace to our beloved fatherland. A Peace move that that neither favours nor frightens any. Not a forceful Peace but a Peace out of common general interest. A genuine endeavor of both the English Speaking and the French Speaking Cameroonians.
After nearly 55 year of Independence, we still play the blame-game? No! To solve a problem we each need to acknowledge it, and then navigate a common way to Restoring Peace. Not a carbon paper Peace but Peace in Action and Move.
This association firmly believes that the Peace in Cameroon can only come from Cameroon. After all is it not Ralph Waldo Emerson who said Nobody can bring you PEACE but YOURSELF? To even think that Cameroon's Peace can't be sought in Cameroon is fallacious. Neither France nor Britain nor America nor Russia nor China can tell our story better than we can. If they could, then they wouldn't have watched us kill each other all these years. They have their own problems to take care of; we have ours. For the palpability of such peace, we must hear each other, feels each others pains and embrace, touch each other's palms and declare" LET PEACE LEAD"."WE ARE ONE". This united front for Peace is what can bring us Peace and not the songs of peace we chant everyday with no atom of application.
Lan Luz's dictum 'if you are depressed you are living in the past, if you are anxious you are living in the future,if you are at peace you are living in the present 'does not flow into the Cameroonian story. Cameroon History should not be easily neglected or dejected; Cameroonians both old and young need to be 100% aware of the trueness of their past. Cameroon has a future which needs our anxiety to unitedly work for. If we begin to talk peace, express peace, imply peace, respond peace, act peace in the present tense, then we really need Peace.
Long enduring Peace in Cameroon is not an order or assignment by any man to any servant or any group. It should be the inner job of the WHOLE. From the President, to the cabinet, to the ministers, to the governors, to the SDOs and DOs , mayors, chiefs, fons, Lamidoes, businessmen, teachers, journalists, students right down to the pupils and nursery School. ALL are involved. The reason for the continuous paper-like and ghostlike state of peace in Cameroon has no other footing than that as the Motto "PEACE WORK FATHERLAND" states, Cameroon has known and understood Peace but Cameroonians have not. This is the paradox which we must unitedly affront and confront. The Appellation Peaceful country for decades applied to Cameroon and not to Cameroonians. Albeit your political, religious or ethnic affiliation, you are called to plant Peace today to harvest Peace tomorrow. Be it Bulu, Bakweri, Bamileke, Nso, Esimbi, Bakossi, Oroko, Ewondo, Hausa, Douala, Bassa etcetera. Whether a Christian or a Muslim;this is Time for Peace.
The current National Dream of Cameroon--Emergence by 2035 introduced by the President years ago is essentially working well. This Dream--Horizon 2035 envisages solving the current threats rising from the ethnic and linguistic mosaic of Cameroon; assuring National Unity and Nation building; advancement in Political accountability; Inclusive Participation of Cameroonians especially youths in National Affairs; Effective democratization; emergence in agricultural systems; guaranteed advancement in engineering and Industrialization; Possible freedom for all citizens; better infrastructure to house the skyrocketing population; nurturing of skills within the country etcetera cannot be made feasible without the price: PEACE. Such a vision at hand coupled with the present Socio-Political crisis in the NOSO among other conflicts like that in the North should open our eyes and minds to understand that these problems are mere schemes and streams of the devil to hamper and temper with this Nation's enhancement. This is no news! This 2035 vision:"CAMEROON: AN EMERGING, DEMOCRATIC, AND UNITED COUNTRY IN DIVERSITY" needs Peace for it's palpability. Cameroon cannot emerge without Peace. Cameroon cannot be democratized without Peace. Cameroon cannot unite without Peace. The Diversity freelanced on us by nature and the Divine of Heaven should be our pride, heritage and to propel us to Peace. Then all the underscored visions will freely follow with ease.
If there's one thing Cameroonians need now it's Peace. If there's any vision or ambition any politician can harbour its Peace. Else we won't advance. If we will, HOW?
The implementation strategies suggested by the government like modernization of production, increased investments, Industrialization and all others should be married to Peace first. Peace, Peace, Peace! This is the prime should we see emergence in 15 years to come.
PCA salutes with a standing ovation the efforts of the president, HE Paul Biya, all stakeholders, all Cameroonians (home and abroad) as well as International Organizations for strife till date. Hoping that what this essay has suggested will be checked into and applied by all for the possible emergence, unity, progress of a new minded Cameroon and new minded Cameroonians. Neither conflict nor fighting nor war can heal our wounds. A dropping of the guns will. Reconciliation will. Peace will. Let prosperity be ours now and forever.
