Francis Nyamnjoh

Cameroon: A Country United By Ethnic Ambition And Difference

By Francis B. Nyamnjoh

An Edited Version of this paper was published in and copyrighted to African Affairs, Vol. 98 (390):101-118, 1999)

Abstract

This paper attempts an answer to the question: What keeps Cameroon together despite widespread instability in Africa, despite the turbulence of the subregional environment in which it finds itself, and despite its own internal contradictions? The main argument is that the politics of regional and ethnic balance, the chronic lack of vision as a country, the lack of real commitment to democracy, the propensity to vacillate on most issues of collective interest, together with an infinite ability to develop survival strategies, have acted to counter all meaningful attempts to pursue common interests and aspirations.

Praise the Lord!

The Original

Francis Nyamnjoh. The Convert. Mmegi Publishing House, Gaborone, Botswana, 2003. 44 pages

Reviewed by Irene Madonko

In The Convert, Francis Nyamnjoh’s unveils his experience of born again Christians: a hall packed with believers bleating to what the shepherd (Pastor) dictates. From what they should sing, to what they should say and even what they should think. It all has all the trimmings of a cult. When he zooms in on Charity, the former prostitute, we are awestruck with her blistering devotion to the Ultimate Church of Christ. On the flipside are others outside the Church who are sceptical of the born-again Christians. Take Damien, who subtlety prods the church or Peter who verbally batters its existence. Amidst this, Damien embarks on a smooth pursuit to lure Charity into his bed. This leads to the play’s zenith and some one we least suspect is eventually converted.