Whither Kamerun

In "Whither Kamerun: brutality as a mode of governance," the author revisits French colonial history for light on the inclination to authoritarian methods of the government of Cameroon since the decolonisation of that country in 1960. Colonialism implanted the notion that authoritarianism is an appropriate mode of political rule and that force is an acceptable instrument. But there was another factor, namely, that of the legitimacy of the leadership installed in Cameroon on decolonisation. As a matter of fact, the leadership which the French put in place were no other than a creation out of the civil service of their administration; entities they had created for show to the international community - the voice of the French, apparently in local clothing, for the perpetuation of the colonial regime. Decided by the French, they were natives with whom the French had struck private deals on the promise that they would always give primacy to French interests whatever the circumstances, for ever in future. France would ensure that they stayed in the position of "governors," never to be mindful of popular edginess of any sort.