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#Post#: 14396--------------------------------------------------
Cameroon
DIR By: 90sRetroFan
Date: June 29, 2022, 9:19 pm
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HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamerun
--- Quote ---
> Kamerun was an African colony of the German Empire from 1884
to 1916 in the region of today's Republic of Cameroon. Kamerun
also included northern parts of Gabon and the Congo with western
parts of the Central African Republic, southwestern parts of
Chad and far eastern parts of Nigeria.
> ...
> The Cameroon territory was under the informal control of the
British Empire throughout the years preceding 1884, with
substantial British trading operations as well.[5]
>
> Eventually, these companies would begin agitating for royal
protection. By 1884, Adolph Woermann, as spokesman for all West
African companies, petitioned the imperial foreign office for
"protection" by the German Empire.[4]
> ...
> The most notable of the German governors, and the man who
would come to define the German legacy in Cameroon, would be
Jesko Von Puttkammer, who governed from 1895-1906 (and for a few
shorter times before).[11] It was Puttkammer who began the
German behaviors that lend them a reputation of brutality and
harshness as colonizers. During his time, he oversaw a number of
military campaigns against local peoples like the Bali, forcing
those who rebuffed German attempts at a "treaty" that supposedly
justified German expansion.[12] Oftentimes, he would not act
directly against these people, instead relying on empowering
other rival local powers and establishing them as "protected by
Germany" and arming them.[11] These groups would then use their
newfound power and armaments to conquer dissenting peoples,
without the Germans themselves actually ever getting involved.
>
> When the Germans did become involved, however, it was brutal,
often going out of their way to punish those who surrendered to
them if their leader still refused, and taking a tithe of people
from conquered peoples as essentially slaves, though they did
not call them such.[12]
>
> This leads into the second prominent feature of Puttkamer's
governorship, his expansion and support for the plantations.
This became a problem, as the plantations had more fields than
they did workers, so there was a labor shortage. To address
this, Puttkamer instituted the "man tithes" mentioned above, in
addition to just taking people whenever they conquered new
territories or had to put down a rebellion.[11] These people
would then be made to do harsh forced labor, with extremely high
rates of death.[11] Extreme forms of discipline were practiced
too, including the cutting of hands, genitals, gouging of eyes
and decapitations. Severed limbs were often collected and shown
to local authorities as proof of death.[12]
>
> These practices, which continued even after Puttkammer retired
from his position, would define the German colonial legacy.[13]
> ...
> At the outbreak of World War I, French, Belgian and British
troops invaded the German colony in 1914 and fully occupied it
during the Kamerun campaign.[16] Following Germany's defeat, the
Treaty of Versailles divided the territory into two League of
Nations mandates (Class B) under the administration of Great
Britain and France.[16]
--- End Quote ---
HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Cameroon
--- Quote ---
> French racism became prevalent throughout the colony rather
quickly, and anti-French sentiment followed and would be
strengthened in the late 1940s.
> ...
> The Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC), an
anti-colonialist party created in 1948 and which struggled for
unification of both Cameroons and for independence was outlawed
in 1955. A colonial war then started and lasted for at least
seven years, with the French Fourth Republic leading a harsh
repression of the anti-colonialist movement.
--- End Quote ---
HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Cameroon
--- Quote ---
> In British Cameroon, European immigrants were subject to the
laws of their home country while natives of Cameroon were held
to customary law which was typically overseen by British
administrators.[5]
> ...
> As French Cameroon gained independence, “British Cameroon was
still under the administration of Nigeria.".[9] French Cameroun
became independent, as Cameroun or Cameroon, on January 1, 1960,
and Nigeria was scheduled for independence later that same year,
which raised the question of what to do with the British
territory. As colonizers of Nigeria, the British desired for the
two to be united.[10] After some discussion (which had been
going on since 1959), a UN-administered plebiscite was agreed to
and held on 11 February 1961. The Muslim-majority Northern area
opted for union with Nigeria, and the Southern area voted to
join Cameroon.[11]
--- End Quote ---
NEVER FORGIVE. NEVER FORGET.
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