On A Plata of Gold? A Critical Narrative of Nationalism and Independence in French Cameroon 1945-1960

Abstract

It is over fifty years since most countries in Africa became independent but the debate about the role of nationalists in the quest for African independence remains controversial. While some opinions hold that independence in Africa was granted (given) to the Africans, others hold the premise that it was fought for by the Africans to the point of achievement. As Cameroon celebrated its 50^th anniversary of independence and reunification in 2014 (4 years behind schedule) we thought that as teachers of African history, our contribution to the celebrations was to give a fresh account of the road to independence in French Cameroon with the hope of throwing light to the ‘granting-achieving’ positions. Our account is mainly established from primary sources (especially newspapers) from the National archives Yaoundé.