Some Major Misconceptions in Cameroon.

Kijem Joseph Yuh

In Cameroon, just like in many other countries in the world, there are some misconceptions in various domains of life (moral, intellectual, financial, cultural, political, spiritual, social, etc).¹ They prevent the society from moving forward. They come from the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the educated, the uneducated, the employed, the unemployed, etc. Some of them are discussed in the following paragraphs.

Some Cameroonians now wrongly believe that education is useless, useless in the handling of societal affairs. They mistakenly think that since many educated persons (graduates from universities, etc) are unemployed, it, therefore, means that education is worthless. They ignore the fact that education can enable a person to handle a good number of issues which cannot be tackled by an uneducated person.

A good number of Cameroonians (mostly young Cameroonians) unfortunately feel that hard work is not necessary in human life. They think that the best or ideal way to succeed in a poor country like Cameroon is through evil or condemnable activities such as scamming, prostitution, occult practices, etc. Some of them regrettably lose their lives or go to prison because of these activities. 

Some Cameroonians unfortunately claim that stardom and occult practices are inseparable. In other words, they wrongly believe that someone cannot become a star in the leisure domains of life (music, sports, etc) without getting involved in the said practices. It is in this light that many young Cameroonians have soiled their hands spiritually in order to become stars. Some of them end up regretting the disastrous consequences of their actions.

Many young people in Cameroon mistakenly believe that they cannot succeed in the current political dispensation.² They wrongly feel that politics is meant for only the old or persons on retirement, people with political and other connections, the rich, etc. Consequently, they do not bother to fight for their rights in the political, professional, educational, financial and other domains.

Many French-speaking and English-speaking Cameroonians mistakenly think that an English-speaking Cameroonian can never be president in Cameroon. Despite the fact that many English-speaking Cameroonians have been marginalized in Cameroon’s political dispensation, there are some examples of English-speaking politicians who illustrate the fact that enough resilience from English-speaking politicians can enable one of them to become president in Cameroon.³

A great majority of Cameroonians erroneously claim that it is impossible to create an official language in Cameroon which reflects its local realities (realities in terms of cultures, peoples, languages, etc). They and their government do not bother to consult countries which have succeeded in creating their official languages such as East African countries (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda). These countries created Swahili from coastal Bantu languages of East Africa.

Many Cameroonians foolishly believe that Cameroon could be considered as a “continent” (a country with multi-dimensional greatness). They refuse to accept the fact that Cameroon, on the basis of its current government’s bad governance at all levels, is far from being what they consider as a continent. They have refused to transform Cameroon’s reflection of most of Africa’s diversities and riches (this reflection is referred to as Africa in miniature⁴) into a “real continent” (a great country).⁵

A good number of Cameroonians regrettably feel that it is impossible to have a Cameroon devoid of the omnipresence and omnipotence of corrupt practices in private and public domains. They fail to consider the fact that a serious or responsible government can obtain this transformation. They just believe that the high level of corruption in Cameroon is an obstacle to such a transformation.

Some Anglophone Cameroonians wrongly claim that Anglophone and Francophone Cameroonians cannot live together in harmony and peace.⁶ This claim stems from the Anglophone Problem, a problem which could be resolved politically, thereby ushering in an atmosphere of harmony and peace in terms of the relationship between Anglophone and Francophone Cameroonians.⁷

Some Cameroonians foolishly believe that Cameroon can never experience a chaotic or anarchical situation. Despite the presence of a good number of signs pointing to the fact that chaos or anarchy could be imminent in this country (poorly managed elections; widespread corruption; rampant tribalism and nepotism; bad governance; a poorly tackled Anglophone Problem; etc), these Cameroonians keep on irresponsibly insisting that Cameroon can never face the said situation.

A good number of some men in uniform in Cameroon (army, gendarme and police officers; penitentiary personnel; etc) falsely think that they are above the law. They do trample on Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.⁸ In this connection, they violate traffic lights; intimidate their family members, friends and enemies; participate in illicit activities; etc. They do not care about the negative consequences of their actions. They think that they are demi-gods.

Some Cameroonians erroneously believe that some spiritual and religious leaders (exorcists, evangelists, prophets, apostles, priests, pastors, etc) can resolve their spiritual problems through miracles. This belief has rendered some of these Cameroonians very lazy, excessively dogmatic and conspicuously obsequious to these leaders. It has ruined their lives socially, materially, spiritually, culturally, etc because their thoughts, actions and words  unfortunately depends, to a great extent, on the said belief.

Since many young people in Cameroon experience many hurdles in their struggle to succeed in life, they wrongly conclude that success is unattainable in Cameroon.⁹ They wrongly claim that no amount of hard work in this country would enable them to succeed in the professional, social and political levels. They do not wish to learn the secret of success from those Cameroonian and non-Cameroonian youths who have succeeded at the said levels. They obsessively and erroneously believe that success is achievable solely out of Cameroon.

A great number of Cameroonians mistakenly think that all lawyers and judges in Cameroon’s legal system are corrupt and dishonest. They unfortunately do not acknowledge the fact that some of these lawyers and judges do their work in an honest and incorruptible manner. They wrongly think that since most lawyers and judges in Cameroon indulge in corruption and dishonesty, it, therefore, means that all lawyers and judges in Cameroon are dishonest and corrupt.

The term marriage in Cameroon is misconceived by many spouses, their friends, relatives, neighbours, colleagues, etc. They believe that it represents a joke, a big joke.¹⁰ In this connection, they nonchalantly and frequently walk into and out of marriage. Divorce is given a preponderant place in their marital lives. They do not care about the essence of marriage and its spiritual consequences in case of divorce. Many married couples in Cameroonian families are making a mockery of married life in courts, meetings, ceremonies, etc.

A substantial number of Cameroonians mistakenly claim that a political leader who occupies a national post (a minister in a government, a prime minister, a leader of a political party, etc) should serve his or her people or the region from which he or she hails in a special way and at the expense of other peoples or regions. This disastrous perception of societal service has given rise to all sorts of political, cultural, managerial, social, moral and financial problems in Cameroon.

The desire of Cameroonian Anglophones to have a genuine political autonomy within Cameroon has been misconstrued by some Cameroonian authorities in particular and French-speaking Cameroonians in general. This misconception is noticeable during political debates in radio houses, television stations, newspapers, social media platforms, etc. It is one of the characteristics of the unhealthy dichotomy between Anglophones and Francophones in Cameroon.¹¹

Many Cameroonians wrongly believe that speaking Cameroon’s official languages (French and English) with local accents is a crime or unacceptable. They unfortunately do not know that this situation is a normal reality in countries which have borrowed official languages as their official languages. They regrettably ridicule their fellow countrymen and countrywomen who speak French and English with their respective tribal accents (accents from the Ewondo, Bulu, Bassa, Nso, Bamileke and other languages).

Some Cameroonians erroneously think that persons who hail from some tribes cannot or should not be allowed to vie for the post of president in Cameroon. To this end, some Bamileke Cameroonians insistently say that a Bamileke can never rule Cameroon.¹² They foolishly claim that the accession to power in Cameroon of a Bamileke would spell doom or ruin for non-Bamilekes. This claim hinges on foolish considerations, considerations which perceive Bamilekes as persons who do not love others and who do not love to see others progress.

Some Anglophone politicians and government authorities in Cameroon foolishly think that the survival and success of Anglophone politicians in this country hinges on the acceptance, by them, of Francophone domination of Cameroon’s political life. It is in this light that they go as far as shamelessly claiming that there is no Anglophone Problem in Cameroon whereas this problem has been conspicuously destroying national unity and solidarity in many domains of life in Cameroon since the sixties.¹³

Taking cognizance of the fact that a misconception is an obstacle to obtaining truth in various aspects of human life, there is need for Cameroonians and their government to explore ways and means of combating or destroying the misconceptions discussed in this article.¹⁴ This exercise should be concretely or meticulously carried out in suitable frameworks by appropriate persons and institutions.

BIBLIOGRPHY

1)   Abouem à Tchoyi, “Abouem à Tchoyi Dissects The Anglophone Problem”, The Post Magazine, Edition No. 0001, Buea, The Post Magazine, 2009

2)   CUSO International, “The Next Generation of Leaders in Cameroon”

Available at: cusointernational.org/stories/next-generation-leaders-cameroon/

Consulted on: 1/11/24/

3)   Dzelamonyuy, E. and Taki, E., “Political Debates on the Anglophone Problem in Cameroon (1961-2019)”

Available at: www.arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhsse/v11-i7/3.pdf

Consulted on: 2/6/25/

4)    Fru, N., “Colonial Background to the Development of Autonomist Tendencies in Anglophone Cameroon (1946-1961)”

Available at: www.jstor.org/stable/45197789

             Consulted on: 1/11/24/

5)   Kometa, R., “Cameroon, Our Continent”

Available at: www.cameroon-tribune.cm/article.html/60333/fr.html/cameroon-our-continent-

Consulted on: 31/10/24/

6)   Nambu, B., “Increasing Rates of Divorce in Africa, a Call for Concern”

Available at: cameroonnewsagency.com/increasing-rates-of-divorce-in-africa-a-call-for-concern/  Consulted on: 31/10/24/

7)   Quoteish, “22+Misconception Quotes”

Available at: www.quoteish.org/2019/12/misconception-quotes.html

             Consulted on : 23/10/24/

8)   The Britannica Dictionary, “Misconception” Available at: www.britannica.com/dictionary/misconception

             Consulted on: 23/10/24/

9)    Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)

10) Young African Leaders Initiative, “She’s Giving a Voice to Youths in Cameroon. Here’s Why” Available at: yali.state/gov/shes-giving-voice-to-youth-in-cameroon-heres-why/

             Consulted on: 31/10/24/

Cite this Article: Kijem, JY (2025). Some Major Misconceptions in Cameroon, Nigeria. Greener Journal of Social Sciences, 15(1): 315-319, https://doi.org/10.15580/gjss.2025.1.102425167.

¹ The Britannica Dictionary, “Misconception”

Available at: www.britannica.com/dictionary/misconception

Consulted on: 23/10/24/

In the above-mentioned dictionary, a misconception is a wrong or mistaken idea.

² Young African Leaders Initiative, “She’s Giving a Voice to Youths in Cameroon. Here’s Why”

Available at: yali.state/gov/shes-giving-voice-to-youth-in-cameroon-heres-why/

Consulted on: 31/10/24/

 In this article, Patou Ibrahim (a 2019 Mandela Washington fellow and foreign affairs officer in Cameroon’s Ministry of External Relations) brings to the fore some political misconceptions from Cameroonian youths. She states as follows:

The youths in Cameroon do not believe that they can have an impact in politics. They see politics as something meant for other people (people with money and connections). They don’t believe that they can change their communities.

Patou Ibrahim is fighting against these erroneous beliefs.

³ One of such examples is late John Fru Ndi. He almost became President of Cameroon after the 1992 Presidential Election in Cameroon.

⁴Richard Kometa (Cameroon Tribune), “Cameroon, Our Continent”

Available at: www.cameroon-tribune.cm/article.html/60333/fr.html/cameroon-our-continent-

Consulted on:31/10/24/

In this article, Richard Kometa states as follows:

Cameroon is aptly described as “Africa in miniature”. This is a reference to Cameroon having most - if not all - of all that exists across the African Continent.

⁵ Here,  “continent” refers to a great country

⁶ Anglophone Cameroonians are Cameroonians who hail from the English-speaking part of Cameroon while Francophone Cameroonians are Cameroonians who hail from the French-speaking part of Cameroon.

⁷ Abouem à Tchoyi, “Abouem à Tchoyi Dissects The Anglophone Problem”, The Post Magazine, Edition No. 0001, Buea, The Post Magazine, 2009, p.4.

In the aforementioned article, Abouem à Tchoyi clearly presents the Anglophone Problem in Cameroon in the following points:

-      The presence of a centralized State;

-      The transfer of decision centres to Yaounde which is far from the population and their problems;

-      The non-respect for commitments concerning the equitable respect for cultures as well as institutional, legal and administrative powers;

-      The non-respect for solemn promises made during the referendum campaign;

-      The change of the State’s name, replacing “the United Republic of Cameroon”  with “the Republic of Cameroon”;

-      The non-respect for bilingualism in the public sector whereas the Constitution considers French and English languages as equal languages.

⁸ Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) states as follows:

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

⁹ CUSO International, “The Next Generation of Leaders in Cameroon”

Available at: cusointernational.org/stories/next-generation-leaders-cameroon/

Consulted on: 1/11/24/

The aforementioned article states that young people in Cameroon face many obstacles when they are targeting success.

¹⁰ Nambu Bernadette Franka (Cameroon News Agency), “Increasing Rates of Divorce in Africa, a Call for Concern”

Available at: cameroonnewsagency.com/increasing-rates-of-divorce-in-africa-a-call-for-concern/
Consulted on: 31/10/24

In this article, Nambu Bernadette Franka presents the ridiculous side of Cameroon’s marriage realm. She states as follows:

In Cameroon, spouses get married today and tomorrow, they are on social media, seeking separation. Sometimes, people take it as a trend to get more followers and fans.

¹¹ Nicodemus Fru Awasom, “Colonial Background to the Development of Autonomist Tendencies in Anglophone Cameroon (1946-1961)”

Available at: www.jstor.org/stable/45197789

Consulted on: 1/11/24

In the aforementioned article, Nicodemus Fru Awasom portrays the unhealthy nature of the misconception of  Cameroon’s  Anglophones’ desire for autonomy in the following words:

By misinterpreting or wilfully misunderstanding the Anglophone desire for autonomy, Cameroonian authorities may simply be unwilling to confront what is potentially an explosive issue.

¹² Bamilekes are Cameroonians who hail from some tribes in the West Region of Cameroon.

¹³ Ernest Dzelamonyuy and Ernest Taki Akon, “Political Debates on the Anglophone Problem in Cameroon (1961-2019)”

Available at: www.arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhsse/v11-i7/3.pdf

Consulted on: 2/6/25/

In this article, Ernest Dzelamonyuy and Ernest Taki Akon bring to the fore the fact that some top Anglophone government officials claim that there is no Anglophone Problem in Cameroon. They do so in the following lines:

In 2016, when the Anglophone Crisis resurfaced in a very high gear that needed urgent government attention to address it, lukewarm attitude was shown towards addressing the problem as some top government officials of Anglophone extraction claimed that there was no Anglophone Problem.

¹⁴ Quoteish, “22+Misconception Quotes”

Available at: www.quoteish.org/2019/12/misconception-quotes.html

Consulted on : 23/10/24

One of these quotes goes as far as stating that misconceptions are the greatest hurdles towards attaining the truth. This statement simply increases the veracity of the idea that misconceptions are obstacles to the attainment of truths.