Language Ideology and the Colonial Legacy in Cameroon Schools: A Historical Perspective

Abstract

Cameroon prior to colonization had many languages, with none having precedence over the other. With the development of trade and the installation of missionaries along its coast, a number of local and European languages gained prominence. English became the most widely used western language. It established itself as the language of trade and of the court of equity while some local languages and Pidgin English were standardized and used in evangelization. With the triple presence in succession, and concurrently, of the German protectorate, the British and the French administrations, the ideology of 'one nation, one language' that developed in eighteenth century Europe was pursued, with varying degrees of effectiveness, in Cameroon by these administrations. This ideology was applied with resolve in education, mostly by the French rule, and made an impact on pre-and post-independence Cameroonian authorities who adopted English and French as official languages of the country.

Challenges to Indigenous Knowledge Incorporation in Basic Environmental Education in Anglophone Cameroon

“…Foreign powers in Africa seemed to have been patently aware of this and proceeded to vigorously promote the use of native languages in schools during the pre-colonial and colonial period. For instance, Islamic authorities from the Arab world standardized and adopted Shumum and Fulfude as the media for teaching Islam, respectively, in the western and northern areas of Cameroon in the 17th century (Breton and Fohtung, 1991;Nana, 2016). European Christian missionaries followed in the footsteps of Arabs by employing native languages in the early years of primary education in the country in the 19th century (Atayo, 2000;Che, 2008;Fanso, 1989;Joseph, 1980;Ngoh, 1996;Tamanji, 2011).…”

“…In fact, unlike the British, German colonial authorities took many steps to discourage the use of native languages in formal educational institutions. For example, an 1897 decree by Von Puttkammer, colonial Cameroon’s pioneer governor, mandated the use of German as the sole language of instruction in colonial government schools (Nana, 2016: 173). However, as of 1910, when all schools were subsumed under closer colonial government control, Christian mission schools were still using native languages as a medium of instruction in the early years of primary school (Nana, 2016).…”

A crise anglófona na República dos Camarões e a inação dos mecanismos africanos de resolução de conflitos

“…Com a derrota alemã na Primeira Guerra Mundial, o país foi despojado de sua colônia, que teve seu domínio dividido entre a Inglaterra -que passou a governar o território a partir de Lagos, na Nigéria -e a França -que assumiu o controle da maior parte do território, incorporando-o à estrutura da África Equatorial Francesa. Ao longo das quatro décadas administradas por britânicos e franceses, ambas as regiões foram submetidas a sistemas culturais, legais, políticos, administrativos e sociais profundamente diferentes (Nana, 2016;Konings e Nyamnioh, 2003).…”

A inação das Comunidades Econômicas Regionais no contexto da crise nos Camarões: Um retorno ao passado?

“…Com a derrota alemã na Primeira Guerra Mundial, o país foi despojado de sua colônia, que teve seu domínio divido entre a Inglaterra -que passou a governar o território a partir de Lagos, na Nigéria -e a França, com esta assumindo o controle da maior parte do território e incorporando-o à estrutura da África Equatorial Francesa. Ao longo das quatro décadas administradas por britânicos e franceses, ambas as regiões foram submetidas a sistemas culturais, legais, políticos, administrativos e sociais profundamente diferentes (Nana, 2016;Konings et al, 2003). Em 1.º de janeiro de 1960, a parte camaronesa sob domínio francês tornou-se independente, sendo seguida, em 1.º de outubro de 1961, pela Nigéria.…”