Exclusive Interview With Gaelle Le Roy, Part II

Cameroon, Exclusive Interview With Gaelle Le Roy

(Part II) A half-century later, Gaelle Le Roy and Valerie Osouf break a taboo story, a story still classified 'Top Secret'.

Gaelle Le Roy, author and film-maker of the documentary "Cameroon, Autopsy Of An Independance", answers on what you never heard...

12/ What is your personal opinion about the mandate of France with Cameroon like elsewhere, at the colonial era?

13/ Cameroon is commonly recognized, as well on place as everywhere else like having been a “French COLONY”. However, as we clearly see it in your film, the texts stipulate that Cameroon is rather a French Trust Territory, on mandate of the SDN at that time. What do you think of this handling of language? In your opinion, who is the person in charge?

Gaelle LR: 12/ and 13/ - The French administration, in France and also in Togo is differentiated. It’s the situation behind the demands of um Nyobe, using legal documents to protest against the way the French administration proceeds on his soil. Legally, France did not have the right to administrate Cameroon the way it did, as a colony, because Cameroon wasn’t one.

Nyobe had such faith in the international community he thinks he'll finally win his case if he sticks to the legal evidence.

About the colonial era, the documentary mentions the realty of the local populations, including forced labour, massive labour force moving, the "indigene code" more than the building of roads, bridges and vaccination campaigns.

14/ According to an article published in Le Monde online, published on June 26, 2008, there is a real dissatisfaction in Africa, and even with the new generation.
What’s your opinion about this report?

Link: http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2008/04/26/limage-tres-degradee-de-la-france-enafrique_1038797_3212.html

Gaelle LR: I didn’t read that article, but yes people are definitely fed up of France, because of some economical monopolies still in place. The youngsters are indifferent, even disdainful and are not star struck anymore by the former tutelary metropolis where it has become for instance almost impossible to study. Hence they turn themselves rather to the U.S., Canada and so on.

A song from Tiken Jah Fakoly’s album Francafrique was a big hit a couple of years ago. The title was "y’en a marre" (as in enough is enough).

15/ Concerning the leaders of UPC (Union of the Peoples of Cameroon), especially Um Nyobe, would you speak about heroism or lack of realism, otherwise, do you think that to give its life for freedom is ultimately of use?

Gaelle LR: The political, legal unifying a patriotic fight of Um Nyobe is heroic. The French administration tried everything it could to deprave him but it couldn’t. Messmer himself talked about him with some sort of respect off camera. He send several emissaries with plenty of cash to him, Nyobe still said no. the history will remember that his faith in the international community was a little naïve. Some Cameroonian elites admit they’ve been with UPC, even for 5 minutes when they heard such demands for the first time, back then it was surreal to oppose France.

Nyobe chose to give his life for his fight. If ye youth rediscovers, read about him then his fight will not have been totally useless. His writings about tribalism were ahead of their time and are still relevant.

16/ What do you think about the general silence on the Bamileke’s tribe genocide with use of weapons of massive destruction, like the napalm, the poisoning of Felix Moumié, the profanation of his grave 20 years later, the verdict not guilty of the agent William Bechtel which has asserted this murder, the death of more than 300 000 people after the so called independence, the conspiracy in all impunity for the assassination of Um Nyobé, Ernest Ouandjié, and others, that it’s on the level of the French, Cameroonians or international authorities (African Union, ONU, etc.)?

Gaelle LR: It’s unclear, given the evidence available whether or not there was a genocide against the Bamilekes. UPC consisted in supporters and personnel from all tribes, and were chased down as members of the UPC rather than anything else.

It is true though that the Bamilekes are profile, the rock in the boot as described by a French officer, Lamberton.

The number of casualties is still impossible to know. A lot of research is yet to be completed. Nevertheless, that region in the second part of the conflict was the most violently hit by both French than Cameroonian armies. The fight of the UPC itself got carried away, with executions and other over the edge violence commonly seen in this type of conflict.

17/ Like the proverb says,

Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's.

UPC, Union of the Peoples of Cameroon, was an example of national unit, because its leaders came from ethnos groups through the territory (Bamoun, Bassa'a, Bamiléké, etc). It’s a beautiful symbol in the current context of interethnic wars in several areas of Africa. According to you, was their work recognized, and honoured enough both at the national and international level?

Gaelle LR: People should really read an read again the writings of Um Nyobe, available to all, thanks to a great job by Achille Bembé.

The colonial France always played the "divide to conquer" game, just like marshal Lyautey authorised it: if there are customs that should be respected, there are also rivalries and hatred that should be used at our advantage, by driving each one against the other, using one to defeat the other

Usually when people talk about a conflict in Africa, it’s simplified to an ethnic dimension. It’s very important we go beyond and learn the story behind.

18/ It is known that to carry out such a documentary comprises undoubtedly thorny risks. Dear Gaëlle, Dear Valerie, did you have problems (intimidations, threats, etc) after the release of your documentary which is a real autopsy?

No, we didn't.

19/ The Assassination of Felix Moumié, directed by Frank Garbely, is a documentary which reports the facts of this conspiracy. Did you look at it? What do you think about it?

Gaelle LR: Every serious attempot to disclose the fact of this war is welcome, just like Garbely’s film.

20/ In view of the content of the film, it appears that you still have many other facts to reveal. We can thus sense a follow-up. Do you project to tell us more? Could you please give us a taste of the contents and the principal points that you will cover?

Gaelle LR: the aftermath of this research belongs to everyone, students, searchers, journalists and so on.

I met young students from Cameroon who as soon as they had their degree in Hsistory used it to start making field research. We have to gather testimonials, village by village, small town after the other, using historical science for spoken testimonial. We should keep digging the archives make cross references.

In that sense, just as previously conducted research (again Achille Mbembé, Richard Joseph, Noumbissie) tchouaké and many others), this one is but an introduction. A lot of questions are still without answers. Research groups are getting organised between France and Cameroon to get the study of this historical period to the next level.

21/

One cannot make a tornado in the water glass, because some negros were massacred… It is nevertheless something which pushes to reflect on the direction of what we call the civilizing mission, the love of the democracy, freedom, Human Rights, etc. There are the rights of which human beings in fact?

- Moukoko Priso, professor of university -

Up to which point the action of France in Cameroon push-such by wondering about the direction of these values?

Gaelle LR: I think the answer lies in Priso’s question, which makes it even more accurate. All the dead don’t count for the same, and this is one of the most violent forms of racism. That scene was meant to be the final word since the first day we started the production.

Beyond the facts, that is the fundamental question behind all this work and the strong will to bring the facts of this tragedy and the colonial domination and occupation to light.

FD: Thanks a lot for your precisous time and as Cameroonians, thanks for this revelations.

Gaelle Le Roy: Thank you for the interest that you carried to this work.

Read 'Part 1' here »

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