The Construct of Otherness: North West/South West Relations, Implications for an Independent Southern Cameroons

The relation between the two English speaking regions (North West and South West) of Cameroon has scarcely been cordial. It has often been characterised by accusations and counter accusations; the South Westerners complaining of domination by the North West and latter complain of hatred by the former. This paper examines the construct of otherness between the two English speaking regions of Cameroon; where otherness means the making of differences, manipulation of cultural differences between the North West and South West people making them incompatible. The instrumental differences between the two regions have impacted negatively on Anglophone solidarity facilitating their marginalisation by the Francophone majority. In spite of the differences the people of the former British Southern Cameroons always stand like one man in defence their colonial inherited Anglophone culture. At the dawn of the Southern Cameroons nationalism which started with the Lawyers/Teachers of the English expression strike the instrumentalised differences were re-activated by the ethnic entrepreneurs. In the dispensation of the North West/South West dichotomy the restoration of the statehood of the former British Southern Cameroons is not an easy ride.