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British Cameroons

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Coordinates:6°N10°E / 6°N 10°E /6; 10

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

British mandate from 1916 to 1961

"Cameroons" redirects here. For other uses, seeCameroon (disambiguation).

British Cameroons

1916–1961

Flag

Coat of arms

Anthem: God Save the King (1916–1952)
God Save the Queen (1952–1961)

Status

Mandate of theUnited Kingdom

Capital

Buea

Common languages

English (official)
Duala,Oroko,Grassfields,Fula,Kanuri widely spoken

Religion

Christianity(southern area)
Islam(northern area)

Historical era

World War I

• Kamerun partitioned

20 July 1916

• Integration intoNigeria andCameroon

1 October 1961

Area

• Total

89,526 km² (34,566 sq mi)

Currency

British West Africa pound

Preceded by

Succeeded by

Kamerun

Federation of Nigeria
Federal Republic of Cameroon

Today part of

Cameroon
Nigeria

British Cameroons orBritish Cameroon was aBritish mandate territory inBritish West Africa, formed of the Northern Cameroons andSouthern Cameroons. Today, the Northern Cameroons forms parts of theBorno,Adamawa andTaraba states ofNigeria,^[1] while the Southern Cameroons forms part of theNorthwest andSouthwest regions ofCameroon.^[2]

History

[edit]

Cameroon from 1901–1972
  German Kamerun
  British Cameroons
  French Cameroon
  Republic of Cameroon

The area of present-day Cameroon was claimed byGermany as aprotectorate during the "Scramble for Africa" at the end of the 19th century. TheGerman Empire named the territoryKamerun. During World War I, French and British troops invaded the German colony Kamerun (Present day Cameroon) and decided to divide the German colony into two regions.^[3] One of the regions would be French administered (French Cameroon) and the other would be British administered (British Cameroons).^[3] The British were more concerned with other areas of Africa, specifically Nigeria.^[3] Thus, the French gained a larger portion of Cameroon when the country was divided.^[3]

League of Nations mandate

[edit]

DuringWorld War I, it was occupied by British,French andBelgian troops, and a laterLeague of Nations mandate to Great Britain and France by theLeague of Nations in 1922. The French mandate was known asCameroun and the British territory was administered as two areas,Northern Cameroons andSouthern Cameroons. Northern Cameroons consisted of two non-contiguous sections, divided by a point where the Nigerian and Cameroun borders met. In the 1930s, most of the white population consisted ofGermans, who were interned in British camps starting in June 1940. The native population of 400,000 showed little interest in volunteering for the British forces; only 3,500 men did so.^[4]

Detailed map of Cameroons under United Kingdom trusteeship, 1949, showing provinces, districts and towns. Produced by the Survey Department, Lagos, Nigeria.

Trust territory

[edit]

When theLeague of Nations ceased to exist in 1946, most of the mandate territories were reclassified asUnited Nations trust territories, henceforth administered through theUnited Nations Trusteeship Council. The object of trusteeship was to prepare the lands for eventual independence. The United Nations approved the Trusteeship Agreements for British Cameroons to be governed by Britain on 6 December 1946.

Colonial legacy

[edit]

Under colonial rule, Cameroons was ruled on the basis of indirect rule which allowed natives to execute judicial and executive decisions.^[5] The British in Cameroons used indirect rule because it meant that Cameroonians would comply willingly rather than having to coercively force compliance.^[6] This was important because it gave citizens of British Cameroons autonomy and helped to establish “a greater vitality of local political institutions in West Cameroon”.^[5] Despite the indirect rule used to invigorate the spirit of citizens, the British found that they had to "approach various developmental programs" because "there was little involvement of the local people in planning and executing community development programmes."^[7]

In British Cameroons, European immigrants were subject to the laws of their home country while natives of Cameroons were held to customary law which was typically overseen by British administrators.^[5]

The legal system established during the colonial era continues to be implemented, specifically, customary laws and the two legal systems.^[5] As the community development programmes grew, there was a large delay in educational efforts because British Cameroons ". . .had no secondary school in the territory."^[8] Secondary education was largely the work of missionaries such as St. Joseph College which opened in Sasse, Buea, in 1939.^[8]

Independence

[edit]

As French Cameroon gained independence, British Cameroons was still under the administration of Nigeria.^[9] French Cameroun became independent, as Cameroun or Cameroon, on 1 January 1960, and Nigeria was scheduled for independence later that same year, which raised the question of what to do with the British territory. As colonizers of Nigeria, the British desired for the two to be united.^[10] After some discussion (which had been going on since 1959), aUN-administered plebiscite was agreed to and held on 11 February 1961. The Muslim-majority Northern Area opted for union with Nigeria, and the Southern Area voted to join Cameroon.^[11] No option was given for British Cameroonian independence.^[12] The driving force for the unification of east and south Cameroon was Ahmadou Ahidjo and the Kamerun National Democratic Party (KNDP) as the French were not concerned because southern Cameroon did not align with the French community established.^[10]

Upon reunification with French Cameroon, Anglophone Cameroonians "made up about 20% of the federal population…their French counterparts made up a majority at 80 percent".^[13]

Northern Cameroons became theSardauna Province ofNorthern Nigeria^[14] on 1 June 1961, while Southern Cameroons becameWest Cameroon, a constituent state of theFederal Republic of Cameroon, later that year on 1 October 1961.

The separatistAmbazonia movement seeks to create an independent state out of the Cameroonian portion of British Cameroons, arguing that its Anglophone population is persecuted by the Francophone population of the rest of Cameroon.^[15]

Governors

[edit]

Main article:List of colonial governors of Cameroon § British Cameroons

References

[edit]

^El-Sudi, Ibrahim Tukur (2019-04-20)."The Nigerian States that Formed Parts of Northern Cameroons".PRNigeria News. Retrieved2020-04-25.
^Njung, George N. (1 December 2019). "The British Cameroons Mandate Regime: The Roots of the Twenty-First-Century Political Crisis in Cameroon".The American Historical Review.124 (5):1715–1722.doi:10.1093/ahr/rhz1025.
^^a ^b ^c ^dDupraz, Yannick (September 2019)."French and British Colonial Legacies in Education: Evidence from the Partition of Cameroon"(PDF).The Journal of Economic History.79 (3):628–668.doi:10.1017/S0022050719000299.S2CID 28463640.
^I.C.B Dear, ed,The Oxford Companion to World War II (1995) p 163
^^a ^b ^c ^dLee, Alexander; Schultz, Kenneth A. (2011). "Comparing British and French Colonial Legacies: A Discontinuity Analysis of Cameroon".SSRN 1903316.
^Jua, Nantang Ben (1995). "Indirect Rule in Colonial and Post-Colonial Cameroon".Paideuma.41:39–47.JSTOR 40341691.
^Kwo, Emil Molindo (1984). "Community Education and Community Development in Cameroon: The British Colonial Experience, 1922-1961".Community Development Journal.19 (4):204–213.doi:10.1093/cdj/19.4.204.JSTOR 44256284.
^^a ^bNdille, R. N.; Litt, D. (2018). "British and French Implementation of Colonial Educational policies in Cameroon 1916-1961: A Comparative Analysis".International Journal for Research in Educational Studies.4 (5):1–18.
^Lekane, Gillo Momo; Asuelime, Lucky (June 2017)."One Country, Three Colonial Legacies: The Politics of Colonialism, Capitalism and Development in the Pre- and Post-Colonial Cameroon".Journal for Contemporary History.42 (1).doi:10.18820/24150509/JCH42.v1.8.
^^a ^bMokube, Eric (2012). "Diplomacy and Nation-Building in Africa: Franco-British Relations and Cameroon at the End of Empire (review)".Africa Today.59 (2):94–98.doi:10.2979/africatoday.59.2.94.S2CID 142614803.Project MUSE 494435ProQuest 1281851956.
^Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999)Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p177ISBN 0-19-829645-2
^Njeuma, Martin Z. (1995). "Reunification and Political Opportunism in the Making of Cameroon's Independence".Paideuma.41:27–37.JSTOR 40341690.
^Njung, George N. (1 December 2019). "The British Cameroons Mandate Regime: The Roots of the Twenty-First-Century Political Crisis in Cameroon".The American Historical Review.124 (5):1715–1722.doi:10.1093/ahr/rhz1025.
^Parties and Politics in Northern Nigeria, Routledge, 1968, page 155
^""Cameroon Military Executing, Abusing" - HRW". Voice of America. Agence France-Presse. 11 August 2022. Retrieved22 March 2023.In 2017, resentment at perceived discrimination snowballed into the declaration of an independent state -- the 'Federal Republic of Ambazonia,' an entity that is not recognised internationally.

External links

[edit]

FormerBritish Empire and currentBritish Overseas Territories

Legend: Former territory; Current territory; *CurrentCommonwealth realm; ^†Current member of theCommonwealth of Nations

Europe

Corsica 1794–1796
Gibraltar since 1713
Heligoland 1807–1890
Ionian Islands 1809–1864
^†pre 1800 acts of Union Ireland
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Irish Free State 1921–1931
^†Malta
- Protectorate 1800–1813
- Colony 1813–1964
Minorca 1708–1757, 1763–1782 and 1798–1802

Africa

Basutoland (^†Lesotho) 1868–1966
Bechuanaland (^†Botswana) 1884–1966
Cameroons¹³ 1919–1961
Cape Colony 1795–1803
Cape of Good Hope 1806–1910
Central Africa 1891–1907
East Africa 1895–1920
Egypt 1882–1922
^†The Gambia 1816–1965
Gold Coast (^†Ghana) 1874–1957
^†Kenya 1920–1963
Lagos 1862–1906
Madeira 1807–1808
^†Mauritius 1810–1968
Natal 1856–1910
Niger Coast 1884–1900
^†Nigeria 1914–1960
Northern Nigeria 1900–1914
Northern Rhodesia¹⁵ 1924–1964
Nyasaland 1891–1964
Orange River 1900–1910
^†Seychelles 1903–1976
^†Sierra Leone 1792–1961
Somaliland 1884–1960
^†South Africa 1910–1931
South-West Africa¹² 1915–1931
Southern Rhodesia¹⁴ 1923–1965 and 1979–1980
Southern Nigeria 1900–1914
^†Swaziland 1893–1968
Sudan 1899–1956
Tanganyika¹³ 1922–1961
Transvaal 1900–1910
^†Uganda 1890–1962
Zanzibar 1890–1963
Zululand 1887–1897

¹²Now^†Namibia
¹³League of Nations mandate. British Cameroons is now part of^†Cameroon andNigeria, while Tanganyika is part of^†Tanzania.
¹⁴Self-governing Southern Rhodesiaunilaterally declared independence in 1965 (asRhodesia) and continued as anunrecognised state until the 1979Lancaster House Agreement. After recognised independence in 1980, Zimbabwe was a member of the Commonwealth until it withdrew in 2003.
¹⁵Now^†Zambia

Asia

Aden Colony 1839–1967
Afghanistan 1839–1842
- Protectorate 1879–1919
Akrotiri and Dhekelia since 1960 (before as part ofCyprus)
Bencoolen 1685–1824
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Bengal 1757–1947
Bhutan (protectorate) 1907–1949
Borneo 1874–1963
British Indian Ocean Territory since 1965 (before as part ofMauritius andSeychelles)²⁶
Burma 1824–1948
^†Brunei 1888–1984
^†Ceylon 1795–1948
^†Cyprus 1878–1960
Hong Kong 1841–1997
^†India¹⁸ 1858–1947
Java 1811–1816
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- Federated States 1895–1946
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^†Maldives 1796–1965
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- Crown Colony 1946–1963
Padang 1781–1784 and 1795–1819
Palestine¹⁹ 1923–1948
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- Crown Colony 1946–1957
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- Crown Colony 1946–1963
^†Singapore 1946–1963
South Vietnam 1945–1946
Straits Settlements 1826–1946
Transjordan 1921–1946
Trucial States 1892–1971
Weihai 1898–1930

¹⁸Now^†India,^†Pakistan and^†Bangladesh
¹⁹League of Nations mandate. Iraq's mandate was not enacted and replaced by theAnglo-Iraqi Treaty
²⁶Legitimacy of territorial establishmentdisputed

North America

Anguilla since 1650
*Antigua 1632–1860
*Antigua and Barbuda 1860–1981
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^†*Belize 1871–1981
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South America
Providence Island 1631–1641 Willoughbyland 1651–1667 Saint Andrew and Providence Islands⁴ 1670–1688 ^†Guiana 1831–1966
⁴Now adepartment ofColombia

Oceania

New South Wales 1788–1901
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^†Fiji 1874–1970
Western Pacific Territories 1877–1976
British New Guinea 1884–1902
Rarotonga/Cook Islands²⁰ 1888–1901
Union Islands²⁰ 1889–1948
Gilbert and Ellice Islands²² 1892–1979
^†*Solomon Islands 1893–1978
^†Tonga 1900–1970
Niue²⁰ 1900–1974
^†*Australia 1901–1942
^†*New Zealand 1907–1947
^†Samoa 1914–1962
^†Nauru 1919–1942 and 1945–1968

²⁰Now part of the^†Realm of New Zealand
²¹Now^†Vanuatu
²²Now^†Kiribati and^†*Tuvalu

Antarctica and the South Atlantic

Saint Helena²³ since 1658
Ascension Island²³ since 1815
Tristan da Cunha²³ since 1816
Falkland Islands⁵ since 1833
^†Australian Antarctic Territory(transferred to theCommonwealth of Australia) 1841–1933
^†Ross Dependency(transferred to theRealm of New Zealand) 1841–1947
British Antarctic Territory²⁴ since 1908
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands²⁵ since 1908

⁵Occupied by Argentina during theFalklands War of April–June 1982.
²³Since 2009 part ofSaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Ascension Island (1922–) and Tristan da Cunha (1938–) were previously dependencies of Saint Helena.
²⁴Claimed in 1908; territory formed 1962; overlaps portions of Argentine and Chilean claims, borders not enforced but claim not renounced under theAntarctic Treaty.
²⁵Claimed in 1908; territory formed 1985

v t e Mandates of theLeague of Nations (1919–1946)
Class A	Palestine Transjordan Syria and Lebanon Mesopotamia not enacted
Class B	Ruanda-Urundi Tanganyika British Cameroons French Cameroons British Togoland French Togoland
Class C	New Guinea Nauru South Seas Mandate South West Africa Western Samoa
See also:United Nations trust territories (post-1946)