Cameroun identity politics: why autochthony debates miss the point
The Constitution guarantees full equality for all citizens, regardless of origin. Rights are determined by citizenship, not ethnicity. Autochthony is a cultural identity, not a legal privilege. This is the core argument made by Oscar Njiki in his analysis of a debate that distracts from more pressing national issues.
Understanding autochthony in Cameroun’s legal framework
Autochthony isn’t a blanket right granted to all citizens. It’s rooted in ancestral ties, historical memory, and an unbroken connection to the land. Simply owning property or settling in a region doesn’t confer autochthonous status. The relationship indigenous communities maintain with their territories goes beyond legal ownership—it’s existential. Customary rights aren’t transferable through market transactions; they dissolve when land changes hands.
Citizenship overrides ethnicity in national belonging
Every Camerounian citizen has the right to reside anywhere in the country. Legitimate settlement doesn’t depend on ethnic origin but on national membership. A Camerounian is equally at home in Yaoundé, Bangangté, or Maroua. The Constitution doesn’t condition national belonging on autochthony. All citizens are equally at home across the entire country.
The limits of autochthony within local communities
Even within a village, autochthony doesn’t grant unlimited rights. Property rights structure local space. Each person owns their land, homes, and fields. Autochthony doesn’t justify trespassing or expropriating others’ property. A non-indigenous landowner is just as entitled to live in an autochthonous village as any other citizen, because possession establishes legal rights.
Legal equality between autochthons and allochthons
The law is uniform and indivisible. The Constitution guarantees equality for all citizens. Rights aren’t determined by origin but by citizenship status. Autochthony is a cultural identity, not a legal advantage. Autochthons and allochthons stand equal before the law.
Exceptions to the rule
While most elective positions are open to all citizens regardless of origin, the law does reserve certain roles—like mayor or regional council president—for autochthons. However, this exception applies only to these specific functions. All other elected positions—deputies, mayors, councilors—are accessible to every citizen, whether autochthon or allochthon.
Autochthony debates distract from national unity
This persistent debate about autochthony versus allochthony is a dead end. It fragments citizens along ethnic lines and diverts attention from what truly matters: our shared future. What counts isn’t the competition of origins but the convergence of destinies. Autochthony and allochthony shouldn’t be tools of division but cultural realities integrated into one indivisible Republic.
We must look in the same direction, as children of one nation, not as rival micro-states within the country. Cameroun’s future won’t be built on fragmentation but on unity, solidarity, and a shared sense of common destiny.
Oscar Njiki
