Roland Ndille | University of Buea (original) (raw)

Papers by Roland Ndille

Medicine

Background: Some previous studies have highlighted the high rate of mental health problems associ... more Background: Some previous studies have highlighted the high rate of mental health problems associated with type II diabetes (T2DM). The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a religious coping intervention of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) on the mental health of adult learners with T2DM. Methods: This study utilized a randomized controlled trial to select 146 adult learners with T2DM and mental health-related problems. The treatment group was made up of 73 adult learners, while the control group was also made up of 73 adult learners. The experimental group received 8 sessions of a religious coping intervention of REBT, while the control group received usual care. Data were collected using the patient health questionnaire, Warwick–Edinburgh mental well-being scale, and Kessler psychological distress scale. Repeated ANOVA and univariate analysis of covariance were used for data analyses. Results: The religious coping intervention of REBT substantial...

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), May 29, 2023

This paper examines the invaluable role played by the Obasinjom cult in preventive medicine among... more This paper examines the invaluable role played by the Obasinjom cult in preventive medicine among the Ejagham and the Banyang of Manyu Division, South West, Cameroon. The paper argues that in spite of the diminishing role of the Obasinjom in the provision of healthcare amidst the incursion of western medicine and Christianity, the Obasinjom was resilient in some communities of Manyu Division. The study employs the historical research method in the collection, interpretation, and analysis of the information gotten from primary and secondary sources. Interviews and archival materials were widely utilized to derive eyewitness accounts. The interviews were conducted on one-on-one basis and through focused group discussions. The findings reveal that the survival of the Obasijom in some communities of Manyu from the 1990s was thanks to its ability to handle spiritual and mystical illnesses as well as its entertainment and cultural role in the communities.

Stichproben: Vienna Journal of African Studies, 2023

In this paper, I discuss the development of higher education in the former League of Nations Mand... more In this paper, I discuss the development of higher education in the former League of Nations Mandate Territories (1922-1946) and the United Nations Trust Territories (1946-1961) in Africa, with a particular focus on British and French Cameroon. In contrast to some British and French colonies where higher education institutions were established in preparation for self-government and independence, I question why higher education institutions did not exist in any of the six mandate territories in Africa until independence. I examine the extent to which the approach taken by Britain and France to meet the territories' need for higher education matched the territories' need for a skilled workforce. I argue that both the Permanent Mandates Commission (PMC) and the Trusteeship Council (TC) saw the establishment of higher education institutions in the administered territories as an urgent need for the development of the mandates, but implementation was thwarted by the administrative authorities who rejected the proposals and instead recommended a scholarship system that yielded limited returns to education in the territories. In both British Cameroon and French Cameroon, this policy resulted in poorly developed human capital and weak political and economic leadership. The paper draws on critical analysis of primary historical documents as methodology and decoloniality as theoretical foundation. I consider the LoN and the UN as complicit with Britain and France (the administrators) in the underdevelopment of higher education in the two mandates because they often endorsed their views on issues or failed as oversight bodies in ensuring that decisions on higher education in the case were rationally implemented-what Ndlovu-Gatsheni has called "a common agenda of Euro-North American hegemony of exploitation and subjugation."

The paper seeks to trace the origin of the conflict in the royal family in Ashong and to succinct... more The paper seeks to trace the origin of the conflict in the royal family in Ashong and to succinctly discuss the forces that initiated, fuelled and have sustained the conflict for over a century. The paper proceeds to examine the tacit role exhibited by the administration in resolving the conflict aswell as the consequence on peace and security in Ashong and Moghamo at large. The paperfurther attempts a solution to the conflict. For concrete investigation and analysis, data was collected through oral interviews, observations, archival reports and newspapers.Following the investigation, the paper posits that the Ashong royal conflict is perhaps the oldest in the North West Region of Cameroon. That the disagreement in the royal family of Ashong has its origin in the manner in which the sixth Fon chose to select his heir among his sons, and was made complicated by the British Administration. The hatred that ensued evolved into a conflict that divided the king-makers and the villagersint...

The British colonial policy of education in the Southern Cameroons was guided by the philosophy o... more The British colonial policy of education in the Southern Cameroons was guided by the philosophy of adapting education to the mentality, aptitude and occupations of the local population. This policy was gradually abandoned in the 1950s when it was realized that it was serving the colonial exploitative agenda of keeping natives to a permanently rural existence instead of meeting the needs of an independent state. Surprisingly, despite the so much talked of 'need for education to rid itself of the colonial stranglehold', a few years after independence, the government of Cameroon opted for the policy of ruralisation of education. This paper, examines the basic motivation for returning to such a policy and the outcome.

Cameroon has recorded disasters, both natural and man-made, in the past. The coastal city of Limb... more Cameroon has recorded disasters, both natural and man-made, in the past. The coastal city of Limbe and many other geographical locations are potential sites for future disasters. On the basis of interviews and related primary and secondary literature, this article looks at past occurrences of floods in Limbe, particularly those of 2001, and how the state and local authorities managed the challenge. Through this, it attempts an evaluation of state policies and the institutional structure for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and management in the country. The study reveals that Cameroon does not have a national disaster management structure and a national platform for DRR. Disaster related activities are lumped together with other civil protection responsibilities of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization (MIN-ATD) despite the country's commitment to the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015. Government interventions are more reactive than proactive although its strategy to disaster management indicates both disaster preparedness and emergency intervention and rehabilitation. The study concludes that the present strategy is bureaucratic, financially burdensome, and does not really achieve the essential goals of DRR in saving lives and reducing vulnerability. For DRR to be effective in Cameroon, a permanent disaster management unit with regional and local structures should be put in place independent of other branches of the Department of Disaster and Emergency Services of MINATD and with each level exercising a significant degree of operative autonomy. A national policy and framework with emphasis on DRR should be adopted in the country.

The writing of history in Cameroon began with the advent of western education and the development... more The writing of history in Cameroon began with the advent of western education and the development of literacy. Like in most other pre-literate societies historical reconstruction relied heavily on the memory of men. Oral tradition has therefore been hailed as the panacea to the Eurocentric problem of pre-European African historical emptiness. However, using oral tradition to historicise the origin and migration of certain communities has left conflicting positions which impinge on the trustworthiness of such accounts and of oral traditions as a credible historical source. We use the conflicting oral accounts of the Bakossi-Bakundu common lineage to demonstrate a weakness of oral tradition as a reliable historical source.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2014

ABSTRACT

Dr. Kofi Busia, a renowned Ghanaian statesman was quoted to have said that “Over the years I felt... more Dr. Kofi Busia, a renowned Ghanaian statesman was quoted to have said that “Over the years I felt increasingly that the education I received taught me more of Europe and less and less about my own society”(Rodney, 1981). Dr. Busia and other nationalists who were educated at colonial institutions painfully realized that such education isolated them and made them to understand their communities far less than the boys of their age who had not been to school.
Realizing the incongruousness between the content of colonial education and the reality of Africa, many of the statesmen at independence heralded the need to tackle the problem of the inadaptability of the school curricula to African local realities. Fifty years on, the worry is whether the struggle for policy makers of the continent to erase the history of colonial powers from the curriculum and replace it with programs that teach local and national history has been successful.
This paper therefore sets out to analyze fifty years of teaching history in schools of the Anglophone subsystem in Cameroon. The primary school history curriculum was analyzed to determine the percentages of national and European history taught. The history program of secondary and higher education institutions was also commented upon. Some history textbooks were also studied to understand the nature of the historiography and determine whether they were written with African and/or Eurocentric backgrounds.
The paper ascertains that fifty years after independence, Cameroon schools still teach their children more of European history (a majority of which is irrelevant) to the detriment of local and national history. Secondly in situations where Cameroon history features on the curriculum, it is written and taught in such a Eurocentric manner that it jeopardizes the initial objectives. It becomes the story of Europeans in the territory. The study concludes that fifty years after independence, questions of the indigenization of the history program in Cameroon schools are still to be considered.
Key Words: Curriculum, Local Realities, Eurocentric, relevance, Indigenization, History

Cameroon is a union of two colonial entities which came together in February 1961 to form the Fed... more Cameroon is a union of two colonial entities which came together in February 1961 to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon (1961-1972), United Republic (1972-1983) and Republic of Cameroon (since 1984). These two entities came about as a result of the defeat of Germany in the First World War and the subsequent partition of the German Cameroon (1884-1916) into British and French Cameroons in 1916. Since then, the two spheres were held as separate mandates and trust territories of the League of Nations and the UN respectively until 1960. On January 1, 1960, the French administered section of the territory got its independence while the British sphere became independent by voting to reunify with the independent Republic of Cameroon (French Cameroon) in a UN conducted plebiscite a year after. Soon after a federal constitution was established, the territory began facing the daunting task of nation building like the rest of the newly independent African countries at the time. With such a bi-cultural heritage, one of the greatest challenges that the new country faced was how to blend the obviously different systems of education inherited from the British and French colonial authorities. British and French colonial systems of education were so different in structure, form, application and were so cut away from the local realities that they could not be allowed to continue to be used in the independent and reunified country. The issue of harmonization of education was so critical if the state had to ensure national integration, balanced development, quality education and equality of educational access for both English and French speaking citizens. Fifty years on, this study seeks to examine the efforts made by the state to come out with an educational policy that ensures a harmonious school program, curriculum and organization for the entire country. It also examines the challenges faced by the government to this effect and the prospects ahead.

The German colony of Kamerun was partitioned in 1916 and administered as Mandates and Trust terri... more The German colony of Kamerun was partitioned in 1916 and administered as Mandates and Trust territories of the L.O.N and the U.N by Britain and France respectively between 1922 and 1961. The final phase of the independence of the territory was achieved in 1961 when the British Southern sector voted to reunify with the French sector which had obtained independence a year early as La Republic du Cameroon. Reunification warranted the development of a concrete political and socio-economic frame work that would not only ensure the positive utilization of the gains from the two colonial systems but that would guarantee the development of an authentic Cameroonian identity in various sectors of life.

As far as the education was concerned, the British and the French colonial masters had operated two systems of education distinct in matters of policy, structure and content at all levels. Reunification therefore imposed on the new nation an urgent need to restructure education in way that will ensure that one colonial system does not dominate the other; that will mitigate the overriding influence of the two colonial heritages; that will assail the various state and cultural affiliations and most especially, one that would develop into a unique and authentic system of education that will inspire a sense of adherence to a single Cameroonian identity.

Using the historical approach, content analysis and textural reviews, the paper analyses efforts made in this regard between 1961 when reunification was achieved and 2001 when the application of the 1998 law on education went into force. The paper posits that for more than fifty years, the application of reunification in matters of education is still an issue of circumnavigation; that the development of a national system is still illusory and that it is more appropriate to talk of the co-existence of the two colonial heritages than a Cameroonian educational system.

Key words: Education, reunification, harmonization

The paper has appeared under different titles such as; Conversion: The European missionaries touc... more The paper has appeared under different titles such as; Conversion: The European missionaries touching our souls; For the church but not in the church: My grandfather, The black boy of Reverend Father Bucklehurst; Questions of conversion of an African Christian; I baptize you in the name of the father, son and holy spirit: Amen !! Christianity, baptism and conversion: peeping into the mind of the blackboy of the whiteman of God!!
A persistent and obstinate question in Africa since the advent of European missionaries is whether Christianity actually matched the conversion of the mind. Did the outward profession of faith demonstrate an inward conversion to the belief in the one and only true God or there was a persistent adherence to the traditional religious practices.
With the advent of Christianity, can the new universe introduced by Christian religion, the new realities of participation in it, the new teachings, language of communication ever be adopted in Africa, by Africans without a concurrent deepening of acculturation or abandonment of the traditional belief.

Elections remain one of the most important attendant corollaries to democracy. It is a means wher... more Elections remain one of the most important attendant corollaries to democracy. It is a means whereby citizens can participate in decisions that affect their lives and hold their representatives accountable for results. After over 24 years of single party rule, Cameroon reluctantly returned to Multi-party democracy in 1990. Since then the country has seen the organization of Presidential Elections (1992, 1997 and 2004), Legislative Elections (1992, 1997, 2002 and 2007) and Municipal Elections (1992,1997, 2002 and 2007). The organization of these elections has been marred by complains from the opposition parties and Independent Observers that electoral laws were not up to the standard to guarantee free, fair and transparent elections in the territory. This complains have stemmed from the fact that the organization, management and screening of elections have for all these years been conferred to the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization. The creation by law in 2000 of a National Elections Observatory (NEO) did not help matters as it was restricted to an observer status and considering its heavy reliance on the executive.
In these elections voter turnout has been very low falling from 65% in 1992 to only 25% in 1997. In the 2007 presidential elections only 3.5 million of the over 8 million eligible voters participated in the voting exercise. This low turnout apart from demonstrating that those in power were elected by the minority also shows that the legitimacy of the rulers is not accepted by those who refuse to vote. Apart from the distrust of politicians who often take citizens’ votes for granted, the majority of Cameroonians linked voter apathy to the absence of an autonomous and credible electoral system independent of the government which will guarantee free, fair and transparent elections. In December 2006 therefore, the Cameroon’s National Assembly understanding that this presented an urgent problem adopted a law on Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) charged with the organization, management and supervision of elections and referendums and specifying that the body shall control the entire electoral process from the registration of voters to the proclamation of results. The creation of the body was later followed by the appointment of its first Board of Directors.

This study supposes that Cameroonians viewed the creation of ELECAM with great optimism considering it as a new dawn in Cameroon politics. However the appointment of the first Board of Directors is viewed with mixed feelings as it is claimed that a majority of its members have occupied top ranks in the ruling CPDM party or government. Working on such assumptions the study hypothesizes that, feelings of disappointment and distrust may dampen the credibility of ELECAM and may negatively affect voter participation in the 2011 general elections. The study is a two part (pre and post 2011 elections) survey on the relationship between citizens perception of ELECAM and participation in elections. Results of the pre and post 2011 election surveys would be used to confirm or reject such a hypothesis and or bring out other causes of voter apathy in Cameroon.

Key Words; Elections, Voter Apathy, Electoral Commission, ELECAM, Participation

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Cameroon like most other Sub-Saharan African countries enjoyed unpr... more In the 1970s and early 1980s, Cameroon like most other Sub-Saharan African countries enjoyed unprecedented affluence in their economic life. However, in 1986, Paul Biya (President of Cameroon since November 4, 1982) announced an imminent economic crisis which was translated to a practical reality in 1990. Prices of basic products sky-rocketed, jobs became scarce, there was glaring poverty, misery and hardship characterized by salary cuts, lay off of state workers, strikes, demonstrations and ghost town operations. In an attempt to identify the causes of this economic crisis, the IMF and World Bank to which most African governments turned for solutions heaped the blame on the nature of African socioeconomic structures, inadequate infrastructure, poorly developed markets, rudimentary industrial sectors and severe institutional and managerial weaknesses. As a rapid panacea, they proposed the structural Adjustment Programs which amongst other things called for devaluation, a reduction in government expenditure, a strong link between market effort and reward and most of all privatization (Scott, 2007).
By the 1990s, therefore, the government began a series of privatization initiatives as part of a general goal of winning the confidence of the Britton woods institutions. In this move the Tea plantations of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) were taken over by a new entrepreneur and christened the Cameroon Tea estate (CTE) in 2002. In recommending privatization of the tea plantations of the CDC, it was believed that if the government could get its general policy environments right and minimize interference of the state in economic matters private actors will make rational and efficient decisions that will lead to the generation of wealth that will eventually trickle down to all members of society.
The study therefore looks at privatization as a factor of African development from the expectation that it should have led to the improvement in the material welfare especially of the people with the lowest incomes, the eradication of mass poverty with its correlates of illiteracy, disease and early death. The change of hands from the CDC to the CTE should have benefited the workers more by producing concrete structural changes which would have seen improvements in the social institutions and welfare of the laborers.
Using the historical survey method, the study examines the state of welfare for the workers of the CTE comparing these with the period when the company was state owned. It seeks to analyze salary rates, provision of social services like health and education, social security such as family allowances, industrial accidents and retirement schemes. The study uses this typically Cameroonian situation of privatization to hypothesize that after adopting various Structural Adjustment Programs, many African countries are worse off. It conjectures that privatization in Africa has not only damaged the economic and social growth prospects for many countries (Moseley, 2007), but has further worsened an already skewed income distribution as many countries have ignored the domestic economic and political objectives as well as the initial social priorities for the creation of the parastatals.
Key Words: Privatization, Social Welfare, Economic Development, Plantation Agriculture, Structural Adjustment

The concept of inclusive education and its application within the Cameroon educational system has... more The concept of inclusive education and its application within the Cameroon educational system has been popularised within the past two decades. This is in line with changing educational policy frameworks occasioned by new research findings, perceptions and developments in psychology and sociology of education. These findings amongst other things have indicated very significant relationships between the academic performance of persons with disabilities and inclusive classrooms. They have also stressed the development of positive psycho-social values and ease of socio-economic (re)integration of persons with disabilities and mainstream educational environments.
Although empirical research has demonstrated the importance of inclusive classrooms and other educational environments such as co-curricular groups, generally speaking, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding the origins, evolution and local as well as international legal frameworks that have brought the concept to bear significantly on contemporary education practice. It is from this background that this chapter draws its motivation. In it I intend to trace the origins of the concept of inclusive education, its evolution and the legal frameworks that have ensured its application in the Cameroon school system. This would enable a proper understanding of other chapters dealing with its application. The methodology is historical; consisting mostly of an analysis of legal documents on inclusion and the education of persons with disabilities.

ABSTRACT In contemporary African society, people look back to Pre-colonial or traditional educati... more ABSTRACT
In contemporary African society, people look back to Pre-colonial or traditional education with great nostalgia. This is because of its presumed effectiveness. Although there were no set aside structures as we have them in the present school system, Pre-colonial education is said to have achieved its mark in terms of relating to the needs and values of the society, meeting the aspirations of learners and being society centered. Above all, the role of the adults in the society and the parents as providers of knowledge content, values and learning skill which the educational system expected to achieve has had a dominant place in the literature of traditional education.

However, some research has remarked that the role of the parents in the contemporary school system has not been as significant as it was before the introduction of western education. This has affected performance rates, attitude/behavioral changes and skills acquisition. Amongst other reasons is the fact that societal pressures now demand that both parents work to be able to meet family needs. This paper showcases that pre-colonial pedagogic practices are still relevant in today’s schooling if learner’s attitudes and socio-economic life skills are to be improved. These practices call on parents to play a more pro-active role in their children’s education. It therefore exposes the various trajectories of how parents played teachers in traditional societies and how these can be harnessed into the present practice of Loco-parentis. The methodological approach is historical and the researcher has used some empirical literature and a focus group discussion for this analysis.

Keywords: Parents, Teachers, Traditional education, loco-parentis
Poster ID Number: P.264-31341

Medicine

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), May 29, 2023

Stichproben: Vienna Journal of African Studies, 2023

International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2014

ABSTRACT

Key words: Education, reunification, harmonization

Key Words; Elections, Voter Apathy, Electoral Commission, ELECAM, Participation

Keywords: Parents, Teachers, Traditional education, loco-parentis
Poster ID Number: P.264-31341

L'Harmattan-Paris, 2023

The study of history in Cameroon has most of the time been national and political. In our school ... more The study of history in Cameroon has most of the time been national and political. In our school textbooks and university courses, there is hardly an emphasis on local contents mastery. This has had implications for the articulation of grassroots research and local contents. Cameroon: Historical Perspectives on Borders, Conflicts, Peace and Governance is an authoritative volume which draws its place in Cameroons historiography from the originality of the historical evidence presented and from the subaltern perspectives adopted. The book, in the majority speaks to local history. It not only draws on local contents but captures the role of local agents and phenomena in historical causation. Topics include land and boundary/border conflicts, indigenous conflict resolution, local players in historical construction, peace building, national questions and identity issues. University lecturers, teachers, researchers and Postgraduate students would find the contents most illuminating while those preparing to undertake research would find it very inspirational.
Table of Contents

Acknowledgements V
Note to Contributors VII
Table of Contents XII
Scientific Committee XV
Preface XVI
Introduction 1
Section 1: Land and Border Conflicts 8
Chapter One: 24
Land Grabbing and Conflicts in Fako Division of Cameroon
Elvis Ngome Nkome
Chapter Two: 31
The Ejaghams on the Cameroon-Nigeria Border: A History of Solidarity, Cooperation and Conflicts 1884-2013
Victor Ntui Atom
Chapter Three: 53
Border Conflicts in Nweh (Lebialem Division), During Colonial Rule 1884-1961
Beatrice Akeunkeng Nkemnge
Chapter Four: 73
Fulani-Indigenous Physical Boundary Dynamics and Conflicts in Fungom Sub-Division of Cameroon, 1947-2016
George Fuh Kum & Roger Che Chu
Section 2: Conflict Resolution and Peace Building Lessons 93
Chapter Five: 94
Conflict Resolution Among the Bakweri of Cameroon, C.1884-1930
Heirly Likowo Beshakeh Fonkeng
Chapter Six: 113
Peace-Building in Esu Cameroon, 1850-2020: Socio-Cultural Approaches
Patrick Ngwoh Zih
Chapter Seven: 133
Beyond Conflicts: Balikumbat and Bafanji Relations; 1840-2012
Lueong Nina-Prazil Lienjeh
Chapter Eight: 153
L’Instabilité Politique en Centrafrique, l’Interventionnisme Extérieur et la Recherche de la Paix : Entre Jeux et Enjeux d’une Prédation Internationale (1960-2021)
Jean Kamanda
Section 3: Political Authority, Governance and Accountability 170
Chapter Nine: 188
Fulani Leadership and Ardo Sabga’s Struggle for Supremacy in Cameroon’s Bamenda Grassfields, 1921-1975
Charles Tardzenyuy Jumbam
Chapter Ten: 193
When the Gods want to Take a King: Fon Doh Gahgwanyin III of Balikumbat (1977-2012) and the events preceding his demise
Charity Deyeb Nuvah
Chapter Eleven: 213
Participatory Local Development and Democratic Accountability: key issues in Decentralisation and Local Development in Cameroon 2004-2020
Godwill Kungso Nzofoa
Chapter Twelve: 228
Balondo Traditional Institutions and Governance in the Phase of External Contact, 1877 - 2022
Roland N. Ndille & Cyprain Nanji
Chapter Thirteen: 228
Innovations Politiques et Protection de l’Environnement Naturel dans le Triangle Cameroun-Congo-Gabon 1999-2013
Francis Pierre Mepongo Fouda
Section 4: The Nation and the Identity Question 270
Chapter Fourteen: 270
Analyse Sociopolitique de L’usage Binaire et Abuse du Concept de « Nation » dans la Rhetorique Politico-Administrative et Heuristique
Nicodeme Glo
Chapter Fifteen: 283
The Search for an Anglophone Identity in Cameroon through Language, 1961-2019
Godwin Gham Nyinchiah
Chapter Sixteen: 312
A Historical Evolution of the Mbororo-Fulani in the Bamenda Grassland of Cameroon, 1916-2016
Bertha Nyah Tanyu

L'Harmattan-Paris, 2023

Cameroon: Historical Perspectives on Borders, Conflicts, Peace and Governance , 2023

There have been calls for the reincorporation of traditional political institutions into inherite... more There have been calls for the reincorporation of traditional political institutions into inherited colonial systems of governance. Never has these calls been more vocal than in the 21st century when the excesses of the adopted alien forms of governance were maligned by challenges that threatened the very foundations of many African states. Irrespective of where or what approach of governance the colonialists set up, there is a general consensus that it wasn’t for the good of the governed, rather it was to expedite the domination of Africans by the colonial powers. In this chapter I argue that the intercourse between the Balondo governance institutions and that of the west adulterated and to some extent altered the Balondo traditional governance framework. Blending archival sources with interviews, the study provides insights on how the Balondo governance patterns and institutions were silenced by the vestiges of the colonial governance modules. The findings reveal that the Balondo had a well-organized decentralized political system equipped with certain democratic attributes centered on the Etana. The study equally, reveals that, the success at uprooting some Balondo governance institutions was facilitated by some power mongering Balondo elites who saw colonialism as a way to assert themselves within the higher echelons of power at the detriment of their age-old ancestral governance patterns and institutions that had sustained the people for centuries.

Key words: External contact, traditional institutions, the Balondo, chieftaincy