BOOK REVIEW:Peter Motomby Woleta and Cameroon’s Reunification Constitution

Author: Churchill Ewumbue Monono

Publisher: CEDERA

Reviewer: Bouddih Adams

Many writers of Cameroon history have published their recordings of events in which they were involved, to wit; Albert Womah Mukong’s “Prisoner Without a Crime – Disciplining Dissent in Ahidjo’s Cameroon,” or Hon NN Mbile’s “Cameroon Political History: Memories of an authentic eye-witness,” or Senator Nfon V.E Mukete’s “My Oddysey”.

Others have written their books in such a way that the books have been observed to be moulded around their status in the geopolitics of the Cameroons. One of such writers was observed by a commentator as having written “his story” and not ‘history’.

Churchill Ewumbue Monono’s new book, “Peter Motomby-Woleta And Cameroon’s Reunification Constitution”, is about the people and the events before, during and after the independence and Unification or Reunification of the the Southern Cameroons (former British Trusteeship) Republic of Cameroun (former French Trusteeship)

Though Churchill Monono states in the preface that: “This book is, however, not a biography of this man of many lives,” the book is partly a biography of Motomby Woleta and partly, but mostly, history. Nevertheless, the events in the book revolve around Motomby Woleta, Churchill Monono’s hero. But the parts or roles played by all the other political actors in what seemed like a drama on the “Reunification of the Cameroons”, are exhaustively represented and can be vividly perceived by the reader.

Though so passionate about singing a song for the unsung hero(es), Churchill Monono is so dispassionate in telling their story. What who did in the drafting of the Federal Constitution is amply represented.

In the foreword to the book, the learned Professor Ndiva Kofele Kale notes: “As if to corroborate Winston Churchill’s prescient observation that history is written by the victors, it would appear that in the rewrite of the story of the ‘Reunification of the Cameroons’, only the nationalists who live long enough – 10, 20 or 30 years after the consummation of our independence – and upon whom the ‘spoils of victory’ rebounded, are remembered. The less fortunate among them, those that were cut down in their prime, are all forgotten.”

Monono, thus, seeks to do justice to those who died earlier or never lived to tell their story – their side of the story.

An avid reader, himself, Churchill Monono, makes references that sharply and aptly deliver the story. The book, however, does not clear the several cobwebs that have been issues of debates, for instance; the actors, by words of mouth or memo, called what the actors were trying to configure “Unification” but it is in other chapters referred to as “Reunification”.

Monono quotes Motomby Woleta, the then CPNC Chief Scribe, who is described as “a man of courage, convictions and vision for more frank and realistic positions on their historic mission as ‘Founding Fathers’ of this new nation as they travelled to the July 1961 constitutional negotiations in Foumban” when he (Motomby) said: “Suffice it to say that the people voted for unification trusting and hoping that it would be possible and would not be to their detriment .... for, no mortal could have known the future or attitude of our partners in this wedlock of unification.”

Motomby died at the tender age of 39, barely five months after the Unification he worked very hard and was ready to stake his neck for, but his writing and speeches, profusely quoted, make us see what transpired during that time that affected the geopolitical apparatus that was being tinkered then, till today.

The hard facts and figures in the 188-page, 9-chapter book make whatever misgivings in or about the book negligible. Every other private or official mail or memo incident on the political life of the nation being born was procured by Monono in this work, which he cites and quotes profusely, with dates and places, pictures and illustrations.

You would read about “The Form of the State” on “The Right to Secession”, Creation of New States”, “Constitutional Safeguards” and so on.

So, though the book is named after Peter Motomby Woleta, it is a work of deep research; having dug into archives in Buea, Kumba, Limbe (then Victoria) Yaounde, Nigeria, Britain, France and the UN in the United States of America and thus carries hard historical facts, as the bibliography indicates.

It is a true History textbook for researchers and students in Cameroon history and politics or political science and lessons for people elsewhere who are wont to have a federal construct like the one that was wished for by Peter Motomby-Woleta and his co-actors.