Bilingualism at 50

There is an aphorism which states that a fool at forty is a fool forever. This is how far the scientific study of the development of the mentality of the human being can be determined in his interaction with the rest of society.

This is how far the mentality or mindset of Cameroonians in embracing bilingualism seems to conform with the aphorism that a fool at forty is certainly a fool forever.

This our blessed country, has lived through the bilingualism experience for more than half a century, time enough for the human mind to assess the value of whatever nature or circumstances have deposited at the doorsteps of our lives as a people!

In our situation, bilingualism came to us under a circumstance we could hardly avoid, the way it came at the time it came. At independence 54 years ago, it sounded like a silent revolution that was bound to change the new nation into a bright star on the dark skies of the African continent. The one and only bilingual country in Africa, and one among very few in the world!

If today cynics see our bilingualism experience as a failed project, it is because it is still being treated in official circle as an ordinary event to be commemorated every year, or like an issue which people have to be reminded about.

Bilingualism at fifty ought by now, to have become the culture of Cameroonians of which no Cameroonian should feel embarrassed, when either of the two languages, English or French is spoken to him or her and one is unable to understand.

We have just marked another edition of the bilingualism week in Cameroon. The Minister of Secondary Education Bapes Bapes was on the field launching the week. We wonder what expression he must have gathered as he performed his official duties on this matter.

The truth is that bilingualism has failed to make its intended impact to be felt. As it continues to seem obvious to everyone who cares, bilingualism in Cameroon, is leaning more on the Anglophones. Francophones remain snobbish whenever English is spoken to them. Not only this. Most sign posts on public highways are in French.

The constitution itself has not helped the situation either, especially when it states clearly that French has to take precedence over English when both come in conflict. The French version is usually considered authentic. This however only leaves the French speaking Cameroonians with a strange pride.

Most official documents are usually in French and when you express yourself in English to a Francophone, you see the bewilderment in his face.

Out of the country, Cameroon is seen more as a Francophone country. At the last commonwealth parliamentary summit in Yaounde, the President of the country who is expected to be an embodiment of the culture of bilingualism addressed the summit in French.

At this point, we are at a loss to find where the fault lies, except that we are pushed even harder by the turn of events to believe that bilingualism in Cameroon is a deliberate ploy to impose the French language on English.

Otherwise we would expect, not only the Ministry of Secondary Education, but a concertation of all the Ministries involved in education, as well as the Ministry of Public Service and that of Culture to come up with a blue-print on our bilingualism.

Bilingualism should be made more practical and consumed as a culture that must be embraced by all Cameroonians, including the holder of the president of the country.