Controversy over February 11 celebrations: Plebiscite Day or Youth Day.

 

Many of Cameroon’s celebrated Historians and Political Analysts have argued over the years that the celebration of February 11 as the National Youth Day in Cameroon smacks of a vicious attempt to distort historical facts. Requests have even been made to the authorities to designate another day for the youth and let February 11 be given its right historical honour and celebrated as the Plebiscite Day. Some of such Historians who have addressed the issue include Dr. Willibroad Dze Ngwa, Professor Ngoh of the University of Buea amongst many others.

Following the launching of preparations for the 2019 National Youth Day Celebrations In Babadjou in the West Region last week, Cameroonians are presently looking up to celebrating what is called the National Youth Day.  How this appellation “National Youth Day” came about is the question we seek to answer here.
In 1966, President Amadou Ahidjo decided to give to young people a Youth Day and February 11 was considered. It was the Empire Day which was celebrated in British Southern Cameroons and it was very popular. The popularity stole President Ahidjo’s heart, so he wanted to make it national. That is how it started from 1966 and, every year; it has been celebrated as a National Youth Day.
 Plebiscite Day has been relegated to the background and Cameroon is celebrating the youth but not giving them the whole essence of the date. However, History is a very stubborn subject which never be hidden. The 11th of February is Plebiscite Day. That’s how it should be logically called because the Cameroonian youth did not do anything on the 11th of February to get that day to be reserved for them.
Without wanting to minimize the important place that youth occupy, many Cameroonian Historians of English expression think that to take a very important date like the 11th of February and give it to the youth is distorting history, especially as nothing is told to the youth on the historical origin of the date.
Because of this distortion, more than 90 percent of Youth according to a survey carried out by Dr Wilibroad Dze Ngwa on third-year history students in the University do not know the historical facts of this date. Some youth think it is just a day that has been given to them by the State to recognise them, while others think it is a day to relax, listen to the President’s speech and get what opportunities he has for them.
Facts reveal that there has been a persistent and deliberate attempt to distort the historical facts of the country. The first of October is not celebrated as Independence Day. In Cameroon youth are increasingly being told about peace building or cohesion. While it is good to tell the youth about peace building and cohesion, it is equally wrong not to tell them historical facts. If another date were reserved for the youth, it would make more sense because the date, 11th of February, in History represents the Plebiscite Day.
The 11th of February is the date when the Southern Cameroons’ people voted overwhelmingly to, first of all, stay clear from Nigerian politics and, secondly, to start negotiating reunification. On the 11th of February 1961, the Plebiscite was organised by the United Nations. It was not for reunification but rather to decide the fate of the Southern Cameroonians. When they voted to stay clear from Nigerian politics, it was implicit that Southern Cameroons had nothing to do with Nigeria. It was after this that Cameroonians now had to negotiate the terms of reunification. Thus after the 11th of February, there were a series of negotiations that led to the reunification which only came on the 1st of October 1961.
There is the risk of creating a situation which in the next 20 or 40 years, the young people will not even want to know where they are coming from. When you don’t know where you are coming from, you will not know where you are going to and it is impossible to be talking peace in a society which is divided.
 The political significance of not highlighting the Plebiscite Date, when it comes to celebrating it with regards to the Anglophone problem is very glaring. After the Plebiscite of 1961, Southern Cameroonian politicians had to negotiate reunification and it was based on well defined principles, that is; the Federal Constitution. There were articles which were very clear as to how the reunified people of Cameroon should operate. The articles protected the minority rights of the Anglophones. If Article 47 states very clearly that the federal status quo of the country should not be tampered with, it simply means that Cameroon was supposed to be a Federal Republic up till this date.
If in 1960, there was La Republique du Cameroun and in 2015, there is La Republique du Cameroun, then one of two things have happened: either the Anglophones have been assimilated or La Republique du Cameroun has seceded from that union. There is, therefore, a need for dialogue… frank dialogue among Cameroonians.
It is against this backdrop that the approach of the annual National Youth Day celebrations always elicits very animated arguments among Cameroonians and much more among English Speaking Cameroonians.

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