ANGLOPHONE WOMEN IN CONTEMPORARY CAMEROON ESSAY

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- Issues faced by Anglophone women in the contemporary Cameroon

Personally , after listening to the different talks in Bamenda , living with the community and discussing with women , I would say that women’s issues have increased in this modern era due to several reasons among which modernization . The African woman in general tries to copy the western lifestyle regardless her culture and tradition that implicate certain values . However one the biggest challenges still faced by those women in the marriage is polygamy . As Mama Justine mentioned “ when a man marries one wife , it is fine but when he adds she doesn’t appreciate “. One of the reason she used to justify herself is that polygamy creates family division and when it is divided , boys are more likely to become thieves and girls misbehave . She emphasizes that a woman needs to be hard working and independent in other to succeed in her household . In a polygamous marriage , she had to start engaging in rentable activities that could help her to take care of her children because her husband didn’t care about them since the arrival of the second wife . Moreover , still in the family , Anglophone women complain about inheritance : they can’t inherit from their parents or relatives . Men inherit from their fathers and in some families the goods are not well partitioned and this leads to additional issues in the family . A woman in the community mentioned the problem of education that is still faced today in some families despite the dramatic improvement that Africa is facing . According to her , women are still restricted from receiving a formal education because it is considered advantageous to educate a woman and the man might feel uncomfortable since she is seen mostly as a lover of education . Nonetheless there is a slight improvement , some continue to impose themselves and even struggle to deal with both education and home caring . Furthermore , some men in other to prove their masculinity might restrict their wives from working and his wife is identified as being lazy in the community because most Anglophone women send their children in boarding schools in other to have free time for work . Hence it is very difficult to see them walking around in the neighborhood . Also young women complain about the fact that some occupations are said to be meant for men especially in the political world where they face marginalization .

- Ways they find solutions to their issues

Regarding marriage , the appropriate technique established by those women is that of their financial independence , by engaging themselves in income generating activities . As Mamma Justine mentioned “ School is not the only way “ this means that though she didn’t have access to formal education , she could still earn some money and sustain herself through other occupations such as farming . This path is followed by many Anglophone women who did not have access to formal education , some engaged in selling food , in hair dressing like Anne Marie my interviewee . These days women’s independence is recognized as being a crucial aspect in the household as they have proved to men they could support without them . Also they created associations where they could meet and express themselves since they cannot participate in the decision making . . These associations allowed them to claim their rights in the Cameroonian society . After several complaints , the government has put in place laws in their favor like in case of rape and infidelity men are now condemned . Today , with education valued in the eyes of parents and the battle for the equality of rights that women claim , we find a lot at the head of ministries and courts , such as Bamenda ‘s court with a woman managing .

In summary , I think Anglophone women as other Cameroonian women , have suffered so far from injustice and other forms of oppression despite their invaluable contribution in the society regarding women’s development . However the idea of equality of rights is being fought with resistance in contemporary Cameroon and I think this issue arises because of many women who struggle to abandon their traditional roles as wives and mothers . Conclusively , I am not a feminist but I think equal value should be accorded to the roles played by each in the society for balance and harmony to be reintegrated and women should be respected .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

- Power and womanhood in Africa by Afisi , Oseni Taiwo - TS reading

- Thematic seminars with contemporary Anglophone women – Wednesday 12th October 2016

- Thematic discussion - Monday 17th October 2016

- Interview with Mafo Anne Marie