French ambassador’s presence at Um Nyobe memorial creates tension
It was a dramatic scene witnessed at the tomb of the Cameroonian nationalist Ruben Um Nyobé in Eseka, Nyong and Kele Division of the Centre region on September 13 2022. Many could not understand why a representative of the French government (colonial back then and responsible for murdering him), was present during the ceremony:
“While we were mourning Um Nyobé on his grave, a Cameroonian member of the UPC faction created by the Cameroonian government, the so-called Bapooh Lipot, Secretary General had the nerve to invite Christophe Guilhou, French ambassador, to Boumnyebel to inaugurate a statue in tribute to Um Nyobé. It is an insult when we know that this same France has never recognized its role in the assassination of Mpodol Ruben Um Nyobé. France has never apologized for her role in the Mpodol assassination. The French consider Um Nyobé a terrorist!” a UPC member fumes.
During the anniversary, a UPC supporter was seen laying down infront of the French Ambassador to Cameroon. A picture of this scene worth thousands words has been circulating on social media with diverse reactions.
Youth in Eseka have sworn they will not fold their arms and watch Um Nyobe’s memory get soiled:
“When Um Nyobé died, we were not born. Today, we are here and Cameroonian youth will no longer tolerate the memory of the father of our independence be desecrated. They didn’t even have the decency to pay a courtesy visit to the widows. They just used the image of Mpodol Ruben Um Nyobé to clear their conscience.”
According to the UPC, this humiliation is too much and constitutes the second death of Um Nyobé. The UPC party members and supporters have called on the conscious Cameroonian youth to keep the fallen hero’s memory clean. They also made it clear that people considered as “traitors of the nation” will end up in the dustbin of history.
According to the French Ambassador present, it is important to address the past and strengthen friendship ties between France and Cameroon.
