How the Southern Cameroons crisis killed the English language ⁰

The Southern Cameroons crisis has taught every Cameroonian where the English language goes to die. Cameroon Concord News is citing the Ambazonian crisis to make it clear that Southern Cameroonians do not regard themselves as blameless in the use of the English language today in La Repubique du Cameroun.

But do you ever, like Cameroon Concord News, read the speeches or ministerial press releases of French Cameroun cabinet ministers and want to ask, “What has the English language ever done to you?” English language is in a bad way and the blame mainly goes to those who write or speak about politics in French Cameroun.

Among the ugly features presently witnessed in French Cameroun are dead or dying metaphors, redundant words and phrases, pretentious diction, and meaningless, abstract or vague words. President Biya and his gang and those who write speeches for them are the worst offenders.

While none of this is about political correctness, the Francophone political elites always take the adjective over the noun so that everything that comes out of their mouths is designed to sell their achievements and that of Mr. Biya.

In CPDM politics, any direct admission of weakness or failure is to be avoided. Unfortunately, this makes the consequences far more serious when failure is eventually uncovered like the case with this press release signed by  the Minister of Commucation, Issa Tchiroma Bakary. It would be unfair to blame only President Biya for these developments.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai