A Game of Fons

Shiddon for here, my pikins, and I will tell you a tale; a tale of kings and kingdoms, of regents and betrayal, of politics and peril, of lobstered steel and boiled leather. I will tell you the tale of the Great Ashong Schism.

A few years back, perhaps in 2012, no one really knows and it adds to the mystique, His Royal Highness the Fon of Ashong embarked on an extended sojourn away from his lands. Some say he went to Yaoundé, some say he went to America or Europe, no one really knows and it adds to the mystique. A fon is a traditional ruler, somewhere between chief and king, that is responsible for the wellbeing of the people in his village. They exist outside the modern governmental structure of Cameroon while still nominally subjects of the Republic. They were here long before Cameroon and will probably be here long after. Referred to  as “Royal Highness” in the English fashion, “Excellency” in the French fashion, “Sultan” in the Muslim fashion, and “Mbeh” in the African, fons wield a sizeable amount of power and autonomy. It is their responsibility to dispense justice, keep tradition alive, and represent the village as its patriarch.

Being the Father of the Ashongese, His Royal Highness could not leave his flock without a shepherd in his time of absence. Without reserve, His Utmost Confidence officially gave the regency to the lead kingsman who also happened to be his brother. A kingsman or kingmaker is one of a number of village notables that serve as the king’s small council and are often quarterheads, leaders of a quarter within the village. Kingsmen are expected to uphold strict protocol, show loyalty to the Fon, and implement the Fon’s will throughout the village. In a most ancient form of legislation, they represent the people of their various quarters and present their needs to the Fon. For this reason, notables may act as a buffer between the Fon and his people, they interact more closlier with the people of their village.

The Fon’s brother was and is, by all accounts, a gregarious fellow. Beloved by many for his positive disposition and affable nature, people often questioned why the Late Fon had not bestowed his titles on this extroverted son. It must be noted that royal families adhere to the traditional marriage structure and are therefore polygamous. Their many wives produce many sons. Traditional rights of succession call for the fon’s discretion, His Discerning Selectiveness may choose any one of his sons to succeed him regardless of age or social standing. For whatever reason, some say he was more humble and temperate, others say he was a better administrator, the current Fon of Ashong assumed his father’s throne, no one really knows why and it adds to the mystique. Despite lacking his brother’s charisma, His Indubitable Worthiness was regarded as a good choice, serving his people through priority rather than passion.

The royal seals and titles of office were transferred, the District Officer was notified, protocol was observed and the regency of Ashong began. His Impeccable Promptness left for his pilgrimage or sojurn or business trip or vacation and the Fon-In-Residence took the seat of Ashong, long may he reign. His Royal Vicar soon began ingratiating himself to the community. Through lavish parties and more lavishlier gifts, the new regent was celebrated as the joy of Ashong Village. No doubt adjusting well to the trappings of power, His Resplendent Freshness could see that the people loved him and there was much rejoicing.

In the months that followed Ashong seemed as though it were in a dream, intoxicated in its love affair with its new Fon, though love affairs are often silly, fleeting things than end abruptly causing heartbreak and controversy. Word had already reached the village that His Impending Previousness was preparing to return forthwith. Already an idea had been planted in the regent’s mind; that Ashong was better with him at its ruler. The people were grateful for his reign; happiness and prosperity had blessed Ashong in the old Fon’s absence. If the people so clearly wanted him as their Fon, who was he to deny them? No one knows who planted the idea in the would-be usurper’s mind. Some say its genesis lay with the regent himself, fostered by a lust for power or a compulsion to do what he believed was the right thing. Other say a fork-tongued adviser seduced the regent. No one really knows and it adds to the mystique.

There is to be no doubt that the two factions knew of each other’s intentions preceding the calamity that would ensue upon The Return of the King. As in any good story of court intrigue, we can be sure that both parties had the means to obtain information. His Supremely Surprisedness returned to Batibo subdivision most likely expecting the worst. The District Officer advised the Republic of Cameroon that the regency was over, the rightful Fon had returned to his lands and his natural powers were once again bestowed upon him. The transfer of power would not be as easy in fact as it was on paper.

Upon arrival at Ashong palace the royal seal was gone. The Fon’s brother had stolen off to a far quarter of Ashong village, taking the traditional mandate for rule with him. There he built a palace and proclaimed himself to be the Fon of Lower Ashong, while conferring his brother as the Fon of Upper Ashong. Many people moved to Lower Ashong to express solidarity with the self-made Fon, and it is said that the population of Lower Ashong continues to grow as the population of Upper Ashong dwindles.

Thus things became as they are now. The Fon of All (Not Just Upper) Ashong is supported by the Republic of Cameroon and the vast majority of North West Fons. The Fon of Lower Ashong finds his legitimacy in the Lower Ashongese socialites, the royal seal, and several notables. Ashong is one of the largest villages of Moghamo and some say the current situation is preferable to reunification, some think the government will force the usurper out, and some even say the original sovereign should step aside. No one is sure what is going to happen and that adds to the mystique, but the two will surely meet in court if the situation is not resolved personally.

The Great Ashong Schism is hugely divisive, not just for Ashong but more Moghamo as a whole. A few months back I attended a traditional dance in Upper Ashong, invited by the Fon of Guzang who is a “loyalist”. With all the speeches it was constantly and subtly suggested that the Fon in our presence was the true Fon of Ashong, saying things like “This community has 22 villages and always will have 22 villages.” My German friends teach at a school in Lower Ashong and were invited to the counter-dance there, where they claimed they heard similar propaganda in support of the usurper. The whole of Moghamo is anxious for a resolution, and so am I, because this story is great and I want to write “A Tale of Two Fons” next. It’s great to know that stories exist like in reality and that one has to look no more closlier than modern times to find them.

All Roads Lead to China

 There’s a guy that’s pretty famous in Batibo, I pass him almost every time I’m moving along the rough and hilly dirt roads that connect the various villages. Every morning he grabs a wheelbarrow and a shovel and goes to work filling in potholes. Initially he was doing this without compensation as a response to the lack of road maintenance; his indispensable services have since been contracted by the council. Some days he has help, most days I see him alone. I shudder to think of the amount of red dirt this guy has moved over the course of his career, but he seems content to do it. I think he feels secure in the knowledge that his job is hugely important, more so because he’s mainly the only one doing it.

 Elsewhere in Cameroon there are other road projects underway. The past decades have been witness to a remarkable amount of road and infrastructure development throughout Cameroon and the entirety of Africa, unprecedented relative to the decades preceding them. Modern African nations have spent most of their histories in isolation. Colonial superpowers were quick to build railways to transport soldiers and export goods, but these did little to help the local’s freedom of movement. After 20^th century movements for independence, many newly emerged African states opted to tighten their borders as a way to promote internal trade, often creating in-country boundaries to increase opportunities for corruption. While these policies that have stifled infrastructure development are still evident in Cameroon today, it seem like nothing will stop the advance of the tarred road.

 With road development being underfunded throughout most of Cameroon’s history, many stakeholders are desperate to play catch-up. Sub-Saharan Africa currently spends about $7 billion a year paving roads, many economists and nearly all lobbyists say this is not nearly enough. The cost of moving goods in Africa is, on average, two to three times higher than the cost of transporting them in developed countries. All PCVs in Cameroon have seen huge trucks in ditches alongside unpaved roads, if you’re lucky it may have even been a Brasseries truck, that’s a prime example of why shipping costs are so ridiculous in Africa. The World Bank estimated that accidents on Uganda’s terrible roads costed the country 2.7% of its GDP in 2015. To scale it down a bit, everybody knows the okada guy is going to charge you twice as much to go up the rocky hill of death than he is to go twice the distance on a nice paved road. Heavy risk, long wait times, and inconsistency in delivery are throttling Cameroon’s ability to export its goods to a demanding market. Up until recently, Cameroon lacked the equipment and capital to handle its road situation, so what’s changing?

 Enter the People’s Republic of China on the back of an asphalt spewing dragon with bulldozer claws. From Durban to Algiers, Chinese engineers, workers, and equipment are now familiar fixtures of the African landscape and we know that Cameroon is not an exception. China’s need to internationalize its job growth and investments coupled with Cameroon’s need for affordable development of its infrastructure seems like a match made in heaven, but a convenient pairing isn’t always the best. China’s foreign direct investment has been skyrocketing in Cameroon since the mid-2000s and beyond, with funding coming from both the Chinese government and a multitude of Chinese investment banks. Much of this money, diverted through the Cameroonian government, goes straight into the accounts of Chinese construction firms. Although these construction projects create jobs for Cameroonians, most of them are labor oriented, favoring Chinese engineers and technicians over perfectly abled Cameroonians. In many instances this pushes the Cameroonian government into the unsustainable position of creating jobs for skilled Chinese workers building roads with borrowed Chinese money to get to resources that will be shipped to China. It’s easy to see that this relationship is pretty one-sided.

 “The increasing environmental footprint of China in natural resources in Cameroon is due to both direct and indirect investments. Most Chinese activities are as a result of government’s applied funding from China into public projects, others are due to private direct investment from China…Cameroon’s debt to China is fast growing and it is a major cause for concern because the state doesn’t really have the power to decide on the outcomes of Sino-Cameroon cooperation,” - Samule Nguifo, Executive Secretary of Center for Environmental Development Cameroon (CED).

 Cameroon is fertile investment ground for China and with every investment there is a reason and a return. The East region has experienced a proportionately large amount of construction projects due to the timber and mining industries. The roadways connecting the East to Douala harbor and the recently constructed (by China) deep water port at Kribi have also received a lot of Chinese attention. The pattern that emerges should leave no doubt as to China’s aims in Cameroon. Many African economists have been have been weary of China’s role in development on the continent, rightfully so. Short-sightedness will be the biggest weakness to Cameroon as its relationship with China develops.

 I don’t mean to bash on China. Chinese manufactured goods have opened up commercial markets in Cameroon that no one thought could exist before, and even if they have their own agenda in Cameroonian road construction at least someone is doing it. The Anglophone regions have the least amount of tarred road in Cameroon, but most PCVs in those regions will tell you how fast that’s changing. The Trans-African highway is every Batibro’s best friend, and the Kumba-Mamfe road is going to make it easier for everybody in the South West. These roads are making it far easier for farm-to-market transportation on every level; from large organizations now having access to Nigerian markets to smallholder farmers who now have an easier time accessing their local ones. 

A particularly bad day on the Bamenda-Bafoussam Highway in rainy season.

            It’s evident how information technology and electronics are changing the way Cameroonians live, but I think the technology having the most impact on the nation is straight out of the Iron Age. Paved roads are turning geographically isolated parts of the country into major players in the national economy. I’m hopeful that Cameroon’s precarious gamble with China will pay off in the end, with increased access to resources and lower costs of transportation offsetting the debt it has incurred, but it’s too soon to tell. While the economic partnership has been mostly beneficial thus far, Cameroon will have to remain vigilant. With any luck, as time goes on, Cameroon will be more like that guy in Batibo shoveling red dirt; taking initiative and bettering their infrastructure with their own resources.