I first read the book Independence or Nothing by Father Jerry Jumbam over a month ago and twitted about it. At the time, I did not know that the book had been circulating among Anglophone Cameroonians, especially among those in the diaspora. When a friend of mine drew my attention to the book again today, he indicated that the book might have inspired a movie that will be out in July. This led me to believe that the book was becoming more popular among Anglophone Cameroonians who no doubt read it as baptizing their independence. Even though the book clearly disavows violence, those using violence to gain independence are popularizing it. Because the book gives theological backing to the independence of Southern Cameroons, I thought I should respond to the book from the perspective of someone who does not embrace the vision of the book.
Before I proceed, I should note that I find it quite heartening that an Anglophone priest is reflecting theologically on the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon. I admire the passion he puts into his reflection and his desire to be a prophetic voice on this matter. I pray that many more members of the clergy would speak out clearly about the issue as Father Jumbam has done in this book. In times like this, it seems important that members of society, especially members of the clergy who hold influence in society, should speak up clearly about where they stand. This is not a time to sit on the fence. Father Jumbam demonstrates good command of the history of the problem and the importance of reflecting on it theologically. His theology of independence, which he calls a theology of self-determination is, however, a problematic theology at best.
It is problematic theology, first, because of its uncritical reading of history, which sees God as working through the machination of Western colonial powers to eventually bring independence to Southern Cameroons. And so the history he narrates becomes a history of how the British and the French established two systems that are based on two different cultures, which are supposed to be separate, pointing to the future independence or self-determination of Southern Cameroons. This vanished history elides the cruelty of colonial history, focusing instead on the processes that would have led to the independence of Southern Cameroons, as if God intended the history of colonialism in that region to serve the eventual independence of Southern Cameroons. Thus, God sent colonialists to oppress us, so that two cultures may emerge that would one day lead to the independence of Southern Cameroons. This uncritical theological reading of history is only compounded by his view of historiography as a transparent moment of exposing truth rather than a battlefield of ideologies.
A second problem with the theology of independence is the connection it makes to the founding of the state of Israel. He sees the founding of the state of Israel as harbinger of what will happen in Southern Cameroons, apparently oblivious to the problematic nature of the state of Israel. Rooted in a theology of land that is contested, the state of Israel has been in constant violence with Palestine since its founding. This state of perpetual violence between the state of Israel and Palestine, should give one pause about using the founding of the state of Israel as harbinger of great things to come in Southern Cameroons.
Finally, the question of identity. Father Jumbam has many identities, including being a man from Nso, a Roman Catholic priest, and an Anglophone Cameroonian. However, it is his identity as an Anglophone or "Ambazonian" that he prefers to defend. One would expect that a Catholic priest would have a universal vision of the people of God because that is the very nature of the church. One would expect a Catholic priest to be an ambassador of reconciliation rather than fanning sectarianism. One would hope that a Catholic priest would speak truth to power rather than separate one people from the other. But based on the tribalism that is common in Africa, one should perhaps not be surprised that the call to tribalism is coming from a priest. During the genocide in Rwanda, a Hutu priest was seen ordering the massacre of his parishioners who were Tutsi. When he was asked why he was doing that, he said that there was a time for everything. That was in reference to Ecclesiastes 3. Such sectarianism coming from priests shows how much work the church still needs to do in its formation of priests, let alone the ordinary Christian.
Before I proceed, I should note that I find it quite heartening that an Anglophone priest is reflecting theologically on the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon. I admire the passion he puts into his reflection and his desire to be a prophetic voice on this matter. I pray that many more members of the clergy would speak out clearly about the issue as Father Jumbam has done in this book. In times like this, it seems important that members of society, especially members of the clergy who hold influence in society, should speak up clearly about where they stand. This is not a time to sit on the fence. Father Jumbam demonstrates good command of the history of the problem and the importance of reflecting on it theologically. His theology of independence, which he calls a theology of self-determination is, however, a problematic theology at best.
It is problematic theology, first, because of its uncritical reading of history, which sees God as working through the machination of Western colonial powers to eventually bring independence to Southern Cameroons. And so the history he narrates becomes a history of how the British and the French established two systems that are based on two different cultures, which are supposed to be separate, pointing to the future independence or self-determination of Southern Cameroons. This vanished history elides the cruelty of colonial history, focusing instead on the processes that would have led to the independence of Southern Cameroons, as if God intended the history of colonialism in that region to serve the eventual independence of Southern Cameroons. Thus, God sent colonialists to oppress us, so that two cultures may emerge that would one day lead to the independence of Southern Cameroons. This uncritical theological reading of history is only compounded by his view of historiography as a transparent moment of exposing truth rather than a battlefield of ideologies.
A second problem with the theology of independence is the connection it makes to the founding of the state of Israel. He sees the founding of the state of Israel as harbinger of what will happen in Southern Cameroons, apparently oblivious to the problematic nature of the state of Israel. Rooted in a theology of land that is contested, the state of Israel has been in constant violence with Palestine since its founding. This state of perpetual violence between the state of Israel and Palestine, should give one pause about using the founding of the state of Israel as harbinger of great things to come in Southern Cameroons.
Finally, the question of identity. Father Jumbam has many identities, including being a man from Nso, a Roman Catholic priest, and an Anglophone Cameroonian. However, it is his identity as an Anglophone or "Ambazonian" that he prefers to defend. One would expect that a Catholic priest would have a universal vision of the people of God because that is the very nature of the church. One would expect a Catholic priest to be an ambassador of reconciliation rather than fanning sectarianism. One would hope that a Catholic priest would speak truth to power rather than separate one people from the other. But based on the tribalism that is common in Africa, one should perhaps not be surprised that the call to tribalism is coming from a priest. During the genocide in Rwanda, a Hutu priest was seen ordering the massacre of his parishioners who were Tutsi. When he was asked why he was doing that, he said that there was a time for everything. That was in reference to Ecclesiastes 3. Such sectarianism coming from priests shows how much work the church still needs to do in its formation of priests, let alone the ordinary Christian.
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