The Rambling Mind of a Patriot

By Lilian Atanga Lem

And I sat on my desk again today refusing to be bombarded with information that proffers no solution. Motherland Cameroon would not let me be. I so love this country I care every inch about it. You may challenge my love because you use your measurement of love differently from mine. Love is complicated in the way it manifests itself. Some accept every condition it offers and refuse to question, some question in order to improve, some just go ahead doing the improvement even without an analysis. But and everyone has a right to their opinion and their love for their nation, I reflected. I breathe Cameroon. Every breathe punctuated by thoughts of the land in which my navel is buried. My people say where your navel is buried you will never forget and no matter how far and how long you wonder, your heartbeat is determined by this land. And one will have to return to this homeland.

Over 5 years ago, when Boko Haram was a threat to national security, it was ok for every Cameroonian to contribute even a 1000frs to fight against Boko Haram. Several hundreds of millions were raised without questioning the source. When the Anglophone crises raged on, some people contributed to government coffers for a so-called Humanitarian Fund (which had never been accounted for). When the ruling political party had their conference, they allowed for contributions to support re-elections of the President Paul Biya.

Why can’t we, without wrangling replicate such efforts? I hear they call in French ‘Effort de guerre’. Now the new Corona Virus, baptized COVID-19, has come and knows no political party, no rich nor poor, no anglophone nor francophone, no Beti no Bamileke, no Minister nor truck pusher. And who is most at risk? The poor nurse who is paid 50,000frs a month, who feeds a family of 6, who can barely pare the rent, who cannot afford nor perhaps never known what personal protection equipment is, who is now face with a disease that is merciless, who interacts with the patient at the closest range.

COVID-19 will not spare that nurse not even with prayers, nor will it spare her family which she must go back to, nor the medical doctor. Yet we sit in air-conditioned offices, in swivel chairs, in body guarded chauffeur driven cars, on in the comfort of our luxurious homes, away from the hustle and bustle of the steaming markets of Mokolo, the human sea of Marche Mboppi, and Mache Congo. And write and sign ministerial orders.

Lilian Atanga Lem is a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Department of Linguistics. Lilian is the Chair of the Department of Linguistics and African Languages at the University of Bamenda, Cameroon. She holds a PhD in Linguistics from Lancaster University, UK and her broad research interests include gender and language, political and media discourse using a critical discourse studies approach.