(Video) Plebisite in Southern Cameroons - 11 February 1961

Citizens of the British Cameroons vote in the 1961 UN-sponsored plebiscite (video mislabeled as "1972 plebiscite").

Reuter, 15 February 1961: A West African country divided in two..... this is likely to be the result of a plebiscite held in the Cameroons, on Feb. 11 and 12. Final results have yet to be announced, but in Northern Cameroons there is already an unbeatable majority in favour of union with Nigeria, while in the Southern Cameroons, it is reported that a final majority in favour of union with the Cameroon Republic is already certain.

The Cameroons, a trust territory divided into two areas and formerly administered as part of British Nigeria, was voting on becoming independent in union with either of its two already independent neighbours.-- the Nigerian Federation and the Cameroon Republic.

The plebiscite was conducted by Britain, as the administering authority, under United Nations supervision. The Cameroons, with a population of 1.6 million, is the British part of the old Cameroons which was captured from the Germans in 1916 and divided between France and Britain in 1919. Its capital is Buea, where there are still many reminders of German colonial days.

In Southern Cameroons, the vote in favour of union with the Cameroon Republic is regarded as a big victory for the Prime Minister, Mr. John Foncha, and his party. He claims that considerations of Cameroon nationality are more important than any material benefit that might be gained from joining Nigeria. The pro-Nigeria leader is ex-Premier Dr. E.M.L. Endeley.

British troops were drafted to the Cameroons some months ago, but no disturbances were reported during the voting. At the polling stations, voters dipped their finger in indelible ink for identification purposes.

Final results of the plebiscite will be put before the UN Assembly and a conference called to decide how the plebiscite decision is to be implemented

Comments

[njimaforboy]

No way. He was a traitor, a sell out. I knew him personally when he was Vice President. I will spray graffiti on that statue that reads TRAITOR,WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU FOR BETRAYING US.
Where do u buy your weed from? I suggest u get some from Ras Tuge.

[Sesseku Arrey.]

The Man who sold us for his own selfish interest, What a tragedy. Think of what Southern Cameroonians are going through today, those in prisons, those that fell prematurely ,those persecuted, etc.
Those whose your reckless decision favor are now hailing you off-course..........
But Southern Cameroonians will always remember you as a Traitor.

[casara]

Son of the soil, are you aware of the fact that Foncha regretted his decision?Sorry fool,you are on the wrong side of history.We the people of Southern Cameroons will be free come thunder, come rain.Foncha is a traitor,if you look at the video you will see that non of the people were happy.He was the only one smiling.I am very sure the British reversed it to favor joining La Republique cos' they'd cracked a deal with the French to give them the Southern Cameroons.

[oyez]

Did you see the British troops, the Grenadier Guards in the clip?

[njimaforboy]

......statue or statute, it deserves to be sprayed with graffiti paint.

[Gan Charles]

There is debate whether there was a third option for Southern Cameroons, i.e. Complete Independence.
If, and this is a big IF, there were only two options - stay as a part of Nigeria and governed under the Eastern region administration or join East Cameroun ( I do not like the term REUNIFICATION ) then Foncha is vindicated. Why? Because Southern Cameroons would have been mired in the Nigerian Biafran War which would have been the greater of the two evils its peoples would have faced, as history has unveiled.
Knowing what we now know, Southern Cameroon should have pressed for Total Independence. Our leaders then were unsophisticated and ill-equipped to deal with global geopolitical issues. The few educated individuals SC had were believed to be threats and were eliminated.
There was selfishnes and above all shortsightedness on all sides.
Peace!

[njimaforboy]

No sugar coating in this forum.

[njimaforboy]

We are a people fighting for our freedom. Any attempts to put a spin to the truth will be exposed. This is neither a joke nor a subject for comedians. Be carefull when u blog on the suject of seperation from the French. We do not need paid CPDM spies and traitors to tell us who our heroes are. Our heroes are those willing to die to liberate us from this cursed union with the French Cameroon and the tyranny of this blood sucker called Paul Biya.

[Son of the Soil.]

Everybody wants to go to heaven but non is willing to die. Njimafor, you pick up arms and see if you shall not be crushed like an insect. You think we are in the business of entertaining comedians like you in our Cameroon? Talk is cheap.

You are like the Taliban and Al Qaida asking others to blow up themselves while you hide behind the scene.ou should be counted as a hero also.

[njimaforboy]

...you are still smoking that cheap weed and becoming paranoid that every freedom fighter is like Al Qaida and the Taliban. If we could surgically eliminate the likes of you , CPDM and Paul Biya without causing harm to innocent lives, we could have done so. As you can see , our tactics are very differnt from Al Qaida. However, our engineers are continously at work to see how English Cameroon ( Country name may change ) will become independent with the least cost to human lives. Using force remains an option.