A Nation Divided by Language: Anglophone Students and Bilingualism in a Predominantly Francophone Cameroon

Abstract

Cameroon is marked by politics of post-colonialism and traces of the former colonial rulers extend all throughout Cameroon s institutions. Language is an important identity marker and the use of English and French caused a division within the Cameroonian nation. In this thesis, we have researched the predominantly Francophone government's policy of bilingualism and its local Anglophone interpretation in the city of Buea. Through participant observation and qualitative interviews, we have researched the perception of the local Anglophone student population on bilingualism and conclude that the government's reading of bilingualism primarily serves as a tool to sustain social inequality and subordination of the English language and culture to the Francophone majority.