Federal Republic of Cameroon
Cameroon, 1961–1972. Draft, not yet reviewed
On 1 October 1961, the British Southern Cameroons gained independence from the United Kingdom by vote of the UN General Assembly and merged into the Republic of Cameroon to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. The federal republic was composed of two federated states, East Cameroon and West Cameroon, each with its own legislature, government, and prime minister. The political party of Ahidjo, the Cameroon National Union, became the sole legal political party on 1 September 1966. On 20 May 1972, a referendum was passed to abolish the federal system of government in favour of a United Republic of Cameroon, headed from Yaoundé.
Seat of power: Yaoundé
Rulers
Ahmadou Ahidjo
President of Cameroon, 1960–1982
He was the first president of Cameroon, from 1960 until 1982. He established a single-party state under the Cameroon National Union in 1966, and in 1972 he abolished the federation in favor of a unitary state. He resigned from the presidency in 1982, and Paul Biya assumed the presidency.
Portrait of Ahmadou Ahidjo: Series: Reagan White House Photographs, 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989 Collection: White House Photographic Collection, 1/20/1..., Public domain, file
Culture
- 1 October is now observed as Unification Day, a public holiday.
- Ahidjo used the ongoing war with the UPC to concentrate power in the presidency, continuing with this even after the suppression of the UPC in 1971.
- Many of the inhabitants of Bamenda are English-speaking, and Cameroonian Pidgin English is the main language spoken in the shops and on the streets.
- Bamenda is known for its cool climate and scenic hilly location.
Picture
Bamenda is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the Northwest Region.
Image: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.