The period after Germany was stripped naked of her over sea properties in Africa saw a change in events and life style of the Arican. In Cameroon, the people of the west i.e the one-quarter piece of land that Britain gained from the arbitrary Anglo-French division of former German Kamerun became from 1922, an intergral part of Estern region of Nigeria. The British colonial policy of Indirect rule was introduced to the territory under the sole guide of the Nigerian system.
During her colonial stay in Cameroon, Britain did little or no efforts to enhance the socio-economic situation of the territory. She depended on German establishments and historians have generally described her stay in Cameroon as aperiod of sheer negligence . The health and educational systems were abandoned to missionary societies and native authorities. Colleges were out of the place as no sign of secondary education was seen untill 1939 when the St. Joseph college, Sasse was created by the Catholic church. No roads were constructed to promote urbanization, communication was therefore in the face of a major setback and life in the rural circle remained almost dominantly primitive.
The second World War and the advent constitutional democracy in the West gave rise to party politics in in countries under colonial rule and Cameroon by the 1950s, was concerned with the question of re-unifying French La Republic Du Cameroun and the British Cameroons. When finally the deed was done in 1961, the Cameroonian people now saw the need for self rule and the neccessity of the centralization of power into what came to be known as the United Republic Of Cameroon.
The vision of a united republic was the out come of the political love affair between the French Cameroonian Ahmadou Ahidjo and the British West Cameroonian John N.Foncha.
PHILTRE IN THE CAVE seeks to explain the socio-political as well as economic life of Africa between the great wars and beyond.The bush men of Africa who fell victim of the Anglo-French partition of German colonies in Africa suffered socio-economic and political defficiency as Mofa grows up to the age of fifteen before going into modern learning. Poverty was the order of the day and a mere head teacher was seen as a god in such societies as we find in Mekori. The conditions under which pupils studied were generally repulsive as kids had to travel long distances to go to school. Government policy was practically unsound as education and social development were left in the hands of the church and the chief. As a result, civil strife and hatred for any thing European became inevitable as potrayed by the attitude of Netakeli. African culture and customs suffered neglect and brother stood against brother- the U.P.Cand the Ahidjo regime versus the question of re-unification. This is evident in Marks unconditional love for Adeline and Mr Nanjembe's intrussive indifference.
However, the advent of positive political evolution and cultural awareness after the re-unification of 1961 has kept Cameroon in a state of optimism and hope while she is still pending on an imbalance cord of political upliftment, as our fate rests on our ability to see what we ought to see.
The sequel to PHILTRE IN THE CAVE, STRIFE, is the prophetic revelation of what may befall post independent African states which will deliberately deny to refrain from the status quo they are charecterised by.
