Autochthony debate: a distraction from Cameroon’s unity

Oscar Njiki argues that the constitution guarantees equality for all citizens. Rights stem from citizenship, not from origin. Autochthony is a cultural identity, not a legal privilege.

Here is his full analysis:

1) Is every Cameroonian citizen autochthonous everywhere in the country?

No. Autochthony is not a universal quality granted by citizenship. It is rooted in memory, lineage, and history. Owning a plot of land, settling there, and investing does not make one an autochthon. Indigenous peoples have an ontological relationship with their lands: those lands are an extension of their identity. Customary rights are not transferred through commercial transactions; they expire at the moment of sale.

No one can be autochthonous everywhere.

2) Does one need to be autochthonous to feel at home?

No. Citizenship transcends autochthony. Every Cameroonian is at home anywhere in Cameroon. The legitimacy of one’s settlement depends not on origins but on belonging to the national community. Being Cameroonian means having the right of residence in Yaoundé, Bangangté, Maroua, and elsewhere, without autochthony as a requirement.

Every Cameroonian citizen is at home everywhere in Cameroon.

3) Is an autochthonous person everywhere at home in their own village?

No. Even within a village, space is structured by property. Each person owns their own land, houses, and fields. Autochthony does not permit trespassing or appropriation of another’s belongings. A non-autochthonous property owner is at home in the autochthon’s village, because possession confers a right recognized by law.

Autochthony does not grant autochthons all rights, and being non-autochthonous does not strip allogenes of rights.

4) Does an autochthon have more rights in their village than a non-autochthon?

No. The law is one and indivisible. The constitution guarantees equality among citizens. Rights do not vary by origin but by citizenship. Autochthony is a cultural identity, not a legal privilege.

Autochthons and allogenes are equal before the law.

5) Exception: the law reserves certain positions—such as town mayor and regional council president—for autochthons. However, for all other elective offices—deputies, mayors, councilors—no autochthony condition is required.

The law reserves two functions for autochthons, but all other elective posts are open to all citizens, autochthon and allogene alike.

In the end, the debate over autochthony and allochthony is a dead end. It traps citizens within fragmented identities and diverts attention from what truly matters: our shared future. What counts is not competition over origins but the convergence of destinies. Autochthony and allochthony should not be weapons of division; they are cultural realities that must be integrated into a single, indivisible Republic. We must all look in the same direction, as children of one nation, rather than as rival micro-states within the country. The future of Cameroon will not be built through fragmentation, but through unity, solidarity, and a shared consciousness of a common destiny.

Oscar Njiki