Oscar Njiki argues that the constitution guarantees equality for all citizens. Rights do not vary based on origin but on citizenship. Autochthony is a cultural identity, not a legal privilege.
Here is his analysis:
1) Can any Cameroonian citizen be considered autochthonous everywhere in Cameroon?
No. Autochthony is not a universal quality granted by citizenship. It is rooted in memory, lineage, and history. Owning a piece of land, settling there, and investing in it is not enough to become autochthonous. Indigenous peoples maintain an ontological relationship with their lands: they are an extension of their identity. The customary rights they hold cannot be transferred through a simple commercial transaction; they expire at the time of sale.
No one can be autochthonous everywhere.
2) Is it necessary 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 does not depend on origins but on belonging to the national community. Being Cameroonian means having the right of residence in Yaoundé, Bangangté, Maroua, and elsewhere, without any condition of autochthony.
Every Cameroonian citizen is at home anywhere in Cameroon.
3) Is an autochthon always at home in his or her own village?
No. Even within the village, space is structured by property. Everyone owns their land, houses, and fields. Autochthony does not authorize trespassing or appropriating another’s property. A non-autochthonous owner is at home in the autochthon’s village because possession establishes a right recognized by law.
Autochthony does not grant all rights to autochthons, nor does being an allochthon strip rights from non-autochthons.
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 of citizens. Rights do not vary according to origin but according to citizenship. Autochthony is a cultural identity, not a legal privilege.
Autochthons and non-autochthons are equal before the law.
5) Exception: the law provides that certain positions – mayor of the city, president of the regional council – are reserved for autochthons. But for other elective offices, such as deputies, mayors, and councilors, no condition of autochthony is required.
The law reserves two functions for autochthons, but all other elective posts are open to all citizens, autochthons and non-autochthons alike.
Ultimately, the debate on autochthony and allochthony is a dead end. It locks citizens into fragmented identities and diverts attention from what truly matters: our shared future. What counts is not competition over origins but convergence of destinies. Autochthony and allochthony should not be weapons of division but cultural realities integrated into a single, indivisible Republic.
We must all look in the same direction, as children of one nation, not as rival micro-states within the country. Cameroon’s future will not be built through fragmentation but through unity, solidarity, and a shared awareness of a common destiny.
OSCAR NJIKI
