Autochthony and Citizenship in Postcolonial Africa: a critical perspective on Cameroon

Dr Nicodemus Fru Awasom, University of Buea, Cameroon, visiting fellow at the African Studies Centre, Leiden

In this seminar, the Cameroonian social scientist Dr Nicodemus Awasom will cast a critical look at the debate on African citizenship, state and the political implications of identity, relating to debates about who is and who is not ‘autochthonous’ in Africa. While a similar problematic exists in Western and other countries, with immigrants coming and having trouble to get accepted legally or socially as citizens, in Africa the relationship between these contested ideas and attendant social practices takes on a different guise. ‘Autochthony’ is the issue of vehement, very politicized debates about personal and group identity and about the definition of the ‘nation state’ itself. The contours of group belonging and citizenship change, and questions arise as to how these ideas and practices are reproduced and reconstructed in the light of the shifting borders between communities. Who belongs where, and for what purpose? Who has the power to ex- or include others in a society or a political community? These issues have great practical relevance also for the (re)construction of political communities and for development strategies, both the local or donor-supported ones. Dr Awasom has been in the midst of this debate in Cameroon, and is completing a book manuscript on the issue. The presentation is followed by the response of a discussant, and subsequently the floor will be open for debate.