“We are all Ambazonian, we just play different parts.”

Separatist radicalism and mobilisation in the Cameroonian Anglophone Crisis

My dissertation project explores the dynamics of radicalism and (de)mobilisation in different spheres of the Southern Cameroons/Ambazonian separatist movement in the Anglophone Crisis. Using a hybrid and multi-sited ethnographic approach, I am examining the relationship between radical political beliefs and actions of separatists in the Anglophone Cameroonian civil society, its international diaspora, and among ex-members of armed separatist groups.

The so-called Anglophone Crisis revolves around the independence of English-speaking regions from the otherwise francophone state of Cameroon which is being accused of trying to assimilate and disenfranchise the Anglophone population. While the conflict roots back to the colonial period, the current de-facto armed conflict started in late 2016, following disproportionate state violence against protesting trade and student unions. Following the arrest of local leaders, the movement’s goalpost shifted towards complete separation from Cameroon.

Questioning popular narratives about radicalisation and conflict, this project seeks to shed light onto the specific socio-cultural circumstances in which Anglophone Cameroonians do, or do not, support separatism and how their individual positionality and relations inform the forms of political action they participate in.

Practical phase

During my practical phase, I am working together with the swisspeace, a foundation dedicated to applied peace research and mediation. swisspeace became involved in the Anglophone Crisis as part of an initiative of the Swiss Foreign Ministry to offer third-party mediation to the Cameroonian government. Even though this process has stalled, swisspeace remains engaged with Cameroonian civil society organisations in the field of community peacebuilding and human rights advocacy. Since June 2023, I have been supporting the Cameroon team, primarily in research and writing activities.

Biography

Kim Schumann holds a B.A. in social sciences (2016) and an M.A. in social and cultural anthropology (2019) from the University of Göttingen. They conducted their master’s project on food security in Bamenda, Cameroon, in 2018, which inspired their PhD project.

Kim is a certified academic writing trainer and has worked at the International Writing Lab in Göttingen from 2017 to 2020. They have taught at the Universities of Göttingen, Frankfurt, Cologne, and Dschang (Cameroon). From 2022 to 2023, Kim was an acting board member of the gefsus (German society of writing studies and pedagogy).

In 2020, Kim joined the University of Cologne, first as a junior researcher in a project on the effect of the Anglophone Crisis on the Mbororo ethnic minority led by Prof. Michaela Pelican. In 2021, they were awarded the a.r.t.e.s doctoral scholarship as well as the Mercator scholarship for a practical and profession-oriented doctorate.

Recent Presentations

“Delete This Message. Media Practices of Anglophone Cameroonian Smartphone Users in the Face of Counterterrorism.” 02.06.2023 at European Conference on African Studies: African Futures

“The Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon: Mobilisation and Radicalisation of Anglophone civilians.” 03.12.2022 at Swiss Peace Open Space (invited talk)

“Plight or Priviledge? Diaspora narratives and their influence on the Southern Cameroons Conflict.” 09.06.2022 at VAD Annual Conference: Africa-Europe: Reciprocal Perspectives

“Doing Long-Distance Research on Long-Distance Activism: Reflections on Digital Ethnography.” 17.09.2021 at Cambridge AHRC: Across Distances.

“Transnational Nationalism: How getting confused about the Cameroonian Anglophone Crisis can help us spot Eurocentric bias.” 18.06.2021 at Ethnosympoisum: GrenzenÜberBrücken.

Contact: k.schumann@uni-koeln.de