Today 20 March, the 220 million Francophones across 5 continents celebrate their language: French. So what has this got to do with Daphne? Perhaps she is my celebrity crush :-). Or perhaps not ;-)
Well, on a serious note, a few weeks ago, after bagging 4 trophies at the Canal d’Or Awards, Daphne said something in her acceptance speech along the lines of “who would ever have thought an ANGLOPHONE would win best female artist in Cameroon?” Some Cameroonians went after her on social media for this statement. Why should Daphne refer to herself as “Anglophone”, whereas her repertoire of hits is replete with songs in French? The catchy phrases of her love songs are virtually anthems in Francophone Africa.
The Daphne episode got me reflecting on the meaning of speaking French for an Anglophone Cameroonian like myself. One thing I have in common with Daphne (pardon my presumptuousness) is that I also often get asked the question, “why do you refer to yourself as Anglophone whereas you speak very good French?” I don’t know Daphne’s answer to that question as she didn't respond to her critics. But for me, the answer to that question lies perhaps in the path I took to learn the French language.
French Language teachers were a rarity in the mainly rural government schools I attended in Anglophone Cameroon. The few who braved the odds and showed up only stayed long enough to negotiate/bribe their way out of my remote village. Well, Mr. Akumbu Nkwain would tell you I wasn't also a very assiduous French student, but the long and short of it is that by the time I completed High School, my French was barely a few notches above “Bonjour”.
Like many of my friends, I had plans to pursue my post-secondary education in what was at the time the lone English-language University in Cameroon, the University of Buea. That seemed an obvious choice for me, since I didn’t speak French. Obvious until my old man sat me down and gave me “the talk”. It went along the lines of “we” are anglophones in a country “dominated” by Francophones. People like “us” won’t get anywhere in this country if “we” do not speak “their” language and understand “their” ways.
And so it was that I instead took my degree in a university where 90% of courses were taught in French. It was not an easy experience, but that is a story for another day. Bottom line is, I learned my French, which I have perfected over the last 17 years studying, living and working in the mainly French speaking regions of Cameroon.
So, back to the question. What does speaking French mean to me, considering my trajectory? Well, I guess it is obvious that I only learned the French language in order to be able to project my ANGLOPHONE SELF into FRANCOPHONE SPACES. I suppose same as “our” anglophone musicians who drop a few bars in French, or sing entirely in that language in order to access a majority Francophone musical space.
Paradoxically, my French reminds me that I am Anglophone. Learning/speaking French for me stems from an AWARENESS of my ANGLOPHONE-NESS and its limitations within the structures of a majority Francophone society. For example, I would switch to the French language each time my Anglophone self needs to make sure I am well understood by a Francophone other. And whenever my French opens me doors to a “Francophone space”, I pat my ANGLOPHONE self on the back like Daphne. As if to say “Hey Anglo, the French works like magic!”.
So, next time I tell you “Je suis anglophone” in my good Francophone accent, don’t question my anglophone-ness. PARDON MY FRENCH instead...
-Ngochi Moun’Afese