It was August 8th, 1914. The time was 3:48pm. The man closed his eyes as his bare feet felt the sandy ground beneath. It had rained heavily and steadily all night, like it always did in August in Douala. And as he clutched the wet sand between his toes, he realised that this was going to be the last time he would ever do.
It was going to be the last time that he would do a lot of things; breathe, see, cry, or feel the humid breeze from the Wouri River that carried in its weight the taste of prawns. It would be the end of him, but he hoped it would not be the end of his fight. He had fought the good fight, he told himself repeatedly, and somewhere, some day, someone else will pick it up.
That was his only consolation, minutes later, as he moved towards the gallows where he was to be hung, with two German guards at his side, holding by each of his forearms. His sister stood by, crying resignedly and so did a few of his countrymen. They looked at him, their King and also the mightiest authority in their land, as he was led away by the German colonist, to be hung like a common thief. He looked at them, smiled reassuringly and then looked back at the gallows he was headed towards.
He thought about his trusted friend and comrade, Ngoso, who was still in the cell and had been sentenced to die an hour after him. He knew Ngoso would be ready for death and would look at it squarely in the die. He had always known this day might come and he had been ready for death the first time they met.
The man was Rudolph Douala Manga Bell. He was born on March 20, 1873, in Bonanjo. He was the first son of his father, King Manga Bell. His father had him enrolled in the German school in Douala where he excelled as a student. He moved to Germany to continue his studies, staying there for 11 years and studying law at the University of Bonn. When he returned to Cameroon he joined the German civil service as a judge, and earning a decent salary. He even found love in the arms of Emily Engome Dayas, the mulatto daughter of a British official and a Duala woman.
Everything seemed to be going well with him.
However it wasn't until he was coronated King in 1910 that things went sour with his "bosses." The plans for the expropriation of Douala by the German was in full swing and the natives of Douala resisted the Germans taking over their land. Many of the natives had lost their land already to little or no compensation and they had petitioned endlessly to their local chiefs to help find a solution to the problem.
The Ngondo convened and all the Sawa chiefs in and around Douala designated King Rudolf Manga Bell to handle the issue and defend their interests.
It was around this period that Rudolph met Ngoso Din, a young man whose origins are not very well documented. He was educated in Douala and Buea and subsequently became the trusted adviser and confidante of Rudolf Douala Manga Bell. When the Germans find out about Ngoso, they try to bribe him, but the young man is incorruptible and always stayed on the side of his people.
In the year 1911, King Rudolf, the trained lawyer, prepared a legal document against the expropriation of the Douala lands which he sends to the German parliament in 1911 but he receives no answer. He thus decided to send his trusted friend, Ngoso, on a secret mission to Berlin. Ngoso manages to escape Cameroon (as he was being watched by German administration) and arrived Berlin in 1912.
When he reaches Germany, he immediately gets to work. The young man starts rallying public opinion in favour of the Douala people; meeting lawyers, journalists, politicians (from the Social Democrats party) and former classmates of King Rudolf. He does so well that the mission is a success and newspapers in Berlin start writing about the German expropriation of Douala. Two years, it took him.
While in Berlin, Ngoso Din met a brillant lawyer called Hans Alpert. Hans was a former classmate and thus a friend of Rudolf. Together they write a petition to the German parliament. Their allies in the Social Democrats party defend their petition and castigate the attitude of the German mission in Cameroon, asking the German parliament to halt the expropriation. Their petition is granted and the budget Commission of the German Parliament decides to suspend the funds that were supposed to be sent to Douala to implement the expropriation until a response is heard from the German Secretary of State.
This is March 8, 1914.
Two months later, on the 9th of May, 1914. The budget Commission of the German parliament started examining the counter arguments presented by the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State introduced a fake telegram as evidence. The telegram is supposedly from Sultan Njoya and was sent to King Rudolf. The content? In the telegram, Sultan Njoya is asking King Rudolf to rebel against the Germans, stating that the French and British were going to help him in his rebellion.
Immediately, Ngoso Din is arrested in Berlin (May 15th), five days after his friend, King Rudolf had been arrested in Douala (May 10th) for high treason. Hans Alpert pleads for Ngono Din’s to no avail. Ngoso is put on a boat and is sent back to Douala, in handcuffs, to be tried.
Three months later their trial begins. It is the 7th of August 1914. Deliberations start at the court at 5pm. Just 3 hours later, the judgement is handed.
Ngoso Din and King Manga Bell are sentenced to death by hanging. It wasn’t just them that that were arrested. The sentences went from 3 years in prison to life in prison. Three of them are acquitted.
The following day is execution day. The Germans made sure that Ngoso and King Manga Bell have no time to appeal the judgement. They have to be executed as swiftly as possible. Within that time, there is a succession of people who pass by the Governor's office to plead the case of Rudolf and Ngoso Din; all to no avail. Amongst them is Princess Ebenye Manga Bell, the sister of Rudolph, who asks to see the Governor. She too is denied an audience. Mgr Vieter, the Germn Bishop of Douala asks for an audience as well. His request is also denied.
At 4pm, on August 8th 1914, Rudolf Douala Manga Bell is hanged in front of the police station in Bonanjo to the utter dismay of the many Douala people gathered there to see their King executed.
At 5pm, on August 8th, 1914, Ngono Din is hanged in front of the Douala people he fought for.
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This happened 106 years ago. We should not forget this. We cannot forget this. Wherever you are today, at 4 and at 5pm, please keep a moment of silence in the memory of all these heroes that fought so we could have freedom. Especially since 106 years later, we are still fighting for freedom from a different type of oppressor.
- Wandji Wilfred.