“The State: From Foundations to Legitimacy”

I was preparing to write this new layer of my thoughts when an elder brother and friend contacted me from Benin. He had set up a company, and one of its flagship activities is public speaking. “I built a program based on what you taught us in Alexandria,” he said. Suddenly, I thought of pioneerism — the result of selfless work. I had done that work expecting nothing in return — not recognition, not honor, not money. And now, here is one of its fruits.

I had just come out of my time of encounter through prayer. I pray to the God who does not exist for atheists. That’s why I call it a time of encounter with prayer. During this moment of meditation on Psalm 119 — the longest psalm in the Bible — my mind wandered between Achille Mbembe’s reflections on the current crisis in my country and the foundations of the nation of Cameroon, my homeland.

A strong intuition urged me to write down some thoughts — which I may share if needed — about the foundation and legitimacy of the Cameroonian state. How painful it is to live on this earth without being an apostle of one’s time!

True power, in a country that has suffered the barbarism of slavery, colonization, and neo-colonialism, would in such a context spring from the traditional chieftaincies. A country like Cameroon ought to be guided by a Chief of the Nation. Administration should be handled by the one we currently call the president. The village chief elected by other chiefs would become the Chief of the Nation for a clearly defined term. The people would be responsible for electing a Prime Minister or Secretary of the Nation, who would work with the Chief of the Nation for a defined mandate. Intuition led me to devote reflections to this idea. Perhaps the writings of a neophyte will be of use someday?

It’s almost 4 p.m. I’ve just spent a few minutes meditating while walking under the trees. Why is it that beneath tall trees, seeds and other trees almost never grow? Yet you can often find greenery — fragile dwarf grass. Never does another tall tree grow under a towering one. Let nature teach us!

Yesterday, I finally broke my long cycle of depression, which began in early June. Dark nights. I went out to play football — my favorite team sport — and I also got a practical taste of what badminton is.

We are living in a communist country. Almost everywhere here, you’ll find mini-stadiums, gyms, and all kinds of sports facilities. They are communists. Yet one gets the feeling that life is better here than in capitalist nations. Where did these systems come from? And these media wars? I now understand why Russia quickly formed a Soviet bloc with overseas territories. It did not want to suffer the victor’s justice. It wanted to be free. And to this day, it remains free.

Africa has long remained the battleground of foreign interests. When will our time come? When will the moment arrive when we live free, proud of ourselves and of our values? When will that time come?

This text is an excerpt from the book “EASTERN CLOCK” written by Jean-Paul Marie (Pastor Samuel Binyou).

We invite you to read the next article: “DARK HUMANITY”.

THE DUALITY OF AMBIGUITY. THE DUALITY OF AMBIGUITY. THE DUALITY OF AMBIGUITY.