Archive Photos: The Paramount Fon of Nso Kingdom receives President Ahmadou Ahidjo at his Palace in 1971
Editorial opinion The independentist.
There was a time, not long ago, when the thrones of Ambazonia commanded reverence — not because they wielded guns or political power, but because they embodied the spirit of a people and the continuity of their history. Our traditional institutions, from the grassfields to the coastal chiefdoms, once stood as sovereign guardians of culture, identity, and sacred legitimacy. Today, they have been reduced to little more than ceremonial appendages of a colonial administration masquerading as a republic.
A telling example lies in a story from 1971. President Ahmadou Ahidjo, then Head of State of the Federal Republic of Cameroon, visited the Nso kingdom and made the grave error of requesting the Paramount Fon of Nso to meet him at the SDO’s office in Kumbo. The Fon sent back a firm message: “The Nso Palace does not move.” And true to form, Ahidjo, the powerful president, humbled himself and went to the Fon’s palace. That singular act said much — it was a moment when even the highest political office recognized the sanctity and autonomy of Ambazonian traditional institutions.
Contrast that with what we see today: a grotesque reversal of dignity and power. Fons and Chiefs now behave like errand boys for the divisional officers and regional administrators of La République du Cameroun. They are no longer seen as custodians of the land or protectors of heritage, but as CPDM party mascots — adorned in regalia, not to preserve tradition, but to chant slogans at political rallies and endorse policies that strip their people of dignity and land.
Consider the case of the Fon of Bambalang, Fon Shomitang II, often seen in political company far removed from the interests of his people. Or the Fon of Bangulang, whose integrity is widely questioned, yet whose loyalty to the Yaoundé regime is unquestioning. Then there are the Southwest Chiefs, many of whom have become shameless praise singers of the very system that has marginalized and militarized their communities. These traditional rulers have gone from voices of wisdom to clapping hands for crumbs.
The humiliation is so severe that today a mere sub-divisional officer (DO), who may have only recently learned the geography of the land, can summon a Fon — a living embodiment of ancestral authority — and the Fon will run, hat in hand. We have gone from “the palace does not move” to “yes sir, when and where?”
This moral collapse did not happen overnight. It is the result of a deliberate, decades-long policy by La République du Cameroun to erode the spiritual and political base of Ambazonia. By converting traditional rulers into auxiliaries of the administration — essentially civil servants in robes — the regime has ensured that loyalty flows upwards to Yaoundé, not downwards to the people.
Where once our rulers were kings of their own lands, today they are paid pipers playing tunes for corrupt political elites. Where once they mediated land disputes, led cultural rites, and upheld justice, today they distribute CPDM T-shirts and supervise rigged elections. It is a desecration — not just of tradition, but of the soul of a people.
Yet, all is not lost. A new consciousness is rising, especially among Ambazonians who refuse to see their heritage turned into political theatre. The Fons and Chiefs who still carry themselves with dignity — who still speak truth to power — must be celebrated and protected. And those who have sold their thrones for stipends must be reminded: History has no pity for traitors to the spirit of the land.
Let the words echo across the hills of Nso to the shores of Bakassi: The palace does not move. The people do not kneel. And Ambazonia will rise again — with or without you.
The Independentist Editorial desk,
