Resistance to European Penetration into Africa:The case of the North West Region of Cameroon

Abstract

After centuries of varied forms of European commercial activities on the African coast, the second half of the 18th century saw a change for more profit when they decided to penetrate into the hinterlands of the continent for better exploitation by establishing imperialist administration over the Africans. Many Africans resisted the imperialist penetration while some people welcomed them at the initial stage but resisted the nature of their colonial rule in later years. This study demonstrates that the Germans who colonized Cameroon encountered resistance from the coast to the hinterland and had to apply brutal force to establish and sustain their rule until their eviction from the territory after the First World War. Even those who initially received the Germans ended up suffering from the ruthlessness of their heartless imperialism. The case of the Bamenda Grassfield demonstrates the pattern of German penetration and the callous mistreatment of the Cameroonians that sustained resistance from their arrival till their defeat and eviction during the First World War

Key words: Penetration, resistance, colonial rule, annexation, coastal people, hinterland, German traders, German planters and plantations, German Imperialism.