Cameroonian Agency in Bota/Tiko Ports in British Southern Cameroons

Abstract

Bota and Tiko ports in Cameroon, established at the heart of the Gulf of Guinea, emerged as relatively autonomous nodes in global flows of people, goods, and ideas prior to and, more importantly, during the British administration of the territory between 1916 and 1961. This was first under the League of Nations Mandate and later United Nations Trusteeship. Cameroonian agency in these ports has not been given scholarly attention and also in the maritime history of the country. European merchants, travellers, administrators and others have occupied centre stage. This is in fact a lopsided narrative. Cameroonians loaded and off-loaded bananas, timber, agricultural products and imported goods. Others were mail runners linking the hinterlands with the ports and still others did carpentry work and built port structures such as warehouses, office buildings and docksides. Some painted the gangway leading to the wharf. Cameroonian contractors provided adequate loads for the Victoria pier and guarded warehouses and offices. Others were the marine beach, lighter, boat, slip-way, and wharf boys, quarter masters, boatswain or non-commissioned officers who maintained vessels, boats or other equipment. Still, others were cleaners, middlemen, traders, miscellaneous and other staff that provided launches to handle deaths on sea journeys from Tiko to Douala and back. Cameroonians were thus intermediaries in the port history of Tiko and Bota but also disrupted commercial activities when unfairly treated.