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Risk Assessment | Analytic Summary | References
Risk Assessment
The Kirdi are isolated and relatively impoverished, but do not have much interaction with the central government. Whether due to their isolation or the ruling governments neglect, the Kirdi are rarely included in the Cameroonian political sphere. The main political disputes in Cameroon exist between the Francophone community and the English-speakers of western Cameroon. While prior data indicates that the Kirdi would prefer a measure of autonomy, in essence their geographic position and lifestyle provides them this already, and the Kirdi political movement remains an extremely small component of President Biya's ruling coalition. Presumably, if the Kirdi continue to live in seclusion and maintain their comparatively minimal influence in central government, the Kirdi are likely to preserve their current lifestyle.
Analytic Summary
Established as a confederation between former French and British territories, Cameroon was later consolidated under a strong executive during the term of President Ahidjo (1958-82). Ahidjo (a Fulani from the north) favored the northern minority by recruiting them for the civil service and security forces. Still, the Bassas remained prominent in the civil service and the Bamilekes maintained their dominance in the trading sectors. Paul Biya, a southerner of the Boulou tribe and party rival of Ahidjo, came to power in 1982 promising more freedom, fairer policies, and competent government. He gained much support from the Christian peoples of the South, including the Bulus (Boulou), Betis, and Bassas, and from the Bamilekes in south-western Cameroon.
The Kirdis of Cameroon consist of some 15 closely related, yet distinct tribes that live in northern Cameroon (as well as southeast Nigeria and southwest ChadGROUPCON = 3). The term "Kirdi" literally means "pagan" in Fulani, and the Kirdi, neither Muslim nor Christian (although a very small number have converted to Islam), usually practice forms of animism and ancestor worship (BELIEF = 2; CULDIFX4 = 2). Each tribe speaks its own dialect of Biu-Mandara, a Chadic language, and few Kirdi speak Cameroon's official languages of French and English (LANG = 2; CULDIFX2 = 2). The Kirdi, known for producing colorful glass beadwork, have maintained their relative isolation and social customs (CULDIFX5 = 2). For the most part, the Kirdi share historical animosities toward the Fulani, their traditional overlords who subjugated and attempted to Islamize them in the early 19th century.
The Kirdi economy and lifestyles remain relatively simple and are based on subsistence agriculture (growing mainly millet, maize, and peanuts) and barter trade. Due to historical neglect, economic development (ECDIS03 = 1), literacy, and life expectancy are lower among the Kirdi than among other groups in Cameroon, although these figures are not out of sorts with other tribal people in the region (DMSICK03 = 0). Politically, the Kirdi have had little influence in Cameroon (POLDIS03 = 1), and do not show much interest in becoming involved in mainstream Cameroonian politics (e.g., the Movement for Democracy and the Republic (MDR) has only one seat in parliament). Because of this lack of political activism (PROT03 = 0; REB03 = 0), the Kirdi have been generally free from governmental repression (REP03 = 0 for all categories), generally deferring to Cameroon's majority (the Fulani), even after the dominant ethnic coalition in Cameroon changed in 1982 and favored the South.
References
Derrick, Jonathan 1992. 'Cameroon: One Party, Many Parties, and the State,' Africa Insight. Vol 22. No 3.
Keesing's Contemporary Archive, Keesing's Record of World Events. Annual. London: Longman Group Ltd.
Lexis-Nexis news reports, 1990-2003.
Kofele-Kale, Ndiva. 1986. "Ethnicity, Regionalism, and Political Power: A Post-Mortrem of Ahidjo's Cameroon," in Michael Schatzberg and William Zartman eds. The Political Economy of Cameroon. New York: Prager Special Studies.
Minorities Rights Group. 1989. World Directory of Minorities, St. James International Reference. Chicago and London: St. James Press.
Murray, Jocelyn, ed. 1993. Cultural Atlas of Africa, New York: An Equinox Book
Takougang, Joseph. 1993. 'The Demise of Biya's New Deal in Cameroon, 1982-1992,' Africa Insight. Vol 23. No 2.
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