Thirteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Throughout African’s Historical and contemporary experience, women have wielded political influence as constituencies and/or actors. From Hatshepsut and Nefertiti in Ancient Egypt through Ezana and the Queen of Shiba in Axum to queen Nzinga in seventeenth century Angola, the Women’s Bomb network during the Algerian war of independence to the Anlu Women’s group in Kom on the eve of decolonization in British Southern Cameroon; African women have distinguished themselves at the service of their communities. But they have also been pounds in conflict. Although sexual violence against women and girls is acknowledged globally as a widespread and severe violation of human rights, it remains very evident in postcolonial African authoritarian democracies in the throes of conflict. This has particularly been the case in the plethora of civil wars that have threatened to derail the post-colonial destiny of Africa. The ongoing Cameroon crisis has again highlighted the plight of women in conflict. Although responsibility can be assigned to both sides of the conflict, overwhelming available evidence points to French Cameroon soldiers as the greatest perpetrators of the inhumanity of sexual violence on Anglophone Cameroon women and girls. Employing the indigenous/Native feminist theory, this paper makes a historical analysis of the psychology of the perpetrators given that much has been documented about the victims already. In the context of this analysis, it argues that the perpetration of violence against women in Cameroon largely constitute the legacy of Eurocentric patriarchal colonialism in Africa.