By Dr Peter Mbile_
Cameroon is a bilingual nation by constitutional design. The Preamble of the 1996 Constitution, which is an integral part of the Constitution, clearly states that “the official languages of the Republic of Cameroon shall be English and French, both languages having the same status.” This is not an aspirational statement—it is binding law.
1. Constitutional Imperative
Article 1(3) of the Constitution affirms the equality of English and French as the two official languages. Therefore, any administrative, employment-related, civil society, business, or security document intended for public use or requiring a citizen’s response must be presented in both languages. Failure to do so not only undermines the Constitution but violates the fundamental rights of Cameroonians to access information and participate in public life on equal linguistic grounds.
2. Bilingualism as a Pillar of National Unity
Cameroon’s fragile national cohesion depends on the recognition and respect of its bilingual identity. Failing to reflect this balance—especially through unilingual documents in employment, legal, administrative, or civil society communications—creates exclusion, deepens marginalization, and fuels long-standing grievances, particularly among English-speaking Cameroonians. Such acts are not merely bureaucratic oversights—they are political and cultural violations.
3. Equal Access to Employment, Civil Society, and Public Life
In the public service, job opportunities, recruitment notices, employment contracts, and calls for applications must be in both English and French. A unilingual job announcement, for example, excludes thousands of qualified Cameroonians from equal opportunity, violating the principle of non-discrimination in public employment.
The same applies to civil society and public engagement—grant calls, meeting invitations, public hearings, government notices, and CSO registration forms must be fully bilingual. Civil society is one of the foundations of democratic participation. If language becomes a barrier to forming associations, participating in community development, or applying for funding, then the state is facilitating institutional exclusion.
4. Public Documents Must Serve the Public Equally
All Cameroonians, regardless of whether they are English- or French-speaking, have equal citizenship. This means access to all state and public information must be guaranteed in both official languages. This includes:
Administrative notices
Public service job openings
Legal summonses and court decisions
Public health advisories
Security and emergency communication
Educational materials
Civil society guidance documents
Voter registration documents
Government grant and procurement announcements
Any document not simultaneously in English and French creates systemic barriers to understanding, participation, and justice.
5. Legal and Moral Basis for Sanctions
Publishing public documents in only one official language, especially in contexts where responses or action are required, is a breach of the Constitution. In some cases, this undermines democratic participation and human rights, and in others, it may result in wrongful exclusions, unlawful penalties, or lost opportunities.
When the state or any public institution neglects this duty, it should be considered a form of institutional linguistic discrimination. In sensitive sectors like justice, security, or employment, this exclusion should be classified as a civil rights violation, and sanctioned accordingly.
6. *Hate Speech through Structural Exclusion*
Hate speech does not always come in the form of slurs—it also manifests through systemic and coded exclusion. If a public institution habitually excludes one of the two official languages, especially in matters of employment, justice, or governance, it sends a dangerous message: that one linguistic community matters more than the other.
This kind of structured and persistent disregard for linguistic equality must be treated with the same seriousness as hate speech—because it produces the same outcome: division, resentment, and disintegration.
*In Conclusion: A Call for Enforcement and Legal Reform*
Respecting Cameroon’s bilingual heritage is not optional—it is a constitutional duty, a civic obligation, and a moral imperative. To preserve national unity, promote equal citizenship, and prevent further fragmentation, all public institutions must be compelled by law to issue every document, communication, and legal requirement in both English and French.
This includes but is not limited to:
Employment and recruitment notices
Administrative correspondence
Civil society registration and funding calls
Public service announcements
Legal and security documents
Furthermore, any failure to do so—especially if recurrent—should be sanctioned as a violation of constitutional rights, and where applicable, treated as an incitement to discrimination. The peace, stability, and unity of Cameroon depend on this principle being respected, enforced, and defended at all levels.
