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| Poster of The Conference Held in Yaounde Goethe Institut Poster Goethe Institut |
Background
World War I was just a small but complex
human event in a series of war events whose origins and causes are linked to changes
in Europe since early17th century (Hamilton and Herwig, 2005, p.2). It is an important event in world history
because it changed how politics would be made and resources used. Its impact on
societies was such that its present existence in the collective memory cannot
be neglected. Since cultural transmission that is the transmission of cultural
material from a generation of individuals to another generation of individual
within a psychological view point is highly reasonable (Madelaine Baranger,
Haydee Faimberg cited in Mijolla, 2005, p.357 and p.846), it is imperative to
highlight the relevance of World War I in the cultural world we are now living
in. World War I involved the cultures of the world (Hamilton and Herwig, 2005)
and thus positions itself as one of the world wars – there has been several
world wars (Hamilton
and Herwig, 2005, p.2) - whose influences are far reaching. The motifs of this
war can be alleged to be linked to a natural human inclination to transform
nature thus by the basically cultural side of the human. Throughout time humanity
has passed through several stages which are linked to specific patterns of
behaviours and thought processes. It is interesting to note the particularity
of the 20th Century with the presence of World War I, a global war.
As humans of the digital age, an event of the type of World War I calls and questions
us. Internet has changed for ever how cultures will relate to one another and
will forever enable collective memories to be remembered. The deaths of the
Great War, World War I and the trauma it created.
World
War I started on the 28th July 1914 and lasted until 11th of November 1918. In Cameroon,
Africa in miniature, it started on
the 5th of August 1914 by the attack of Bonga and Zinga by the French tropes from Congo . It ended
with the capitulation of Mora on the 20th of February 1916 (Mveng, 1983 cited
in Demassosso (in press). The North, South, Central and coastal regions were
affected by the war and have until today visible effects not only on the physical environment (
buildings , monuments) of the region but on the social environment (bilateral
relationships) as well but mostly on the
collective memory (psychological implications e.g. collective/social trauma ).
It
was necessary therefore that a reflection be made on this event in Cameroon. On
Friday 9th May 2014, Collective Memory and Internet (http://www.cameroon-memories.cm)
in collaboration with Goethe-Insititut Kamerun (http://www.goethe.de/ins/cm/fr/yao.html?wt_sc=cameroun) organized a colloquium
under the theme : First World War And Historical Consciousness in Cameroon : Stakes and
Challenges for a memorable celebration.
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| Prof Philippes-Blaise Essomba and Mr Jung during The Conference Photo Didier De Masso |
The conference started with a deductive reflection
on the history of the war and its meaning by Prof Philippe-Blaise Essomba from
the University of Yaoundé I.Women were involved in several ways during the war.
Dr Andela Laure presented a thesis in favour of a massive contribution of women
in World War I in Cameroon. Though more subtle, her position informs us on their attitudes to the
war which was determinant in many ways according to the Historian, in shaping the evolution of the war.The role and function they had cannot be underestimated.The
psychological impact at individual and collective level and the emergence of
problems relating to cultural identity as an element of cultural personality
and problems relating to its development then and now was highlighted by Psychologist
Didier Demassosso. History Phd Student Kampoer Kampoer revealed the influence
of the war on the language of the Kwasio a people made up of Ngumba and Mabea
of the coastal hinterlands of the littoral region in Cameroon. The expression Na Nyan 14 is often used by these people
as language behaviour to depict an attitude toward conflicting situations. The
war was indeed conflicting in many aspects. An artistic view point of the War was
presented by artist Victor Dicka in a
sequence starting with the beginning of the war and its end.
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| Dr Andela Laure (right) During the Conference Photo Didier De Masso |
Women,
the Psyche and Arts: How women consciousness, psychology and arts can be used
to understand what happened during the World War I in Cameroon.
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| Drawing by Victor Dicka depecting the scenes of th First World War in Cameroon |
As Dr Andela emphasised, women in
Cameroon played a great role in the unwrapping of the war and this in all
aspects. The implication of women in the war was in itself a complex issue
since it provoked among the colonial masters confusion and controversy. It also
revealed concretely the power of women, something acultural at the time. It is
not surprising since women’s consciousness has a unique feature: women are the
bearers of culture, and they share it from generation to generation. It was but
natural Cameroonian women protect the values and traditions of their people
then. The feminine collective unconscious since more rich provided them with
the resources they needed to direct the war in the sense it took. The analysis of the art work of Dicka Victor
shows a conscious effort to document on the one hand and to express on the second
hand the unspeakable. The effects of traumatic events are often difficult to verbalize using words. Suffering and pain is the common experience of the victims. The construction of meaning through images is also important for recovery. It is true that
artistic construction can be polluted by information overload which historical
facts beautifully provide. However, when we consider the artist to be
historically linked by virtue of his
ancestors to part of the history of the event we have obligation to focus on the role
that arts can play in consolidating the collective conscious , revealing suffering
and providing a means for recovery.
The Meaning of World War I and the future
World War I meant that humans are
capable of committing terrible atrocities. Moreover it showed by the
involvement of continents not linked to the origins of the war how humanity is
united in its essence, avoiding pain and suffering. The war lasted more than it
was expected and it created a breach into the freedom of humans thereby in some
contexts reawakening a sense of nationalism by the reaction of refusal of the
war it generated in local communities. World War I reveals to us today that irrespective
of our cultural diversity we share unavoidably the same worries and fears. We
are linked beyond boundaries by our human history. By being aware of the existence of
this war, our collective consciousness now and then an integral part of the digital age, will lead to a healthy collective memory for
future generations of humans. It seems reasonable to think that historical
awareness and historical consciousness go alongside. That is the need to know
what happened and to experience it consciously in some way is necessary for a complete reconstruction of the mental history of the event.The advantage we have is that we have the
internet which acts as a sort of memory. We are now part of a Collective Memory!
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| Interested participants at a performance marking the end of the conference of WWI in Cameroon Photo DD |
References
Andela, S., L. (In
press). « Les
Camerounaise a l’épreuve de la
Grande Guerre: Etude Psychologique,
1914-1915 » Colloque international du Centenaire de la premier guerre mondiale.
Vendredi
9 Mai 2014 Goethe-Institute Kamerun.
Demassosso,
B., D. (In press). The psychology of World War I in Cameroon: An Exploratory
Analysis. International Colloquium on
the Century Anniversary of World War I Celebrations in Cameroon Friday 9th
May 2014 Goethe-Institute Kamerun.
Halmiton, F., R., Nerwig, H., H. (2003). The Origins of World War I. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press
Kaompoer , K. (In press). ‘‘Na
Nyan 14 ?’’ : Autopsie Du Legs De La Grande Guerre Dans La Memoire
Kwasio Colloque international du Centenaire
de la premier guerre mondiale. Vendredi 9 Mai 2014 Goethe-Institute Kamerun
Mijolla , A., D. (2005). International Dictionary of
Psychoanalysis. Detroit : Thompson Gale. ebook.
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