History

Portuguese explorers led by Fernando Pô were the first Europeans to arrive the coast of Cameroon. They reached Douala through the Wouri River. They named it “Rio dos Camarões (the River of Prawns), which later resulted to the name of the country. With the arrival of Europeans, business and slave trade shifted from the Centre to the Coastal areas. Local Chiefs developed more powers by signing agreements with the Portuguese. Business was also negotiated with traders from England, Holland, France and Germany. The Chiefs served as middlemen between the Europeans and local tribesmen that had something to sell. Mostly slaves and ivory were exported from Cameroon. The Europeans sold clothes and metal-products.

A few Portuguese settlers started plantations and Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Cattle farmers migrated from Nigeria and forced the indigenous people further into the forest. The constant fight to manage the land led to the problem of refugees and made them vulnerable at the benefit of slave traders.

The Dutch takes over the slave trade in Cameroon.

British missionaries started protesting against slave trade. The London Baptist Missionaries created a Christian colony in Victoria (now called Limbe). The first inhabitants of Limbe were freed slaves from Jamaica, Ghana and Liberia. Also, Africans who were converted to Christianity, settled in Victoria.

Trade between Cameroon and Europe gradually changed and developed. The first European business complex was founded by Alfred Saker, an English navy engineer. He started building schools and churches in Douala at the bank of River Wouri. When slave trade finally ended, some changes were noticed at the level of trade, because focus was now on natural resources like palm oil, ivory and gold. The Europeans started moving further into the interior of the country. The Douala chiefs started losing their influence little by little. After being informed about the opening of a British Representation in Lagos, King Manga Bell of Douala wrote to Queen Victoria of England, requesting that an official relationship be established with Douala.

The British were present in Nigeria, East Africa and other places in the world. The British were reluctant in making Cameroon a British protectorate. As a result of their hesitation, the Germans were forced to take over the territory.

Slavery was abolished in America. The Europe nations had done this several years earlier, although illegal slave trade continued for many years.

Gustav Nachtigal signed a treaty with the Chiefs of Doula on behalf of the German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm. In return for trade advantages the chiefs accepted a German protectorate. The names of the chiefs were Bell, Akwa and Deïdo

Baron Von Soden became Governor of the new German colony, “Kamerun”. His biggest task was to fight rebellious tribes in the country.

The European colonial powers partitioned Africa amongst themselves during the Berlin Conference. The Europeans drew up new boundaries for the entire African continent. In doing that, they did not take into considering differences in cultures and languages of the people.

Explorer Georg Zenker instituted a German rule in the mountains at the Centre of Cameroon which later gave birth to Yaounde the capital.

The second German Governor, Von Puttkamer, constructed a railway in the country. With forced labour, he also started developing the colony with roads, schools and hospitals. The name of the main town changed from Kamerunstadt to Douala. The Germans encountered serious difficulties in imposing their authority on the colony. Initially, the Germans left a greater part of the local administration in the hands of large commercial companies.

Chief Rudolph Douala Manga Bell and military officer Martin-Paul Samba, were the first two nationalists to be executed for resisting German rule.