Recently, the name of Martin HONGLA, current player of the Cameroon national football team, emerged on the public scene, almost supplanting that of Samuel ETO’O FILS in the list of personalities targeted by virulent attacks on social networks. Very soon, this controversy could even extend to radio and television debates. The reason for this agitation? Martin HONGLA had the courage to proclaim an uncomfortable truth: in our societies, endogamy is the norm, while exogamy is the exception.
Our ancestors and our parents have always shown a certain reluctance to welcome people from other tribes into our families and to marry our daughters to “foreigners”. It is important to note that the term “foreigner” does not only refer to those coming from different tribes. In reality, even among the Bassa, the Bamileke, the Bulu, the Douala, the Eton, the Bakweri, the Moundang, the Mendakwe, and many others, there are restrictions on marriage outside the clan.
The choice of Martin HONGLA to marry a woman who does not belong to his own tribe has provoked hostile reactions from people from their respective tribes, both for him and for his wife. This situation was discussed extensively in an entire chapter of my book called “Meeting Love.” Examples of this kind are multiplying in our country, but seem to have become so banal that they hardly arouse emotion.
The virulent criticism directed against Martin HONGLA seem to want to force him to respect an obligation of linguistic reserve as a player of the national team. However, those who fuel this explosion of hatred seem to forget that the facts with which he is accused arise from private exchanges, far removed from his sporting career. It is time to put an end to this collective hypocrisy.
Instead of targeting Martin HONGLA for expressing an inconvenient truth, we should instead use this opportunity to open a constructive dialogue on the issue of endogamy and exogamy. It is imperative to challenge the tribal prejudices that hinder the harmonious development of our country. The controversy raised by Martin HONGLA could serve as a catalyst for deeper reflection on our cultural identity and our openness to diversity. It is time to end the hypocrisy and embrace a gradual change in attitudes towards intertribal marriage, because this is how Cameroon can move forward as a united, diverse and enlightened nation. Hypocrisy!
