By Dr. Peter Mbile
*Culture as the Heart of Development*
Sustainable development, as famously defined by the Brundtland Commission, is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Yet this concept, too often reduced to economic or environmental pillars, is fundamentally a cultural process. Every society must draw from its unique identity, values, and traditions to chart a development path that is both meaningful and enduring. In this sense, culture and tradition are not peripheral—they are the very heart and soul of development.
Across Africa, and particularly in Cameroon, the traditional authorities—chiefs, Fons, sultans, and others—stand as the living custodians of this heritage. They embody the ancestral wisdom, norms, and social cohesion upon which the identity and resilience of communities are built. Respecting and empowering them is not an option; it is a necessity for peace, dignity, and sustainable progress.
*Traditional Authorities:* Founders of Sovereignty and Development
Traditional rulers are not incidental to the creation of modern states; they are foundational. It is they who held, governed, and nurtured the territories that eventually formed Cameroon, long before colonial treaties were signed. It was through their agreements, often made in good faith, that colonial administrations, and later the post-independence state, gained recognition and access to territory. In this light, it is not an exaggeration to say that without the traditional authorities, the modern Cameroonian state as we know it would not have existed.
As natural rulers, they command a legitimacy that is rooted not in constitutions or decrees, but in centuries of communal trust, identity, and service. Their dominions may be small in size or remote in location, but their symbolic and practical role in the national fabric is immeasurable.
*Marginalization and Decline:* A Tragic Disregard
Despite their foundational role, traditional authorities across Cameroon—particularly in isolated areas such as the Southwest—have faced a troubling trend of neglect, humiliation, and even violence. The wave of separatist conflict that engulfed parts of the region in recent years has led to the tragic assassination and displacement of many traditional rulers. Their palaces were burned, their families hunted, and their legacy threatened.
What is perhaps equally concerning is the occasional insensitivity of state administrators who, whether through ignorance or bureaucratic arrogance, have undermined these figures. These are men who, in many cases, hold together fragile communities in places abandoned by infrastructure and services. To humiliate them is not only an affront to tradition, but an attack on the dignity and cohesion of the people they represent.
*The Cost of Ignoring Culture:* Erosion of Social Resilience
Cultural alienation breeds social instability. When communities are forced to migrate due to the absence of schools, hospitals, or roads, they do not only leave behind land—they leave behind their heritage. Children grow up detached from their roots; social values erode, and the vacuum is often filled by discontent, violence, or unhealthy materialism.
Conversely, where traditional rulers have been respected and supported in their authentic roles, the results have been markedly different. In such communities, social peace is more easily maintained, heritage is preserved, and the foundations for self-driven development are laid. Recent cultural revival festivals across Ndian (March 2025) and Buea (October 2024) were testaments to the vitality and continuity that traditional authorities can provide when empowered.
*A Call to Action:* Empowering the Custodians of Identity
The time has come to restore honor and strategic support to traditional rulers—regardless of how small their communities may be. Their role is not ceremonial. It is foundational. Governments, while transient, must recognize that these traditional spheres of influence endure across generations. Their respect and empowerment should be embedded in policy, not left to the discretion of individual administrators.
The House of Chiefs must champion this cause, elevating it to the highest national and legal platforms. The State must ensure mechanisms that protect and promote traditional authorities—not as relics of the past but as active agents of cultural continuity and sustainable development. Programs that invest in rural infrastructure, cultural preservation, and the formal integration of traditional governance into national planning should be prioritized.
*In Conclusion:* Toward a Culture-Centered Development Paradigm
The struggle for development is ultimately a struggle for identity. Knowing who we are, where we come from, and what values we uphold is what gives direction to our journey as a people. Traditional rulers serve as anchors in this journey. To humiliate them is to insult our collective past and endanger our shared future.
Let us remember: every attack on a chief is an attack on the soul of a people. Every insult to tradition is a crack in the foundation of national cohesion. And every effort to honor and support these custodians is a step toward peace, identity, and authentic development.