When President Paul Biya ended his keynote speech in Buea on February 20 with the words, “I now invite you to join me in singing our National Anthem,” the intended message was clear: Cameroon has come a long way and efforts by those who worked to make the country what it is today must be continued.

Over the years, historians and politicians have either out of political gimmicks or genuine reverence sought to shed light on the challenging task of nation-building, especially for a county like Cameroon which is so diverse

Yet, after some 40 odd years of German domination and separation by the French and British colonial hegemony, the country can today celebrate 50 years of existence in spite of all the odds. The 50^th anniversary of the reunification of Cameroon, though coming three years behind schedule marked the culmination of a break that started in 2010 with the celebration of the independence of Cameroon with festivities in May 2010 and the Defence Forces in December that same year in Bamenda.
In spite of today’s contradictions of existence as a country – ethnic diversity, linguistic differences, cultural pluralism, political dichotomies and so on, Cameroon has continued to forge on. Many Cameroonians, in fact, a majority of the people, proudly carry the national flag even abroad where they take refuge from the current economic hardship in the country. Often, it may not be obvious how much thought is given to the daring role of those who either liberated the country from domination or brought it together as a single and indivisible whole.
Destiny might have pushed the likes of J.N. Foncha, Ahmadou Adhidjo, S.T. Muna, Ndeh Ntumazah, Ernest Ouandjié, Felix-Roland Moumié, Martin Paul Samba and so on, to either fight to free the country or unite those divided by history.  Even as school youth, Cameroonians found the need to fight for the integrity of their country and looked for ways to make their vision of a Cameroon where all her children would feel proud to belong. The wordings of the Cameroon National Anthem in both the English and French versions appear to be the best image that captured such profundity.
Thus, festivities as those organised to recall the evolution of the country within the past fifty years would have been meaningless if they failed to recall the role played by those who liberated and united the country. The sacrifices they made can also make sense if those who manage state affairs today reflect values of fortitude, integrity, valour and determination.
The youth may today be more preoccupied by the realities of their daily survival that the efforts of their fathers may not mean much. But the challenges of today may not be far from those of yesterdays. Differences may exist in the scope and extent of the battle for nation-building, but the contribution that each and everyone may need to put in can only differ according to the historical moment. Otherwise, the Cameroon of tomorrow can only be the fruits of the pains of today’s generation of leaders and citizens. This is logically so because today’s’ Cameroon is obviously a reflection of what those of before laid down.
Some critics have often erroneously indulged in a blame-game that does not only take the country too much into the relics of history, but fails to draw the vital lessons for a strong and viable nation. Certainly, such attitudes might have been the results of some failures or acts of disrepute posed by some key officials who unfortunately hold leadership positions today. However, the negation of defeatist mind set and the avowed desire for lofty goals might be valuable yardstick for a more positive approach to the initial and noble ambitions of the country’s forefathers. Cameroon may have the luck or misfortune of having a multiplicity of ethnic groups, regional and linguistic differences, which at times cast doubts on the challenge of building a strong and workable nation. Yet, the last 50 years have demonstrated that those who founded the nation were selfless individuals who had lovable and noble ambitions for the country. The best that Cameroonians can do for their memories may be ensuring the values of unity, justice, peace, and stability that have been irreplaceable pillars of the country’s survival this far.