Autochthony, Migration, and the Politics of Belonging: Rethinking the Northwest-Southwest Divide in Anglophone Cameroon

Abstract: The Northwest/Southwest divide in Anglophone Cameroon represents one of the most enduring and politically consequential intra‑regional cleavages in the country’s postcolonial history. While both regions share a common Anglo‑Saxon colonial heritage and a collective experience of marginalization within a Francophone dominated state, their internal relationship has been shaped by competing claims to autochthony, demographic anxieties, and elite‑driven narratives of belonging. This article examines the historical, socio‑anthropological, and political foundations of the divide, focusing on the emergence and evolution of the derogatory label cam‑no‑go as a symbol of exclusion directed at Northwestern migrants in the Southwest region. Drawing on theories of autochthony, migration, and identity politics, the study traces the roots of the conflict to colonial labor migration, plantation capitalism, and the political rivalries of the 1950s and 1990s. It argues that the Northwest/Southwest dichotomy is not merely cultural but structurally produced through state policies, elite manipulation, and demographic pressures. The article concludes that the politics of belonging continues to undermine Anglophone solidarity, with significant implications for the ongoing Anglophone Crisis and prospects for collective self‑determination.