The 1904-5 Kom-German war: Dimensioning the power and leadership horizons opened and closed by the war

Abstract

The Germans intention to subdue the Cameroon traditional ethnic entities (states) to implant their colonial project resulted in a number of resistances (wars). The Kom-German War of 1904-5 was one of a kind, which brought about drastic transformation and reconfiguration both to the way of life and the power ownership plus distribution patterns that existed here prior to foreign incursion. This paper moves away from the known general impacts of the War of resistances in Africa to situate the particularities of the short but severely eventful War between the Kom and the Germans. Based on its finding from primary and secondary sources, the paper argues that this war negotiated special horizons of power sharing and leadership equations between the Germans and the Kom traditional state thereby opening the flood gates for the penetration of so many alien elements into the Kom traditional fabric. This discourse is consonant to the entire ramifications that shape the fortunes of African economies and political life styles elsewhere.