Cameroon’s Image : These Harmful Individual Attitudes!

It is easier for some (mostly the governed) to accuse those in power of doing this or that which, according to them, tarnishes the image of the country than look inward at what their individual acts could have on that very image. Whether the accusations are founded or not may be a topic for another day. The certainty for those who have stepped out of the borders or interacted with people from elsewhere is that Cameroon’s image as a country; owing to the behaviour of its citizens, leaves much to be desired. The image is increasingly being crushed!
Two wrongs, they say, cannot and will never make a right. Regrettably, the trend of happenings within and without the country concerning Cameroonians are such that some people find it hard telling those around them that they are from the country. It is true every society has the good, the bad and even the ugly but our dark side is becoming very disturbing and causing enormous damage on the country’s image. 
Scamming and forgery of all sorts are progressively becoming the order of the day and these make foreigners and esteemed nationals alike very uncomfortable with their compatriots outside country and any other thing that has to do with them.  A few days ago, several media outlets were inundated with a story of a Cameroonian lady who robbed her Spanish ‘husband’ of hard-earned millions through a fictitious agricultural project. The story goes that the 42-year-old man met a certain Cameroonian lady on social media and they fell in love with each other. The relationship is said to have developed quickly enough and the Madrid-based businessman invited his newfound lover to Spain and the two became a couple, although not living under the same roof.
It is then that the idea of the agricultural project to be carried out in Cameroon was presented to the Spanish lover boy who quickly accepted given that he was assured of the groundwork that was already laid. He reportedly sent 25,000 euros (about FCFA 16.4 million) in two instalments (15,000, then 10,000) for the purchase of a six-hectare piece of land. Thereafter, he sent two vehicles, a pick-up and a van, and the money to clear them from the port through his wife’s companion in crime.  The gangsters even sent photos of developed land to the expatriate in-law who was convinced that the project was taking shape. Sadly, all these were just gimmicks to swindle money from him. He is said to have arrived in Cameroon, insisted on visiting the project site and his lover rather disappeared into thin air, leaving the foreigner who knew neither English nor French to battle it out back to his country. 
This is what some Cameroonians can do. The Spanish is said to have lost close to FCFA 48 million in the deal. As he obviously gnashes his teeth in disbelief, what is sure no doubt, is the image he has taken back to his country about Cameroon and Cameroonians. Evidently, it is such that no amount of money can ever cleanse. He, like his people and those he would meet, will only see racketeers, fraudsters, liars and dishonesty each time the name Cameroon is mentioned. 
Stories of this nature abound. If it’s not a Cameroonian man, it is a woman and the bottom-line is that these acts are perpetrated by individuals who want to reap where they have not sown. They are apparently so gripped with the get-rich-quick syndrome that they are ready to do just anything to have money. To say the least, dubious behaviours which enrich those in the dangerous chain but deal a terrible blow to the image of the country. This is frightening!
Cameroon harbours and has very morally-upright people who are doing great things within and without the country. They are generally very creative. This explains why one would find Cameroonians in almost all organisations. Most professionals in almost any field stand out each time they find themselves in the midst of their peers from elsewhere. The fact that many Cameroonians bag prestigious international awards for excellence in competitive fields tells of the dynamism of the population and their capability to surmount whatever challenge.
Unfortunately, some compatriots are using their ingenuity in a negative way. Bullying, stealing and scamming are vices that soil the country’s image deeply. Making many to dread one’s country; through individual behav...