The sensitivity of cultural identity: a focus on Cameroon

Arising ethnic and cultural conflicts has become an important phenomenon that has drawn the world’s attention. The political insensitivity of leaders and negligence has caused a lot of civil unrest. This paper focuses on the complexity and sensitivity of culture and how it defines people’s identity. It explains the interdependence of culture and society and how a society is stratified into majority groups and minority groups. This research further gives a list of various problems minorities face in a society and the legal instruments that protects the rights of minorities. The second chapter of this research gives the salient signs by the government to assimilate Anglophone Cameroonians and the current actions by the government. It also includes the results of the just concluded presidential elections in Cameroon and lapses that influenced the result. It further discusses the legal document that protects minority rights both international and adopted national rights. Literature review of cultural identity and the importance of language to culture is been considered. A methodological analysis was further carried out using a sampling instrument of one on one interview with randomly picked Cameroonians which helped to deduced certain conclusions and recommendations.