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Union of the Peoples of Cameroon

 

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Union of the Peoples of Cameroon



 
 
The Union of the Peoples of Cameroon is a political party
Political party

A political party is a political organization that seeks to attain and maintain politics power within government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns....
 in Cameroon
Cameroon

The Republic of Cameroon is a unitary state of central and western Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south....
.

UPC was founded on April 10 1948, at a meeting in the bar Chez Sierra in Bassa. 12 men assisted the founding meeting, out of them Charles Assalé, Léonard Bouli, Guillaume Bagal. The majoirity of the participants were trade union
Trade union

A trade union or labor union is an organization run by and for workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages, hours, and working conditions....
ists. In many ways UPC was a continuation of the Cameroonian Rally (RACAM).

On April 11 a Provisional Bureau was established.






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The Union of the Peoples of Cameroon is a political party
Political party

A political party is a political organization that seeks to attain and maintain politics power within government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns....
 in Cameroon
Cameroon

The Republic of Cameroon is a unitary state of central and western Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south....
.

UPC was founded on April 10 1948, at a meeting in the bar Chez Sierra in Bassa. 12 men assisted the founding meeting, out of them Charles Assalé, Léonard Bouli, Guillaume Bagal. The majoirity of the participants were trade union
Trade union

A trade union or labor union is an organization run by and for workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages, hours, and working conditions....
ists. In many ways UPC was a continuation of the Cameroonian Rally (RACAM).

On April 11 a Provisional Bureau was established. Bouli was elected general secretary, Bagal joint general secretary, Emmanuel Yap the treasurer and J-R Biboum the joint treasurer. The following day the statues of UPC was deposited at the Mayor's office in Douala
Douala

Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country....
 at 10.50 am. The group was, however, not legally registered. On April 13 UPC issues its first public declaration of intent, the 'Appeal to the Cameroonians'.

On May 6 another meeting was held, this time at the residence of Guillaume Bagal in Douala. The statues and the 'Appeal to the Cameroonians' were revised. A new Provisional Bureau was constituted, with the following composition:
  • General Secretary: Étienne Libaï
  • Joint General Secretary: Léonard Bouli
  • Joint Secretary: Guillaume Bagal
  • General Treasurer: Emmanuel Yap
  • Joint Treasurer: Jacques Biboum
  • Members: Nkoudou Raphaël, Owona Ernest-Marie


On May 14 the revised statues were handed over to the Mayor's office in Douala. On June 9 the authorities allowed the registration of UPC, following pressures from the African Democratic Rally
African Democratic Rally

The African Democratic Rally was a political party in French West Africa, led by F?lix Houphou?t-Boigny. Founded in Bamako in 1946, the RDA quickly became one of the most important forces for independence in the region....
 (RDA) and the French Communist Party
French Communist Party

The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. Although its electoral support has greatly declined in recent decades, it remains the largest party in France advocating communist views, and retains a large membership and considerable influence in French politics....
 (PCF).

Cm Upc1
On June 17 the Provisional Bureau decided that UPC would call itself the 'Cameroonian section of RDA'. The same meeting decided that the first public function of UPC would be held on June 22 in Douala. The meeting of June 22 was held in the Salles de Fêtes d'Akwa. Around 500 people took part in the meeting. Libaï and Bouli addressed the function. Participators included Ruben Um Nyobé
Ruben Um Nyobé

Ruben Um Nyob? was an anti-imperialist Cameroonian leader, slain by the French army on September 13, 1958, near his natal village of Boumnyebel, in the department of Nyong-et-Kell? in the maquis Bassa....
, Charles Assalé, as well as traditional chiefs such as Ekwalla Essakra and Lobé-Bell.

In November Ruben Um Nyobé
Ruben Um Nyobé

Ruben Um Nyob? was an anti-imperialist Cameroonian leader, slain by the French army on September 13, 1958, near his natal village of Boumnyebel, in the department of Nyong-et-Kell? in the maquis Bassa....
 takes charge of the organization as its general secretary following a vote at a meeting of the Provisional Bureau. Before the meeting of the enlarged Provisional Bureau Léopold Moumé-Etia had been mentioned as another possible candidate for the position, but he declined nomination on personal grounds.

At the second congress of RDA, celebrated in Treichville
Treichville

Treichville is a commune of Abidjan, C?te d'Ivoire. The city is known to be one of the most lively borough of the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Am?rique....
, Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire

, formerly Ivory Coast, officially the , is a country in West Africa. The government officially discourages the use of the name Ivory Coast in English, preferring the French name to be used in all languages ....
, January 1-5 1949, the membership of UPC in RDA is confirmed. Um Nyobé is elected vice-president of RDA.

On April 10 1950 the enlarged Leading Committee holds a meeting in Dschang
Dschang

Dschang is a city located in the West Province, Cameroon Provinces of Cameroon of Cameroon, with an estimated population of 87,000 in 2001. This has grown dramatically from 21,705 recorded in 1981....
. During the course of the meeting a decision is taken to regard the function as the first congress of UPC. The congress last until April 13. A new Leading Committee is elected:
  • President: Chief Mathias Djiomessi
  • General Secretary: Ruben Um Nyobé
  • Vice-presidents: Guillaume Bagal, Phillipe Essama Essi, Félix Moumié, Samuel Noumouwe
  • Treasurer: Emmanuel Yap


After the congress Charles Assalé leaves the movement and is incorporated into the procolonial fold.

The party published La Voix du Cameroun, Lumière, Étoile and Vérité.

See also


  • Félix-Roland Moumié
    Félix-Roland Moumié

    F?lix-Roland Moumi? was a Cameroonian Marxist leader, assassinated in Geneva in 1960 by the SDECE with thalium. F?lix-Roland Moumi? succeeded Ruben Um Nyobe, who was killed in September 1958, as leader of the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon ....
    , assassinated by the French secret service in 1960
  • Cameroun
    Cameroun

    Cameroun was a French League of Nations mandate in central Africa, now constituting the majority of the territory of the Cameroon.Today, English speakers from Cameroon are known for a distinctive accent and signature rolling of r's as a French lingual flourish....
     (history of Cameroun under French administration and colonial war)