The German presence in the western grassfields 1891-1913: a German colonial account

This book concerns the early years of German colonial rule in Cameroon. It focuses on the North-Western Province. When Cameroon was declared a German protectorate in 1884 a systematic effort was made to penetrate the hinterlands and to impose German rule. The gradual penetration was closely monitored by the Governor's office in Buea, and reports on this process were either published in the 'Deutsches Kolonialzeitung' or in 'Das Deutsche Kolonialblatt' (DKB) or in other German papers. The author concentrates on DKB, which for 29 years (1890-1919) covered the events in the German colonies. Part I is the author's analytic assessment of the articles published in DKB on the western Grassfields. It reviews the data on its peoples, the penetration strategies and the effective establishment of the 'Bamenda Bezirk'. Part II concentrates on the Zintgraff years (1889-1892). Zintgraff's move into the region is documented by the DKB. Part III presents the various exploratory and punitive expeditions that were carried out against the so-called 'rebel tribes' from 1901-1913. An annex carries five articles in German.