|
|
| ACTUALITE |
|
|
22.10.2006
Epilogue
The story of Mpondo Akwa is of almost cinematic tragedy, and has captured the interest of several historians. Recently a radio adaptation has been created from the 1905 trial. The interest in Mpondo Akwa is explained in part by rare richness of the documentary record, but probably rests more in the fact that his life in Germany generated such partisan and passionate responses, many of which are echoed in present-day treatments of his biography. The mere fact of his presence in Germany, forceful and opinionated as it was, was enough to send some of his most vociferous critics into fits of angry accusations, cruel mockery and sometimes despair. And yet, he also had strong support, especially from his lawyer, Dr. Levi,. From this we see that the colonialism was never a taken-for-granted status quo in Germany. Colonialism appears; when seen through the prism of Mpondo´s biography, as an incomplete project, one which was seriously contested even in metropolitan circles; and thus which could be ever so slightly unhinged by the presence of an ambitious African nobleman in Germany.
The picture of Mpondo Akwa that arises out of the written record is of a man whose complex and nuanced vision of political possibilities were directed towards the reasonable management of colonial regimes through the increasing inclusion of African representatives in decision-making processes. This vision does not fit neatly into categories of resistance or collaboration, which unnecessarily limit analyses of human agency and power under colonialism. In fact, much of Mpondo´s work in Germany can be better understood as a form of foreign policy - a variation on a nineteenth-century theme - which now involved public relations work and fundraising in the metropole, in addition to coalition building between Duala and Europeans. Such coalition building in Germany proper was necessary to Mpondo´s legal and political successes (however limited), and links to the “respectable classes”, as exemplified by Dr. Levi and Freiherr von Landsberg, were indispensable. However, Mpondo did not and could not limit his networking to these circles, and he therefore traversed many class, regional and political divides in the name of opening up German discursive space to his and other African ideas about governance.
Always key to the success of Mpondo´s project were the German courts. It was only through law that colonialism gained "legality," and thus it was through law that the legalization of patently illegitimate and violent methods of rule could be powerfully questioned. Dr. Moses Levi knew this. Indeed, he took on the cause as his own after witnessing the effects of colonial “legality” on his client up to 1905. He recognized that the perversion of any serious definition of justice was threatened when law and legality were dictated by mere political convenience couched in racist logic. His principled and committed defense of Mpondo Akwa has a relevance to all those fighting for pluralism and justice in former colonizing countries today.
After his intense engagement with colonial issues, Dr. Levi founded a family and gained solid recognition and respect for his commitment to the legal profession and to the rule of law: His illustrious career was brought to an end by the National Socialist regime. During this terrible era, Dr. Levi still exhibited the same Zivilcourage that strengthened his resolve to represent Mpondo Akwa almost thirty years before. Herta Grove remembers that one morning, shortly after the Nazis came to power, he turned to her, pale, before leaving the house for the court and said: "If I don´t come back tonight, I just want you all to know I´ve done my duty." She later was told that her father stood in the courtroom and announced, after realizing the extent to which his job as a defense lawyer would be purely symbolic: "If this is German law, I do not want to be called a German lawyer any longer." He then walked out. When his behavior came under scrutiny for this, the public prosecutor who had been his long-time professional adversary in that courtroom came to his defense. With his legal career seriously curtailed and his notary seal rescinded, Dr. Levi continued his work in an advisory capacity - for Jews and non-Jews alike - until his death from cancer in 1938, three weeks before the Gestapo´s black wagon arrived for him at his office.
Dr. Moses Levi´s four children were all able to emigrate. His wife, Betty Levi, after whom a street in Altona is now named, was not. She was deported to Auschwitz on July 11, 1942.
That the dangerous melding of race and law against which Moses Levi fought already in 1905 with such single-mindedness and clarity should later come to bear upon him and his family is a cruel irony - one that alerts us to the timeless importance of the defense speech reproduced in this volume.
MPUNDU AKWA: The Case of the Prince from Cameroon, the Newly Discovered Speech for the Defense by Dr.M. Levi
Von Joeden-Forgey, Elisa & Levi, Dr. M. (Eds.)
Notes, bib, vii, 137pp, GERMANY. LIT VERLAG, 3825873544
Recherche Bibliographique: B. NJOUME
|
|
|
Mount Cameroon Race of Hope:FCFA 130 Million Disbursed
( | 16.02.2007 | 34523 hits | 0 R)
|
Belka Tobis : parle de son Cool Assiko, Concerts et DVD
( | 15.02.2007 | 40614 hits | 0 R)
|
Jean Jacques Elangué: Entretiens avec Jean Jacques ESSOMBE, Cameroon-Info.Net
( | 14.02.2007 | 30083 hits | 0 R)
|
Youpwe: La qualité du poisson camerounais remise en cause
( | 14.02.2007 | 24996 hits | 0 R)
|
Black History Month 2007 (BHM)
( | 12.02.2007 | 34081 hits | 0 R)
|
Manu Nominé aux Victoires de la Musique 2007
( | 11.02.2007 | 28756 hits | 0 R)
|
NKOTTI François et son FOMARIC. Un des héritiers des pionniers du Makossa que sont Nellé Eyoum, Manfred Ebanda et Guillaume Mouellé
( | 10.02.2007 | 37558 hits | 4 R)
|
Decouvrez EBONYL, une BD faite par un groupe de jeunes Sawa
( | 10.02.2007 | 31430 hits | 0 R)
|
Drums Dikoume - na mea nde longue: Meilleur Makossa groove 2006
( | 10.02.2007 | 29961 hits | 0 R)
|
Christian Essawe Eyobo: Les Camerounais ont 230 milliards Fcfa à gagner
( | 08.02.2007 | 29173 hits | 0 R)
|
CHEIKH ANTA DIOP, OU L´HONNEUR DE PENSER par Jean-Marc ELA
( | 06.02.2007 | 34483 hits | 0 R)
|
Douala : Un carnaval pour les Bonapriso
( | 06.02.2007 | 32351 hits | 0 R)
|
La force publique - Mercenariat Noir pendant les Razzias Nègrières
( | 02.02.2007 | 30612 hits | 0 R)
|
Février 2007 : Le "Moi(s) contre la Françafrique"
( | 02.02.2007 | 24261 hits | 0 R)
|
LES LANGUES AFRICAINES ET LE NÉO-COLONIALISME EN AFRIQUE FRANCOPHONE
Mongo BETI
( | 31.01.2007 | 41543 hits | 1 R)
|
POUR EN FINIR AVEC NOS ETHNIES (Hougan Akounaatona)
( | 28.01.2007 | 38427 hits | 0 R)
|
Réponse à l’article POUR EN FINIR AVEC NOS ETHNIES, du kamite Hougan Akounaatona
( | 27.01.2007 | 37909 hits | 0 R)
|
Yaphet Frederick Kotto
( | 26.01.2007 | 66273 hits | 1 R)
|
Jean Bikoko "Aladin"
( | 26.01.2007 | 37963 hits | 0 R)
|
Black Code: Promulgated by Louis XIV in 1685, the Black Code ruled the black men slavery
( | 25.01.2007 | 38866 hits | 0 R)
|
Culture : Les "Nkamois" ont leur festival
( | 25.01.2007 | 36854 hits | 1 R)
|
Le Code noir (1685)
( | 25.01.2007 | 34299 hits | 0 R)
|
Bwapé, un îlot de Manoka, abandonné par l´administration
( | 25.01.2007 | 23698 hits | 0 R)
|
Carrières: Lejeune Mbella Mbella, Michèle Ebonguè, .....
( | 24.01.2007 | 47837 hits | 0 R)
|
LIMBE: NAUFRAGE, Près de 60 (soixante) disparus
( | 24.01.2007 | 24201 hits | 0 R)
|
Music of Cameroon
( | 17.01.2007 | 48936 hits | 0 R)
|
Ciné Club Afrique : Le Silence de la forêt de Didier Ouenangaré et Bassek Ba Kobhio
( | 17.01.2007 | 36074 hits | 0 R)
|
La danse camerounaise d’hier à aujourd’hui, par Tony Mefe
( | 17.01.2007 | 35364 hits | 0 R)
|
Jean Dikoto Mandengué : auteur compositeur et bassiste Camerounais.
( | 17.01.2007 | 31790 hits | 0 R)
|
Joseph Nzo Ekangaki
( | 10.01.2007 | 41369 hits | 0 R)
|
L`Histoire de Baba Simon: de son vrai nom Simon Mpecké,
( | 10.01.2007 | 35218 hits | 0 R)
|
MUSIQUE: PELE-MELE - Des désaccords et plagiats
( | 09.01.2007 | 37289 hits | 0 R)
|
Peuplesawa.com chante !
( | 04.01.2007 | 46235 hits | 3 R)
|
LA SAWANITE A L´AUBE DE 2007 - UNE ANNEE DE GRACE
( | 04.01.2007 | 38511 hits | 1 R)
|
Manu Dibango compose la musique de Kirikou
( | 03.01.2007 | 39281 hits | 0 R)
|
MUSIQUE CAMEROUNAISE - Une chronologie de Suzanne Kala-Lobè
( | 03.01.2007 | 34960 hits | 0 R)
|
Sawanité , Grand Sawa, Pacte des Générations : Une année fructueuse, un espoir pour demain
( | 29.12.2006 | 29496 hits | 0 R)
|
SAWANITE, un an déjà ! un concept, une aventure, un succès
( | 29.12.2006 | 36591 hits | 2 R)
|
KALENDA 2007
( | 29.12.2006 | 25086 hits | 0 R)
|
Film: Assassinat de Felix Moumié
( | 27.12.2006 | 37083 hits | 0 R)
|
Florence Titty-Dimbeng : Faire rayonner la musique africaine
( | 27.12.2006 | 38332 hits | 0 R)
|
Spectacle : Georges Seba éblouit la Guadeloupe
( | 27.12.2006 | 29073 hits | 0 R)
|
M.E.Y. Souvenons-nous !
( | 21.12.2006 | 33599 hits | 0 R)
|
Daniel EYANGO NDOUMBE est décédé à l`âge de 92 ans
( | 20.12.2006 | 49386 hits | 1 R)
|
Videos Ngondo 2006 et Blackexploitation
( | 19.12.2006 | 34065 hits | 0 R)
|
Ngondo 2006 : les vainqueurs fêtés chez le Mincom
( | 18.12.2006 | 26592 hits | 0 R)
|
Ngondo 2006: Results
( | 18.12.2006 | 26217 hits | 0 R)
|
Ngondo 2006 : Un appel à l’unité des chefs sawa
( | 18.12.2006 | 26106 hits | 0 R)
|
Dans les secrets du Mpo’o
( | 13.12.2006 | 48240 hits | 1 R)
|
Une nouvelle et irrésistible victoire de la pirogue de course
( | 09.12.2006 | 32046 hits | 0 R)
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
