Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo was a Cameroonian politician who was the first president of Cameroon, holding the office from 1960 until 1982. Ahidjo played a major role in Cameroon's independence from France as well as reuniting the French and English-speaking parts of the country. During Ahidjo's time in office, he established a centralized political system. Ahidjo established a single-party state under the Cameroon National Union (CNU) in 1966. In 1972, Ahidjo abolished the federation in favor of a unitary state.
Ahidjo at the Catshuis in The Hague, 1979
Ahidjo with John F. Kennedy, 13 March 1962
Italian president Giuseppe Saragat with Ahmadou Ahidjo in 1966
Ahidjo kissing Tito's Pioneers in Slovenia, SFRY, 1967
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Its coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West Africa and Central Africa, it has been categorized as being in both camps. Its nearly 27 million people speak 250 native languages, in addition to the national tongues of English and French, or both.
Bamum script is a writing system developed by King Njoya in the late 19th century.
Leaders of the pro-independence UPC
A statue of a chief in Bana, West Region
President Paul Biya with U.S. President Barack Obama in 2014