The populations of nde and the traditional archaeological heritage: rejection, alienation and attempts of rehabilitation

When French Cameroon gained independence in 1960, the cultural bases of the past of the people of Nde were threatened. The French government did not really want to leave the country, unlike England which organized an election in the Anglophone zone and respect the verdict of the election. The Francophone zone, on the other hand, was subjected to a civil war between nationalists and governmental neo-colonialist troops. Nde was then one of the most affected areas by the insurrection and the repression will aim at removing any psychological element likely to encourage the nationalists. It is in this perspective that traditional palaces were burnt and people displaced to be parked in concentration camps. At the same time, the churches, especially the Catholic Church, completed the harmful action of the neo-colonial government. Once the re-introduction of democracy effective, the populations kept the traces of oppression and their attitude towards the traditional material and immaterial archaeological heritage is greatly affected by the crimes of the neo-colonialist power of President Ahmadou Ahidjo and churches. It oscillates between the rejection of certain aspects, the alienation of others and the desire to rehabilitate it. Our article aims at presenting the behavior of the populations of Nde in relation to the traditional archaeological heritage of the region, historical reasons of this behavior, analysis of measures for better rehabilitation, protection and development of elements of this heritage.