Martin-Paul Samba, born Mebenga m'Ebono (circa 1875 – 8 August 1914) was a
Bulu military officer during the
Imperial German colonial period of
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
. M'Ebono became a favourite of the German colonials during his upbringing in
Kribi
Kribi is a beach resort and sea port in Cameroon.
Location
The coastal town of Kribi lies on the Gulf of Guinea, in Océan Department, South Province, at the mouth of the Kienké River. This location, lies approximately , by road, south of ...
, a coastal settlement in southern Cameroon. He was sent to Germany in 1891 to enter the
German Military Academy; he was baptised Martin-Paul Samba while abroad. Upon graduation, Samba returned to Cameroon and accompanied German military expeditions across the colony.
Samba resigned his commission in 1902 and entered private business in
Ebolowa
Ebolowa is the capital of Cameroon's South Region (Cameroon), South Region. It has a population of 79,500 (2001 estimate). It is a colonial town and a notable agricultural centre.
Overview
The main crop is Cocoa bean, cocoa. It also hosts an ...
. he began to plot an
uprising
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
against the Germans. He secretly contacted British and French forces to secure arms, but one such letter was intercepted. German forces arrested him and charged him with
high treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
. Samba was executed on 8 August 1914. Today, many Cameroonian historians view Samba as one of Cameroon's earliest heroes and
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
s.
[DeLancey and DeLancey 236.]
His memory is commemorated by a statue in
Ebolowa
Ebolowa is the capital of Cameroon's South Region (Cameroon), South Region. It has a population of 79,500 (2001 estimate). It is a colonial town and a notable agricultural centre.
Overview
The main crop is Cocoa bean, cocoa. It also hosts an ...
.
Childhood and German collaboration
Mebenga m'Ebono was born circa 1875 in a village known as Metoutou-Engong, near
Ebolowa
Ebolowa is the capital of Cameroon's South Region (Cameroon), South Region. It has a population of 79,500 (2001 estimate). It is a colonial town and a notable agricultural centre.
Overview
The main crop is Cocoa bean, cocoa. It also hosts an ...
in what is today the
South Province of
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
. He was a member of the Yemeyema clan of the
Bulu ethnic group.
[Ngoh 355.] When Mebenga's was orphaned as an infant, his uncle, Oban Ebono, took the child into his care. In 1885, Ebono sent Mebenga to be raised by Banoho Issamba, a
Batanga Batanga may refer to:
Ethnography
* , of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, related to the Duala of Cameroon
* Batanga language, spoken by the Bataga
Places
* Batanga, Burkina Faso, a village in Bam Province, Burkina Faso
* Batanga, Ghana, a ...
man who had come to prominence as a trader in the coastal settlement of
Kribi
Kribi is a beach resort and sea port in Cameroon.
Location
The coastal town of Kribi lies on the Gulf of Guinea, in Océan Department, South Province, at the mouth of the Kienké River. This location, lies approximately , by road, south of ...
. Mebenga spent the rest of his childhood there.
The young Mebenga became a favourite of the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
colonials who lived in Kribi.
[DeLancey and DeLancey 235.] He entered the service of German explorer
Kurt von Morgan, whom he accompanied on expeditions beginning in 1889. Two years later, von Morgan paid to have m'Ebono educated in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
Mebenga entered the
German Military Academy, where he was given the name Samba. That November, he was baptised as Martin-Paul. Samba graduated in 1894 with the rank of
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
.
[Ngoh 114.]
Samba returned to
Kamerun
Kamerun was an African colony of the German Empire from 1884 to 1916 in the region of today's Republic of Cameroon. Kamerun also included northern parts of Gabon and the Congo with western parts of the Central African Republic, southwestern p ...
that same year. For the next seven years, he accompanied German expeditions under the command of
Hans Dominik to explore the Kamerun hinterland and subjugate native resistance.
Samba participated in actions against the settlements of
Bati and
Tibati
Tibati (Fula: Tibati 𞤼𞤭𞤦𞤢𞤼𞤭) is a town and commune in Djérem, Cameroon. The town and region are reigned by a local monarch, the Lamido.
The most notable economic activity in the region is the fishery industry. The fish comes fr ...
and against several
Ngila and
Limba villages.
Samba's own people came to view him as a turncoat.
[DeLancey and DeLancey 235-6.] In 1902, he resigned his commission to become a businessman in Ebolowa.
Samba the rebel
Samba's views slowly changed regarding the Germans.
He came to disdain the colonials' mistreatment of Bulu women and children. The 1911 appointment of
Karl Atangana as
paramount chief
A paramount chief is the English-language designation for the highest-level political leader in a regional or local polity or country administered politically with a chief-based system. This term is used occasionally in anthropological and arch ...
of the
Ewondo and Bane worried Samba, who felt that the Germans were favouring the Ewondo over the Bulu, giving the Ewondo the edge in the long rivalry between the ethnic groups. He began to entertain notions of being a great
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
and of uniting all Kamerun under the leadership of the Bulu.
Meanwhile, Samba became a
chief
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
in the Bulu hierarchy in 1910.
In 1912, Samba began actively planning an
uprising
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
.
He entered correspondence with
Rudolf Duala Manga Bell
Rudolf Duala Manga Bell (1873 – 8 August 1914) was a Duala king and resistance leader in the German colony of Kamerun (Cameroon). After being educated in both Kamerun and Europe, he succeeded his father Manga Ndumbe Bell on 2 September 1908 ...
, a like-minded leader from the
Duala ethnic group. The two decided to request aid from Germany's enemies, Samba to contact the French, and Manga Bell the British.
Meanwhile, Samba began training Bulu warriors in tactics to use against the German army. He gained the support of other southern Cameroonian leaders, including
Madola of the Batanga and
Edande Mbita. The rebels stockpiled weapons and munitions. Samba even requested weapons from the German themselves, ostensibly to ward off Ewondo unrest that had led to some uprisings north of Bululand.
[Ngoh 115.]
A Bulu informant alerted the Germans of Samba's plans. By July 1914, the colonial forces were suspicious enough to search his home, where they found numerous receipts for arms purchases from British and French suppliers.
At the outbreak of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in 1914, Samba sent a letter to the French forces at
Brazzaville
Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...
stating his intent to rebel and requesting aid against the Germans.
Colonial forces intercepted the correspondence. Samba was arrested on 1 August 1914 and charged with
high treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
. His collaborators, Madola, Edande Mbita, and others, were also arrested when stockpiles of arms were found in their homes. The men were tried by
military tribunal
Military justice (also military law) is the legal system (bodies of law and procedure) that governs the conduct of the active-duty personnel of the armed forces of a country. In some nation-states, civil law and military law are distinct bodie ...
. All were found guilty. On 8 August 1914, Samba and his collaborators were executed by
firing squad
Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are us ...
.
Notes
References
* DeLancey, Mark W., and DeLancey, Mark Dike (2000): ''Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cameroon'' (3rd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press.
* Ngoh, Victor Julius (1996): ''History of Cameroon Since 1800''. Limbe: Presbook.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samba, Martin-Paul
1870s births
1914 deaths
People from South Region (Cameroon)
Cameroonian rebels
Cameroonian traditional rulers
People of former German colonies
19th-century German military personnel
20th-century German military personnel
Kamerun
People executed by Germany by firing squad
20th-century executions for treason
People executed for treason against Germany
People executed by the German Empire
Executed Cameroonian people
Mutineers