In a searing op-ed, a Camerounian journalist now based in Italy exposes the insidious tribalism that permeates society, often disguised as intellectualism or privilege.

I decided to share real stories about tribalism, stories that reveal how this poison can lurk in unexpected places, wrapped in the guise of intellectualism and privilege. Let me tell you one that lays bare the great deception of our society.

Recently, I was speaking with a “friend” from the Far North. She holds degrees from both ESSTIC and IRIC—prestigious institutions that serve as gatekeepers to power in Cameroun. Her father is a high-ranking customs official, placing her in an ultra-privileged circle. She isn’t the brightest in the country, yet she has secured spots in these elite schools that even PhD holders fail to obtain year after year. In my family, since independence, no one has ever had the privilege of entering these institutions.

Yet, during our conversation, she dropped this bombshell: “The country is tough, except for the Beti people who control everything and only succeed among themselves.” The cynicism reached its peak when she added that my 20 years in exile were due to “pride.” According to her, all I needed to do was “apologize” to my Beti brothers to be “accepted” back in Cameroun.

“Apologize for what crime? What fault?” I asked her.

When our fellow Beti, Martinez Zogo, begged his executioners—financed by elites across the spectrum—for mercy, did they show any compassion? Was there a single ethnic group among his cowardly killers? No. Crime and corruption know no tribe.

Reminding her that she herself had benefited from this system far more than most young Betis or people from other regions changed nothing. In one sentence, she trivialized 20 years of exile, suffering, solitude, and struggle with insulting ease.

My response was decisive: I blocked her. I have no tolerance for tribalists, especially the most privileged ones.

Let this be clear:

In Cameroun, there are really only two ethnic groups:

1. Those who hold the keys to the system: They place their children in IRIC, ESSTIC, ENAM, or EMIA through elite connections.
2. All of us: Children of resourceful mothers, farmers, who had to sell non-chilled water on the streets just to survive.

The true divide isn’t regional—it’s social. Stop letting those who benefit from the system distract you while they lament marginalization.

I cut ties with her because the tribalism of the privileged is the most dangerous of all.

Jean Claude Mbede Fouda