The Video Proves They’re All Cannibals: The Weaponisation of Ritualistic Cannibalism in Cameroon’s and Nigeria’s (Anti) Separatist Propaganda

Year 2025, Issue: 25, 285 - 308, 10.06.2025

Floribert Patrick C. Endong

https://doi.org/10.46250/kulturder.1681252

Abstract

For some decades now, the Cameroonian and Nigerian governments have been involved in a complex information war against some armed separatist movements operating in their respective countries. This longstanding war has partly been characterised by the use of gloomy Internet videos that represent the separatist fighters as war crimes perpetrators, human right violators, terrorists and barbaric forces. In line with this, the Cameroon and Nigeria governments have, at various points in time, sought to establish separatist movements’ barbarism by deploying some footage of ritualistic cannibalism presumably committed by separatist fighters. The two governments have hinged on such damning – but not always authenticated – online images to justify their demonization of separatism and intensify their military response to secessionism on their national territories. Although a number of authors have focused on the truth-claim of such cannibalism videos, no modicum of scholarly attention has particularly been given to why the aforementioned cannibalism videos have, irrespective of their authenticity, enjoyed a certain popularity and “credibility” among the gullible Cameroonian and Nigerian masses. This paper addresses this understudied issue through two objectives. First, it examines the ways in which both separatist and anti-separatist movements in Cameroon and Nigeria weaponised cannibalism videos in their violent struggles against their opponent. Second, the paper explores the socio-cultural factors that enable the popularity and “credibility” of cannibalism videos among the masses in the two countries.

Keywords

ritualistic cannibalism , separatism , Ambazonia , indigenous people of Biafra , Ambazonia defence forces

Video, Hepsinin Yamyam Olduğunu Kanıtlıyor: Kamerun ve Nijerya'nın (Anti) Ayrılıkçı Propagandasında Ritüel Yamyamlığın Silaha Dönüştürülmesi

Abstract

Son birkaç on yıldır Kamerun ve Nijerya hükümetleri, kendi ülkelerinde faaliyet gösteren silahlı ayrılıkçı hareketlere karşı karmaşık bir enformasyon savaşı yürütmektedir. Bu uzun süredir devam eden savaş, kısmen ayrılıkçı savaşçıları savaş suçu işleyen, insan haklarını ihlal eden, terörist ve barbar güçler olarak gösteren karanlık internet videolarının kullanımıyla karakterize edilmiştir. Bu doğrultuda, Kamerun ve Nijerya hükümetleri çeşitli dönemlerde, ayrılıkçı savaşçılar tarafından işlendiği iddia edilen ritüelistik yamyamlık görüntülerini kullanarak bu hareketlerin barbarlığını kanıtlamaya çalışmışlardır. Her iki hükümet de bu tür suçlayıcı çevrimiçi görüntülere dayanarak ayrılıkçılığı şeytanlaştırmayı ve kendi topraklarındaki ayrılıkçılığa karşı askeri müdahalelerini yoğunlaştırmayı meşrulaştırmaya çalışmıştır. Bazı yazarlar bu yamyamlık videolarının gerçeklik iddialarına odaklanmış olsa da, söz konusu videoların –gerçek olup olmadıklarına bakılmaksızın– Kamerunlu ve Nijeryalı saf kitleler arasında neden belli bir popülerlik ve “inandırıcılık” kazandığı konusu akademik açıdan neredeyse hiç ele alınmamıştır. Bu makale, yeterince çalışılmamış bu konuyu iki hedef doğrultusunda ele almaktadır. İlk olarak, Kamerun ve Nijerya’daki hem ayrılıkçı hem de ayrılıkçı karşıtı hareketlerin, rakiplerine karşı yürüttükleri şiddetli mücadelede yamyamlık videolarını nasıl silah olarak kullandıklarını incelemektedir. İkinci olarak ise, söz konusu videoların her iki ülkedeki halk arasında popülerlik ve “inandırıcılık” kazanmasını mümkün kılan sosyokültürel etkenleri araştırmaktadır.

Keywords

ritüel yamyamlık , ayrılıkçılık , Ambazonia , Biafra yerli halkları , Ambazonia savunma kuvvetleri

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