Cameroon Pidgin English: a means of bridging the anglophone-francophone division in Cameroon?

Cameroon is known to be one of the most linguistically diverse countries on the African continent. In addition to the approximately 280 indigenous languages, because of its complex colonial history the country has two official languages, English and French. In contrast to most African countries, where identity is primarily defined along ethnic boundaries, it has been frequently noted that in Cameroon identity is very often based on these former colonial divisions. In this context, many linguists have stressed the integrating force and neutral character of Cameroon Pidgin English (CamP) and have claimed it as a language spoken by all Cameroonians, irrespective of their educational or official-language background. The paper suggests, however, that CamP's position in the linguistic make-up of Cameroon is being increasingly challenged, for a number of reasons, and that both its usefulness as a means of communication between anglophones and francophones, and its assumed neutral character, have to be reconsidered. (Verlag, adapt.).